Inside Delta Force
Encyclopedia
Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit is a 2002 memoir
written by Eric L. Haney
about his experiences as a founding special forces operator
in the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (also known as Delta Force
) the U.S. Army
's counterterrorist
unit. Haney recounts the formation and early operations of the unit, as well as his own recruitment, selection and training. Haney also evaluates the impact of inter-service rivalries and potential overlap created when Delta Force was formed, including the challenges of dealing with the Central Intelligence Agency
. Central to the book is Haney's participation in Delta Force's first operation – the aborted 1980 Desert One mission to Iran to free American hostages
.
Inside Delta Force formed the inspiration for the CBS
television series The Unit
, in which Haney was involved as a writer, producer, and technical advisor.
One such colleague, Logan Fitch, who first wrote publicly of the Eagle Claw mission for Penthouse Magazine in 1984 in which he was also highly critical of Beckwith, called Haney a "crass opportunist" for capitalizing on his past for personal gain. Despite the falling-out between Haney and these former Delta members, Haney has stood behind the accuracy of his book.
Another member criticized Haney for revealing too much about Delta Force's training, tactics and early missions. A U.S. Army historian has questioned whether this was an issue, given that the information contained in Haney's book was current in the late-1970s and early-1980s and that Delta Force would certainly have changed their procedures since that time. Moreover, operational information offered by Delta veterans had been made public before, such as in Black Hawk Down, Mark Bowden
's book about the Battle of Mogadishu
in which Delta operators participated, and most notably, Beckwith's own book of the formation and training of the unit.
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
written by Eric L. Haney
Eric L. Haney
Eric L. Haney is a retired member of the United States Army counterterrorist unit, the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta , more commonly known as Delta Force. In recent years he has been writing on terrorism, guerrilla warfare, and special operations...
about his experiences as a founding special forces operator
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
in the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (also known as Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
) the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
's counterterrorist
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
unit. Haney recounts the formation and early operations of the unit, as well as his own recruitment, selection and training. Haney also evaluates the impact of inter-service rivalries and potential overlap created when Delta Force was formed, including the challenges of dealing with the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
. Central to the book is Haney's participation in Delta Force's first operation – the aborted 1980 Desert One mission to Iran to free American hostages
Iran hostage crisis
The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian...
.
Inside Delta Force formed the inspiration for the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television series The Unit
The Unit
The Unit is an American action-drama television series that focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled after the real-life U.S. Army special operations unit commonly known as Delta Force...
, in which Haney was involved as a writer, producer, and technical advisor.
Criticism
Since the publication of Inside Delta Force in 2002 and Haney's subsequent success with The Unit television show, three of his former Delta colleagues accused him of embellishing his accomplishments within the unit and fabricating several of the events depicted. Some of the criticism directed at Haney has focused on him stating he was a "founding member" of Delta Force; it is acknowledged among former operators that there was only one "founder", Colonel Charlie Beckwith, who helped establish the unit and was its first commanding officer. Haney's use of the term "founding member" is to indicate that he was among the first operators assigned to the 1SFOD-D.One such colleague, Logan Fitch, who first wrote publicly of the Eagle Claw mission for Penthouse Magazine in 1984 in which he was also highly critical of Beckwith, called Haney a "crass opportunist" for capitalizing on his past for personal gain. Despite the falling-out between Haney and these former Delta members, Haney has stood behind the accuracy of his book.
Another member criticized Haney for revealing too much about Delta Force's training, tactics and early missions. A U.S. Army historian has questioned whether this was an issue, given that the information contained in Haney's book was current in the late-1970s and early-1980s and that Delta Force would certainly have changed their procedures since that time. Moreover, operational information offered by Delta veterans had been made public before, such as in Black Hawk Down, Mark Bowden
Mark Bowden
Not to be confused with Mark Bowden, U.N. Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for Somalia.Mark Robert Bowden is an American writer and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he is a 1973 graduate of Loyola University Maryland...
's book about the Battle of Mogadishu
Battle of Mogadishu
The Battle of Mogadishu or for Somalis: the Day of the Rangers was part of Operation Gothic Serpent and was fought on October 3 and 4, 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia, between forces of the United States supported by UNOSOM II and Somali militia fighters loyal to the self-proclaimed president-to-be...
in which Delta operators participated, and most notably, Beckwith's own book of the formation and training of the unit.