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60-1192: The CTOE - Centro de Tropas de Operações Especiais (Special Operations Troops Centre), based in Lamego , is a unit of the Portuguese Army with the mission of instructing troops in unconventional warfare and counter-terrorism . Until 2006, it was known as CIOE - Centro de Instrução de Operações Especiais (Special Operations Instruction Centre). The CTOE contains an operational unit called FOE - Força de Operações Especiais (Special Operations Force), popularly known as Rangers, tasked with performing Tier 1 missions like their counterparts such as US Army's Delta Force or British Special Air Service . Some of these missions include conducting long-range reconnaissance patrols , raids against high-value targets and enemy bases or hideouts, hostage rescue, covert operations, guerrilla warfare , locating enemy command and control centres, targeting and destruction of enemy air defences and radar systems, and POW rescue operations. The unit can be infiltrated by parachute, helicopter, small boat, or by foot. The CTOE, heir of

120-706: A beret (brown) and camouflage . They were elite units, with highly motivated, hand-picked personnel, whose instructors had taken courses on counter-insurgency and counter-guerrilla operations in France , Algeria , the United States , the United Kingdom , and Spain . When the Portuguese Colonial War began in 1961, there were already four companies of Special Hunters in Angola . Early in

180-599: A 2010 article, Marc Ambinder reported that Army Compartmented Elements (ACE) was a new cover name for Delta Force. However, Ambinder subsequently wrote an e-book about JSOC in which he reported that the Army Compartmented Elements is a different unit from Delta. In January 2022 it was reported that the name of the unit may have recently been changed to the 3rd Operational Support Group. The Department of Defense tightly controls information about Delta Force and usually refuses to comment publicly on

240-468: A Command Sergeant Major (E-9). Troops are led by Captains (O-3) or Majors (O-4) and are assisted by Sergeants Major (E-9). Each troop has four teams, each one led by a team leader, a Master Sergeant (E-8) or Sergeant First Class (E-7), and an assistant team leader who can also have the same rank. Each team usually has five or six members. Since the 1990s, the Army has posted recruitment notices for

300-740: A cathedral. The following cultural institutions are based in Lamego: The film Abraham's Valley (1993) is set in and around Lamego. Sporting Clube de Lamego , founded on 4 June 1934 as the branch number 63 of Sporting Clube de Portugal (Sporting CP), is the major sports club in Lamego. Delta Force The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta ( 1st SFOD-D ), also known as Delta Force , Combat Applications Group ( CAG ), or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) as Task Force Green ,

360-471: A force of teachers, but a force of doers". He envisioned highly adaptable and completely autonomous small teams with a broad array of special skills for direct action and counter-terrorism missions. He briefed military and government figures, who were resistant to creating a new unit outside of Special Forces or changing existing methods. Finally, in the mid-1970s, as the threat of terrorism grew, Pentagon and Army senior leaders appointed Beckwith to form

420-454: A high degree of independence and in conditions of great risk and in which qualities of spirit of sacrifice, adaptation, tenacity, strong will and constant, rusticity and resistance, sobriety and discretion, camaraderie and cohesion. This stage is 13 weeks for enlisted men, while for Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers it is 15 weeks. Lamego With origins before the Roman occupation of

480-590: A market charter to the city, attracting merchants from Castile and Granada with their oriental spices and textiles. Lamego had a privileged positioned on the routes from western Iberia, as a transit point within the settlements of the Além-Douro, Braga and Guimarães , from Alcântara and Mérida to Córdoba and Seville . It was also one of the preferred routes on the Saint James Way pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela . But, two events changed

540-545: A new phase of building, including the construction a bridge over the Coura River. Lamego has a Mediterranean climate with some continental influence; with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The nearest weather station is located in Bigorne, almost 400 m (1,300 ft) higher in altitude, and having cooler temperatures as such. While snowfalls in the city may happen usually no more than once or twice per year,

600-529: A security clearance level of " secret " and have not been convicted by court-martial or have disciplinary action noted in their official military personnel file under the provisions of Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice . On 29 June 2006 during a session of the Committee on Armed Services , General Wayne Downing testified before the U.S. House of Representatives that "[t]he Delta Force

660-584: Is a special operations force of the United States Army under the operational control of JSOC. The unit's missions primarily involve counterterrorism , hostage rescue , direct action , and special reconnaissance , often against high-value targets . Delta Force, along with the Intelligence Support Activity , and its Navy and Air Force counterparts, DEVGRU (SEAL Team 6) and the 24th Special Tactics Squadron , are

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720-431: Is given at this stage. Additional training (stage 2); This 5 week stage aims to provide the military with military leadership training, at this stage command and leadership modules are taught. This training is only for Officer, and Non-commissioned Officers. Special Operations Force course; The Special Operations Specialty course enables the military to carry out missions of a strategic, operational or tactical scope, with

780-559: Is headquartered at Fort Liberty , North Carolina . Delta Force's structure is similar to the British 22 SAS Regiment, which inspired Delta's formation. In Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda , Army Times staff writer Sean Naylor describes Delta as having, at the time (in 2001), nearly 1,000 soldiers, of whom about 250 to 300 are trained to conduct direct action and hostage rescue operations. The rest are combat support and service support personnel who are among

840-436: Is left from the original building, with its carved Renaissance portal and fine cloister dating from the 16th and 18th centuries. The 12th-century castle preserves a fine keep and a very old and unusual cistern with monograms of master masons. King Sancho I issued a charter of independence in 1191, as the local community grew around two poles: the ecclesiastical parishes of Sé and Castelo . In 1290, King Denis provided

900-491: Is open to other special operations and conventional units across the Army and other military branches. Delta Force was created in 1977 after numerous well-publicized terrorist incidents led the U.S. government to develop a full-time counter-terrorism unit. Key military and government figures had already been briefed on this type of unit in the early 1960s. Charlie Beckwith , a Special Forces (Green Berets) officer and Vietnam War veteran , served as an exchange officer with

960-627: Is primarily associated with the monuments and religious buildings, and has been a growing part of the local economy. The extension of the A24 motorway has been important in attracting more visitors and businesses to the region. Lamego is considered one of the principal cities of the Portuguese Baroque , for its numerous churches, palaces, and civic buildings. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lamego and has

1020-419: Is probably 70 percent Rangers who have come out of either a Ranger [to] Special Forces track or directly from [the] Ranger Regiment to Delta". Selection is held twice a year (late March to late April, and late September to late October) at Camp Dawson , West Virginia, and lasts four weeks. Eric Haney 's book Inside Delta Force described the selection course and its inception in detail. Haney wrote that

1080-646: The Bishop of Lamego . During the reign of Sisebuto (612-621), the Visigothic monarch coined currency from Lamego, indicating the importance of the region to commerce and culture. Just outside the city center is the tiny 7th century São Pedro de Balsemão Chapel, a Visigothic chapel believed to be the oldest in Portugal (and second oldest in Europe). The region alternated between Christian and Muslim hands during

1140-533: The British Army 's 22 Special Air Service Regiment during the Malayan Emergency . On his return, Beckwith presented a detailed report highlighting the U.S. Army's vulnerability in not having a SAS-type unit. U.S. Army Special Forces in that period focused on unconventional warfare providing training and medical care to indigenous resistance fighters, but Beckwith recognized the need for "not only

1200-628: The Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC), a control used to classify wine products as a locally produced product of origin, for national and international marketing. Lamego has a large shopping centre, with approximately 30 main shops, three malls of medium-size and several small traditional shops. Industrial activities are concentrated in the industrial zone in the parish of Várzea de Abrunhais. Lamego textiles are also promoted but tend to be small-scale production runs, with few medium- to large-companies involved in mass-production. The tourist sector

1260-520: The Iberian Peninsula , Lamego is known for its historic city center, having a long history as a principal city of the former Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro Province . Legend holds that the first Portuguese Cortes were held in Lamego, in 1143. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lamego is based in the city center. The toponymic name Lamego was derived from Lamaecus , a Hispano-Celtic and Roman derivative referring to owners of agrarian titles in

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1320-513: The Iran hostage crisis . On 4 November 1979, 52 American diplomats and citizens were taken captive and held in the U.S. embassy in Tehran , Iran. Delta Force was tasked to plan and execute Operation Eagle Claw , the effort to recover the hostages from the embassy by force on the nights of 24 and 25 April in 1980. The operation was aborted due to helicopter failures. The review commission that examined

1380-989: The Modelo Prison hostage rescue mission and the capture of Manuel Noriega in December 1989 during Operation Just Cause in Panama . 1st SFOD-D operators from C Squadron were also involved in Operation Gothic Serpent in Somalia. During Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom , 1st SFOD-D was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for combat operations in Afghanistan from 4 October 2001 to 15 March 2002 and Iraq from 19 March 2003 to 13 December 2003. On 26 October 2019, Delta operators accompanied by members of

1440-589: The White House accidentally published a photo of Delta Force operators with unblurred faces and tattoos, drawing scrutiny. The White House later issued an apology for the incident. In Veritas , the Journal of Army Special Operations History, Charles H. Briscoe stated that "SF did not misappropriate the appellation. Unbeknownst to most members of the ARSOF (Army Special Operations Forces) community, that moniker

1500-433: The "Robert Redford Paper," which outlined its necessities and historical precedents for a four-phase selection/assessment process. Delta Force was established on 19 November 1977, by Beckwith and Colonel Thomas Henry. In the meantime, Colonel Bob "Black Gloves" Mountel of the 5th Special Forces Group created a unit to bridge the short-term gap that existed until Delta was ready, dubbed Blue Light . The initial members of

1560-500: The 1st SFOD-D. The Army, however, has never released an official fact sheet for the unit. The recruitment notices in Fort Liberty's newspaper, Paraglide , refer to Delta Force by name, and label it "...the U.S. Army's special operations unit organized for the conduct of missions requiring rapid response with surgical application of a wide variety of unique special operations skills...". The notice states that applicants must be in

1620-460: The 3rd century around the local castle. The area around Lamego was inhabited by Ligures and Turduli , and during the Roman presence it was occupied by Coelerni , which left behind several monuments. Due to the placement of the castle, it is likely that a castro originally existed on the site. During the Inquirições ( Inventory/Enquiries ) of King Afonso (during the 13th century) there

1680-521: The Armed Forces. This force is the Portuguese equivalent to the 1st SFOD-D & 22nd Special Air Service . The FOE is commanded by a lieutenant-colonel and includes six special operations task units (SOTU). Each SOTU is commanded by a captain (except SOTU A1, which is commanded by a major) and includes 16 elements (only officers and NCOs). The FOE includes: Training to become a member of

1740-507: The Bishop of Lamego, occupying the role for the next 18 years and referred to the "great builder" , responsible for the cult of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios ( Our Lady of Remedies ). In the 17th and 18th century, the solares ( country estates ) were slowly constructed in Lamego, resulting from the wine commerce down the Douro. The economic growth of viticulture along the Douro resulted in

1800-566: The CTOE: Special Operations soldiers also take courses in friendly countries: The CTOE is regiment level unit, commanded by a colonel, which includes: The Special Operations Force (FOE - Força de Operações Especiais ) is the operational component of the CTOE. It can constitute a special operations task group (SOTG) or it can contribute to a joint SOTG which can be created with special operations elements from other branches of

1860-1052: The HQ for the new Portuguese special operations unit. The unit members wear a grass green beret and are the heir of the Special Hunters: the beret badge includes a trumpet — a symbol of the Special Hunters; and the unit is known as Rangers because the first instructors of the Special Hunters completed the United States Army Ranger Course and adapted the characteristics of that training to the Special Operations Course. The unit has operated in Bosnia and Herzegovina , East-Timor , Kosovo , Afghanistan , Iraq and Mali . The CTOE has several courses: For those already badged as special operations soldiers, there are also courses outside

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1920-621: The King's Minister Luís Mouzinho de Albuquerque . In 1919, in an attempt to restore the monarchy, Lamego became the capital of the district for 24 days. During the second half of the 19th century, during the presidency of the Viscount of Guedes Teixeira, Lamego begins a process of modernization with the construction of new avenues. After the establishment of the First Republic , during the presidency of Alfredo de Sousa, Lamego undergoes

1980-592: The Special Operations Force takes 30-32 weeks (30 weeks for enlisted soldiers, 32 weeks for officer and non-commissioned officers. Successful candidates are expected to serve a minimum of two years. This is broken down in the following stages: Basic training; This 5 weeks stage aims to provide the candidate with basic military training, with an introduction to military culture at this stage. Additional training (stage 1); This 7 week stage aims to provide advanced military training, and combat technique

2040-663: The U.S. military's tier one special mission units that are tasked with performing the most complex, covert, and dangerous missions directed by the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense . Most Delta Force operators and combat support members are selected from the Army Special Operations Command 's 75th Ranger Regiment and U.S. Army Special Forces , though selection

2100-476: The candidate mentally. The commander then approaches the candidate and informs him if he has been selected. Those who passed the screening process underwent an intense six-month Operator Training Course (OTC), to learn counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence techniques, and training with firearms and other weapons. Participants were allowed very little contact with friends and family for the duration. In an interview, former Delta operator Paul Howe mentioned

2160-400: The course began with standard tests including push-ups, sit-ups, and a 2-mile (3.2 km) run, an inverted crawl and a 110-yard (330 ft; 100 m) swim fully dressed. The candidates were then put through a series of land navigation courses, one of which required them to travel 18 miles (29 km) at night while carrying a 40-pound (18 kg) rucksack. With every successive challenge,

2220-407: The distance to cover and the weight of the rucksack are increased, while less time is allotted. The final challenge was a 40-mile (64 km) march with a 45-pound (20 kg) rucksack over rough terrain that had to be completed in an unknown amount of time; this was also colloquially known as "The Long Walk". Haney wrote that only the senior officer and NCO in charge of selection were allowed to see

2280-408: The early Reconquista Period. The city was first conquered by Alfonso I of Asturias in 741, and repopulated in 868 by Alfonso III . It fell into Islamic hands briefly again during the late 10th century, until Ferdinand I of León and Castile conquered the region definitively on 29 November 1057. As a consequence the bishopric was moved after these events (to later be restored in 1071). In 1128,

2340-510: The economic and social circumstances in the region: the conquest of Granada which drove the last of the Moors from the Peninsula; and the discovery of the maritime connection to India, which resulted in a slow decline for the region. Manuel I of Portugal issued a foral ( charter ) in 1514. Also in the 16th century, Manuel de Noronha (one of the more notable prelates of Lamego) was appointed

2400-460: The end of 1961, the Special Hunters had been disbanded: some of their training was incorporated into the instruction of the regular army Hunter companies, and the brown beret and camouflage spread to the whole Army. The CTOE remained, now tasked with giving their courses to officers and NCOs , and to form commando troops . After the creation of the special operations unit in 1981, the CTOE ceased to be just an instruction facility but also served as

2460-433: The failure found 23 problems with the operation, among them unexpected weather encountered by the aircraft, command-and-control problems between the multi-service component commanders, a collision between a helicopter and a ground-refueling tanker aircraft , and mechanical problems that reduced the number of available helicopters from eight to five (one fewer than the minimum desired) before the mission contingent could leave

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2520-739: The fighting, the Caçadores Especiais received updated 7,62 mm NATO small arms such as the Espingarda m/961 ( Heckler & Koch G3 ) and the FN/German G1 FAL rifle (known as the m/962); the FAL was a favored weapon of the Caçadores Especiais due to its lighter weight and better practical accuracy compared to the m/961 G3. The 4th Company Caçadores Especiais in particular was a very active one (their website contains many photos and detailed mission chronology, [1] ). Still, by

2580-418: The grade of E-4 through E-8 , have at least two and a half years of service remaining in their enlistment, be 22 years or older, and have an Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery GT score of 110 or higher to attend a briefing to be considered for admission. Candidates must be airborne qualified or volunteer for airborne training. Officer candidates need to be O-3 or O-4. All candidates must be eligible for

2640-660: The high attrition rate of the Delta selection course. He said that out of his two classes of 120 applicants each, 12 to 14 completed the selection. Former Navy SEAL, DEVGRU and Delta operator Kevin Holland stated that in his selection class 120 candidates started, 16 passed and eight finished OTC. The Central Intelligence Agency 's secretive Special Activities Center (SAC) and more specifically its Special Operations Group (SOG), often works with – and recruits – former operators from Delta Force. According to Eric Haney ,

2700-482: The highly secretive unit and its activities, unless the unit is part of a major operation or a unit member has been killed. Delta operators are granted an enormous amount of flexibility and autonomy during military operations overseas. Relaxed grooming standards such as civilian hairstyles and facial hair are allowed to enable the members to blend in and avoid recognition as military personnel. 2023 Israel incident During President Joe Biden's visit to Israel ,

2760-490: The historical traditions of Regimento de Infantaria 9 (9th Infantry Regiment), was created on 16 April 1960 to form units specialised in counter-guerrilla operations, psychological operations, and mountaineering. These special, light-infantry units were called Caçadores Especiais (Special Hunters; the regular army light-infantry units were just called Hunters) and were the first units in the Portuguese Army to wear

2820-671: The issuance of a writ by Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal , to designate the area as the Região Demarcada do Douro and the establishment of the Companhia Geral da Agricultura das Vinhas do Alto Douro ( General Company of the Wine Agriculture of the Upper Douro ). In 1835, Lamego was the capital of the district, but lost this title to Viseu (December 1835), under the authority of

2880-576: The nascent national Egas Moniz, had his tenancy in Lamego while his residence was in Britiande , as master of the Riba–Douro, between Paiva and Távora (in addition to the lands of Côa). The most significant moment in the town's history was in 1139, when nobles declared Afonso Henriques to be Portugal's first king. The town's Gothic cathedral was built by him, although only the Romanesque tower

2940-407: The set time limits, but all assessment and selection tasks and conditions were set by Delta training cadre. The mental portion of the testing began with numerous psychological exams. Each candidate was then called to face a board of Delta instructors, unit psychologists, and the Delta commander, who asked the candidate a barrage of questions and then dissected every response and mannerism to exhaust

3000-433: The surrounding mountains often experience significantly more. Administratively, the municipality is divided into 18 civil parishes ( freguesias ): The principal activities in this region are tied to the service sector, with commerce and agriculture also representing an important part of the economy. In particular viticulture , since the municipality (and other municipalities in the region) have been designated as part of

3060-477: The trans-loading/refueling site. After the failed operation, the U.S. government realized more changes were needed. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) , also known as the "Night Stalkers", was created for special operations requiring air support. The Navy's SEAL Team Six , an earlier incarnation of the current Naval Special Warfare Development Group , was created for maritime counter-terrorism operations. The Joint Special Operations Command

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3120-447: The unit were screened from volunteers and put through a specialized selection process in early 1978, involving a series of land navigation problems in mountainous terrain while carrying increasing weight. The purpose was to test candidates' endurance, stamina, willingness to endure, and mental resolve. The first training course lasted from April to September 1978. Delta Force was certified as fully mission capable in fall 1979, right before

3180-596: The unit's Operator Training Course is approximately six months long. While the course is constantly changing, the skills taught broadly include the following: Delta Force trains with other foreign special operations units to improve tactics and increase relationships with them, including the Australian Special Air Service Regiment , the British Special Air Service , and Canada's Joint Task Force 2 . In

3240-578: The unit. Beckwith estimated that it would take 24 months to get his new unit mission ready. Beckwith's estimate came from a conversation he had had earlier with Brigadier John Watts while in England in 1976. Watts had made it clear to Beckwith that it would take eighteen months to build a squadron , but advised him to tell Army leaders that it would take two years, and not to "let anyone talk (him) out of this." To justify why it would take two years to build Delta, Beckwith and his staff drafted what they dubbed

3300-435: The very best in their fields. Naylor further details Delta Force's structure in his book Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command . He describes a few formations in Delta, primarily the following operational elements: A, B, C, and D   Squadrons are sabre squadrons (assault). C   Squadron was activated around 1989/1990 and D   Squadron around 2005/2006. Combat Support Squadron

3360-552: Was activated in 2005. E   Squadron was activated in 1989 and is stationed separately in Fort Eustis , Virginia, where it is known as the Aviation Technology Office . An earlier forerunner of the unit was known as SeaSpray . Within each squadron there are three troops: troops 1 and 2 (assault) and troop 3 ( reconnaissance ). Each squadron is led by a Lieutenant Colonel (O-5), executive officer and

3420-613: Was adopted by Special Forces in the mid to late 1950s." He goes on to state that all qualified enlisted and officers in Special Forces had to "voluntarily subscribe to the provisions of the 'Code of the Special Forces Operator' and pledge themselves to its tenets by witnessed signature." Inside the United States special operations community, an operator is a Delta Force member who has completed selection and has finished OTC (Operator Training Course). "Operator"

3480-457: Was created for command and control of the military's various counter-terrorism units. The unit is under the organization of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), but is controlled by the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). Command of 1st SFOD-D is a colonel 's billet . Virtually all information about the unit is highly classified and details about specific missions or operations generally are not available publicly. The unit

3540-619: Was reference to the Castro de Lameco, referred to as a medieval fortification. Destroyed by the Romans, the inhabitants were forced to descend into the valley and cultivate the land, as part of the Roman reorganization of the land. Lamego became Catholic when the Visigothic king Rekared I converted to Catholicism. In 569, during the Council of Lugo, there appeared references to Sardinário

3600-592: Was used by Delta Force to distinguish between operators (assaulters and snipers) and combat support assigned to the unit. Most operations assigned to Delta are classified, but some details have become public knowledge. For service during Operation Urgent Fury , the United States' invasion of Grenada, Delta was awarded the Joint Meritorious Unit Award . The unit was awarded the Valorous Unit Award for extraordinary heroism during

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