by Bob Mayer
Powers paused and Macksey filled the space with a question. "Will you have internal communications on the jump?"
"Yes, sir. We will be wearing built-in helmet radios. The transmitter and receiver are both built into the padding of the helmet."
The air force general was interested. "How does that transmit your voice?"
Powers just cared that it worked. He didn't know how. He gestured for Marzan to supply the information.
Marzan popped to his feat. "The sound is received via an acoustic transducer inside the helmet padding. The antenna is spiraled around the material of the helmet itself. We will be transmitting on low-band VHF with power setting on low."
Powers explained the reason for the equipment. "We can't use boom mikes, because the turbulence on exiting and the opening shock of the canopy could cause you to eat the mike." Riley smiled to himself. Powers always liked the simple answer.
"Mister Riley has responsibility for keeping track of everyone on the way down, since he's the only one who will be able to see all the jumpers. We will land on the DZ one at a time.
"Once all are on the ground, we will move to the target to put surveillance on it. It is approximately 3.4 kilometers on a magnetic azimuth of fifty-four degrees to our observation point. We will have to cross one danger area along the route, the coastal highway running down from Cartagena. We will use our team SOP for linear danger areas to cross that obstacle."
Powers moved over to the mock-up lying on the floor. Holder had put it together using cardboard, strings, and other handy items; it wasn't the most sophisticated representation, but it did the job. Powers pointed at the northwestern end of the simulated dirt runway. "We want to put our observation point here. If we cannot observe the target sufficiently from there, we are prepared to send a recon team of myself and Sergeant Miller around the northern end of the airstrip to get a closer look. The observation point we have chosen will allow us to designate the target yet still have a good enough standoff that we won't be hit by friendly fire."
Riley hoped the air force general wouldn't react to that. Powers had developed a strong distrust of air force aiming capabilities when his A-camp in Vietnam had once been the recipient of some errant air force bombs.
Powers walked back to the podium. "As Mister Riley said, we will radio the results of our recon to the AWACS and then designate the target and verify destruction. Once we have verified destruction, or if the mission is aborted, we will move to our exfiltration pickup zone, which is 1.3 kilometers from the observation site on an azimuth of 312 degrees magnetic. We will be exfiltrated by one lift of an MH-60B helicopter. The exfil—"
Macksey's voice cut in. "What happens if someone gets separated on infiltration? Hold it—don't answer." Macksey turned to the team and pointed at Partusi. "You answer."
Partusi jumped to his feet and assumed the position of attention, staring straight ahead. "If separated during the jump I will still try to make it to the primary drop zone on my own. I have the same checkpoints memorized as Master Sergeant Powers. I will then link up with the team at the DZ. Standard operating procedure for our team is to wait thirty minutes at the DZ if all are not accounted for initially.
"If I cannot make it to the DZ, due to equipment malfunction or weather or whatever, I will try to land as close as possible to the DZ and make it there on foot inside that thirty-minute window. Failing that, our secondary linkup rally point is at the observation point at the target. I will try to link up with the team there up until 0430.
"If I cannot make it to the observation point by that time, my third option is to make the exfiltration pickup zone by 0538. Failing that, my final option is to go into escape and evasion mode as listed out in the E & E packet General Pike has, the contents of which are classified until opened."
Riley could tell that Macksey was impressed with Partusi's answer. Riley and Powers had always insisted that every briefback be given in the simplest terms possible and memorized by all. Each team member had to understand what was going on. One person failing to know a critical part could spell disaster.
Macksey probably didn't realize that the briefback was for the team's benefit also. Every member of the team had to be able to get up and give any portion of the briefback from memory. They'd rehearsed for this briefback by randomly choosing people to give the different portions. Riley knew that if Pike had been the one taking this briefback, he probably would not have allowed the area expert to give his part, but would have randomly chosen people. It was hard to cover all the intricacies of such an operation in a briefing. According to popular movies all it took to accomplish a mission like this was big muscles and a lot of fancy weapons. In reality, it was the detailed planning that determined the success of any difficult mission. The Eyes One team had to outthink the enemy and every mission's constant companion: Murphy's Law. Powers liked to joke that Murphy was Riley's Irish cousin and that Powers was tired of his team leader bringing his relations along on missions. Over the years both had experienced so many strange things happening on operations, that they tried to anticipate the worst and war-game as many variations of the mission as possible.
The basic plan Powers had just briefed had taken only a couple of hours to put together. It was all the variations and contingencies that had led to the late-night discussions. And after all that, Riley knew something totally unexpected would most likely happen. Then it was the initiative and training of the team members that would make the difference.
Much of the plan was SOP, or standard operating procedure, for the team. The linear danger area crossing Powers had referred to was one of those SOPs. The team's SOP book was almost one hundred twenty pages long and explained damn near any situation they could get into. Everything in the book was in simple detail, with drawings for many of the possible scenarios and reactions to them. For example, each man would pack his rucksack in a standard way so any team member could find needed equipment in another's ruck; another SOP detailed how to break contact with enemy forces coming from any direction. It had taken the men over a year to write their SOP, and after every training exercise it was reevaluated and updated based on lessons learned.
Macksey was obviously satisfied with the answer he had received from Partusi. "All right, go on with the briefing."
Powers put the pointer down on the podium. "That completes my portion, sir. I'll be followed by the medic, Sergeant First Class Partusi."
Partusi briefed the potential medical problems and how the team was prepared to deal with them. He was then followed by Marzan, who was to cover the communications aspect of the mission.
"As already mentioned, sir, our internal communications during the drop and operation will be the helmets. They have an effective range of two kilometers on low power setting. Our external communications will be via satellite communications back to the AWACS. We will make our initial entry report, called an Angler report, upon arriving at the observation point.
"We will radio either confirmation or lack thereof of the target as soon as possible but no later than 0400. We will be able to talk to the gunship and exfiltration helicopter by relay through the satellite and then through the AWACS. All external communications on the SATCOM will be scrambled using Vinson devices.
"It is highly unlikely that any of our SATCOM transmissions will be intercepted, since they are directed transmissions and the antenna is pointing up. However, in the very unlikely event they are intercepted, the scrambling will ensure that they will be unintelligible. I have all codes and frequencies needed. We will refer to all team members and locations by their code names in transmissions.
"All team members are trained in the use of the PSC-3 SATCOM radio and the radio helmets. I will be carrying the primary PSC-3 radio and Chief Riley will be carrying a backup. In the unlikely event both radios fail, we have a visual system coordinated with both the gunship and exfil aircraft. For the gunship, if we have no radio commo, we will signal that the target is legitimate by throwing infrared chem lights onto the airs
trip at exactly 0415. We will then designate the target at 0425 with the laser. For the helicopter, we will mark the PZ with an infrared strobe for a two-minute window on either side of 0538. If there are no questions, this concludes my portion of the briefback."
Riley now stood up. "Sir, this concludes the briefback for Eyes One, pending your questions."
"I think I've heard enough," said Macksey. "Very impressive, Mister Riley, Sergeant Powers." He turned to General Linders, who simply nodded. Then Macksey addressed Pike: "You going to have the other team brief now?"
"Yes, sir," answered Pike.
Macksey rubbed his chin. "Isn't that a security violation? What if someone from the first team is compromised on the mission? They could give up the information on the second."
Pike looked uncomfortable. "That's true, sir. Unfortunately, we received both targets before we had split up the team, so both teams knew the targets from the start. They've also been exchanging expertise and information during the planning."
Macksey shook his head. "That was a mistake. In the future I want no contact between teams going on different missions."
"Yes, sir." Pike seemed uncertain how far he should go. Riley had no hesitation about jumping in with both feet, however. "Sir, with all due respect, if my team is compromised or even one man is compromised on this mission, it seems unlikely to us that the second mission would still be a go, since the entire security on this thing would be breached."
Macksey seemed lost in thought for a few seconds. "All right. It's too late now to worry about it." He looked at Vaughn. "Go ahead with your briefing, but don't repeat things the first team said."
"Yes, sir." Vaughn made his way to the front. "Good morning, General Macksey, gentlemen. I'm Captain Vaughn, commander of Eyes Two. Our mission is to infiltrate operational area Eaglet, located in the vicinity of Medellin, Colombia, at 2225 local time, 30 August. Our mission statement is to verify, and designate for destruction, a suspected cocaine laboratory located there. We will be exfiltrated at 0300 local time, 31 August."
Riley let his attention wander as Vaughn introduced his team and gave his mission overview. He looked across the room and caught Alexander's eye. Alexander raised his eyebrows slightly and gave a barely perceptible shrug. Riley knew that the senior NCO wasn't too thrilled about being saddled with a brand-new team leader and team going on a live mission. Riley wished him luck.
Vaughn was using note cards to give his brief, which Riley would never have done. If a leader couldn't remember his plan in the quiet of the isolation area, how did he expect to remember it on the ground when things were going to hell all around him? Riley tuned in to the captain's nervous voice.
"We will designate the target at 0230. Once we check out the degree of destruction we will be exfiltrated by an air force HH-53H Pave Low helicopter."
Macksey interrupted, turning to the air force general. "Why an HH-53? Why not a Blackhawk?"
"Range and mountains, sir." The general consulted a notepad. "It would take an in-flight refuel to make the trip down to Medellin and back from Panama. We'd also have to put extra tanks on the Blackhawk. What I've done is moved a navy assault ship, the Raleigh, down off the west coast of Panama. An HH-53 from 1st Special Operations Wing is in the process of forward deploying down there today and will operate off the flight deck of the Raleigh. Four Apaches are also moving down to the Raleigh to provide fire support for southern targets out of the range of those based in Panama.
"Also, this exfiltration point is on the other side of a mountain range. The HH-53H Pave Low has terrain-following radar and other night-flying equipment the Blackhawk doesn't. It's already set for the in-flight refuel if they determine they need it. This is the type of mission the HH-53 was designed for."
Macksey ceded the point. "All right, continue."
Vaughn looked up from his note cards. "I'll be followed by Sergeant Alexander, who will be giving you the intelligence portion." Riley felt sorry for the NCO: not only was he acting as operations sergeant for his split team but intel sergeant as well. A lot for one man.
"Good morning, sir. I'll try to keep this brief. However, the area we will be operating in is quite different terrain wise from what Eyes One is going into. My team, Eyes Two, will be going into mountainous terrain at almost six thousand feet of altitude.
"Key terrain features in our area are the Cordillera Occidental mountains to the west and the Cordillera Central mountains to the east. Medellin is in the foothills of the central mountain range. Our target is approximately thirteen kilometers to the south of the city. Weather is expected to be good for both the drop and mission, with temperatures in the low fifties at night.
"Population density throughout the area is high. Approximately ten to twenty people per square kilometer is the average. This is one of the reasons we are jumping in higher than our target and working down, since the higher slopes will be less inhabited.
"The target itself is cut into the forest on the side of a hill, as you can see on this imagery. There is a helicopter landing pad next to the target and a dirt road leading through the foothills toward the main road to Medellin. For local security, we estimate at least twenty to twenty-five guards on site armed with automatic weapons.
"Colombian military in the area include parts of the 4th Brigade headquartered in Medellin. The closest elements are about twenty-one kilometers from our target. This is an infantry unit, about company sized, armed with automatic and crew-served weapons.
"There is also the possibility of some guerrilla units in the area, since the hills around Medellin are known to have several guerrilla base camps. We feel that the guerrillas would not engage us, but we are prepared for that possibility.
"There are some helicopters at the Medellin airport. Satellite imagery didn't show any, but intel reports list at least two Huey types there.
"We assume they are hangared out of sight. Some military aircraft are reported at the Medellin airport, but again they must be hangared, since they didn't show up on imagery.
"We have also received intelligence that a Colombian Army Ranger company may be operating against the guerrillas in the vicinity of Medellin. This could cause us some problems, because they might be operating at night and also might investigate any aircraft they hear in the area. Although this possibility is remote, we must be on the alert for the Rangers."
Alexander completed his intelligence portion with a presentation of the escape and evasion plan. He then returned to the podium, figuratively switching hats to do the operational portion.
"Sir, for infiltration we will depart Fort Belvoir army airfield on Friday at 1400. We will follow this flight route." Alexander traced a route similar to the one Powers had shown, except Eyes Two crossed Panama and then flew down the Pacific coast of Colombia.
"We will turn in and head due east into Colombia when we reach this latitude; we will then fly over the Occidental mountains and head for our primary drop zone. We will be jumping T-10 model C parachutes at five hundred feet. This ought to keep us in very tight and keep dispersion to a minimum. We will be jumping automatic CARP, or computed air release point."
Riley shook his head. He wasn't sure which was worse: jumping at thirty thousand feet or jumping at five hundred. At five hundred feet the men of Eyes Two would barely have time for their canopies to deploy before they hit the ground. Riley had done quite a few CARPs, as the air force called them, or blind drops, as the SF guys called them, out of Talons. Very rarely had he been dropped where he wanted to be. Usually, the air force was anywhere from a few hundred meters to several kilometers off the designated drop zone. Thinking about this brought to mind some equipment Riley thought might be useful to Eyes Two in their assembly on the ground. He made a mental note to tell Alexander about it after the briefback. He tuned back in to the brief.
"Once we have verified destruction we will move to our exfiltration pickup zone, which is the PZ cut into the mountainside next to the lab." Riley wondered if that wasn't too close to the
target, but he hadn't looked over the Eyes Two AO to see if there were any other suitable sites. The whole area was pretty steep.
Alexander almost seemed to shrug. "That completes my portion, sir. I'd normally be followed by the medic, but his briefing is pretty much the same as the one Sergeant Partusi gave you. The same is true for the commo portion, although we will be using PRC-68 radios for internal commo rather than the radio helmet. I'll be followed by Captain Vaughn."
Vaughn seemed to have gained some confidence as he strode up to the front of the room. "Pending your questions, sir, that concludes our briefback. I want to assure you that this team is ready to go and can successfully accomplish the mission."
Riley gave Powers a sidelong glance. The captain had probably been taught to say that last sentence in the Q-course. Macksey probably wasn't very impressed—it was his job to determine if indeed the mission and planning were viable.
Macksey leaned back in his chair and thought for a few minutes, then stood up and walked to the front of the room. "I have to admit I am impressed with the amount of work you've done under a compressed time schedule. Very thorough. I'm going to recommend approval of these first two missions to the secretary of defense and he'll relay that to the president. As of now, assume you're a go." Riley breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been half afraid that the mission would be canceled.
Macksey looked around the room. "I have one minor change I didn't have time to give to General Pike before coming over here." Riley frowned. What change?
"Eyes One will still use Spectre for Hammer One. However, Eyes Two is going to use Apache helicopters. You'll still use the laser designator, just the firing platform will be different. I don't see any problem with that. This way you also get Apaches to fly cover on both exfiltrations.
"The reason for the change is that General Linders tells me that 1st Special Operations Wing wasn't sure they could keep Spectre on target over Medellin without having the Colombian Air Force scramble. We think that Apaches flying off the Raleigh in the Pacific can make it in and out without getting spotted."