military intelligence operations groups...

[natehale1971]

Is there anyone here with experience of wrking in the Military Intelligence branch? Namely knowing how an Operations Group would be organzed and operated... This is what i've gotten so far.. And need some help on figuring out how the heiarchy and organixation of a Full Black Intelligence/coutner terrorism operations group would be set up...

"We have been off the books since 2003… and our startup budget was hidden in the funding for Operation Iraqi Freedom. You know all that money that disappeared… yeah, that was us. Thanks to forward planning we are almost completely self-sufficient and self-funding now. The only people in the Federal Government who actually know about us, are all part of this organization and its support network… We are unofficially officially working on the behalf of the American people. Each of us swears an oath to do whatever it takes to protect the United States Constitution and the citizens of the United States of America against all enemies… foreign or domestic. To follow all leads to where ever, or to whomever they my lead. Our charter is that no one is beyond reproach, that if we find evidence of conspiracy against the Republic that leads back to the White House itself… We are to deal with it, with the same zeal that we go after Islamofacist terrorists."

"During the nearly ten years since we got our start, the Stonycreek Operations Group has established a network of Black Sites and safehouses all over the planet. This includes air and sea assets. We have a couple of nice oil tankers and tramp freighters that we use to hide in plain sight. Hell, we’ve even got some of those fancy Predator UAVs to call our own. "

"Among those assets that had been set aside for our use is access to several decommissioned spy and communications satellites that were to have been moved into the graveyard orbit… but instead are still very operational and active."

"Now you are asking yourself why are you here… well, the answer is simple. You have talents we need."

"So welcome to club…"

The Stonycreek Operations Group

When President George W. Bush created the Stonycreek Operations Group, the initial funds that established the organization had come from the money from the US-Administered fund for rebuilding Iraq. He also created a means that would allow the operations group to get a routine infusion of funds… namely allowing the Stonycreek Operations Group to confiscate and use the funds taken from those terrorist groups that they would come up against.

The Stonycreek Operations Group is primarily composed of men and women that were drawn from the CIA and Special Warfare Operations community whom felt that politicians and oppressive bureaucracy that had limited their effectiveness in protecting and defending the United States and its citizens over the years. Stonycreek operatives operate out in the open, using the old adage that it is best to simply hide in plain sight. The inner circle of personnel are located throughout the Executive Branch of government, and their job is to help hide the various operations that are being carried out by the Stonycreek Operations Group by running interference whenever someone starts asking questions.

The Stonycreek Operations Group has a three tier leadership hierarchy, at the top is the Triumvirate. The three men who were tasked with setting up an operations group that would from its very creation expected to operate in full black environment. These three men were longtime members of the governmental federal bureaucracy whom had exceptional job security, and it was felt that they would be able to weather any changes of Presidential administration from one party to the next. These three men would then find and recruit what would be termed The Outer Circle, men and women throughout the executive branch who would be able to provide any possible cover that could be created for Stonycreek Operatives.

The Triumvirate took their cues from the US Marshal Service Witness Protection Program, and created a heavily compartmentalized operation… with only the members of the Triumvirate knowing the full extent of the entire Stonycreek Operations Group, and members of the Outer Circle only know that when an operative is in trouble and someone has given them one of a preset of codes or cover identities that they are to fall back on one of a series of pre-set cover stories. It has been due to this that the operations group has been able to remain under the radar for nearly ten years.

The Triumvirate also created the Inner Circle, a group of handlers and specialists whom operate the Tactical Operations Command Centre that monitors the network of 'decommissioned' satellites and computers that allow field operatives to stay ahead of terrorists, to persecute the war on terror without cause or prejudice with no holds barred. While the members of the Inner Circle do not know whom is in the Outer Circle by their real names, they do know them by a codename and their position within the government so they can know WHO to call to make problems go away.

Fortunately, the Stonycreek Operations Group has not had to deal with anyone catching on to their existence… and their failsafe plans that would be implemented if they ever where compromised was quiet simple. The group would disperse and fade back into the background of the federal government operations, just as if they had never existed. The Stonycreek Operations Group has created a network of bank accounts, that would be used to fund their operations and see to the survivors of any personnel whom would be killed or injured during the performance of their duties.

The Stonycreek Operations Group takes its name from the Stonycreek Township, the location of the field where Flight United 93 crashed on 11 September 2001.

[HorseSoldier]

I'd guess that any super-black side SOF unit doing CT missions would recruit heavily from, and consequently emulate, the super cool kids in JSOC.

Depending on the size of the organization you're thinking about, it sounds like you might be looking at something like:

1) Assault element -- maybe based on four man assault teams, and probably the least compartmentalized, as for any target requiring multiple teams you'd have to have guys training together. If the overall organization is large enough maybe they compartmentalize at a 12 or 16 man troop or platoon (or some non-CAG/SEAL term).

2) Targeting element -- The HUMINT side of intel and RSTA, or maybe both human assets and the more technical guys both fall under this. Develop targets for the Assault guys, and/or cruise missiles/JDAMs/etc. Probably work in smaller groups, and possibly equipped to take direct action against a sufficiently time sensitive HVT if need be.

3) Technical Resources element -- The guys on loan from the NSA or whatever who do SIGINT, point all of the ECHELON system at one single bad guy's cell phone and email accounts, etc.

4) Support element -- The supply (including cool Q Workshop type stuff) guys, dedicated medical and commo assets, and whatever administrative/enabling slice the organization needs. (Again, whether this is a couple guys who wear 20 different hats apiece or a room full of bureaucrats depends on how large you envision the organization being.)

Is the organization big enough that you see them owning their own big ticket items like black helicopters, C-17s, and small/fast naval assets, etc., or would that stuff be borrowed/commandeered from other agencies if/when needed? If there's major equipment like that under the same umbrella, the support element might be significantly more elaborate.

[Ronin]

Ok, I think this is very cool Nate. Makes me think of "The Campus" from Tom Clancys Jack Ryan/John Clark verse, or Stony Man (Mack Bolan verse). Question is this an outsourced CIA, SAD group. Or something completely separate? Another thought, (Im playing devils advocate here, because I do love the idea.) would this organization be a little redundant being that its basically just another SAD team/group?

[natehale1971]

The idea for this group, was to fight the Terorists on the same level... ie, playing by the same rules. in other words, there are no rules. the Stonycreek Operations Group has access to pretty much anything they need due to the Out Circle network that goes throughout the Executive Branch.

They need a helicopter, they can get it with dummied up papers that look official. They need assault team, they can get access to a Delta or SEAL team. The Stonycreek Operations Group are hiding in plain sight, they all have the security clearences that allows them to move about the burecracy without it slowing them down.

This is what makes Stonycreek so effective. They aren't restrained by the same kind of red tape that the CIA is.. There are books about how the CIA has become less effective thanks to the burecrats who spend all their time covering their own asses and not concentrating on the problems that could get Americans killed by the bad guys.

Stonycreek recruits heavily from the special ops and intelligence communities, but that's not the only places they get their people. they get Computer Hackers and other unsavory types as well.

The original write up for Stonycreek had them absorbing the network of a former mafia family... whose materiarch was killed in 9-11. the head of the network had been in the process of getting the family to go legit, and when his wife and children were killed when their flight had been hijacked and flown into the World Trade Centre... well, let's just say he used his connections to offer his services DIRECTLY to the President when he visited Ground Zero.

I'm thinking of the Giovanni Crime Family and its network being part of the cover for Stonycreek... with the head of the crime family being one of the members of the Triumverant. and the fact that the new administration was not as willing to work with an organization that had it's start in organized crime. Even after they had done everything they promised (namely having gone completely legit, and works almost entirely for the government providing cover for counter-terrorism ops all over the country and europe).

[Ronin]

Its sounds very cool. I like it Nate.

[Ronin]

Some thoughts for you on your Stony Creek operations. Helicopter support is no problem. Just needs to be registered to a front corporation. The CIA uses Delaware frequently as a place to register these aircraft/corporations. Because of the lenient incorporation laws of that state.
As the the Ranger or SEAL team. That might have been possible in the early 80's when Seal team 6, was a small basically platoon sized entity. Now a days, Delta, and any of the SEAL teams are brigade sized monsters. That dont have the rapid deployment capabilities that the original SEAL team 6 did. (A fact that Richard Marcinko likes to point out, as to why he kept the original team small.) You would be better off with in house operators. Doing like the SAD and recruiting from JSOC and other places. (SAS, GSG9, Spenatz, GROM, Sayeret Matkal, and etc)
I do like the Mafia angle. Gives, instant deniability.

[natehale1971]

Thank you for the help HorseSoldier...

The Targeting Element, Technical Resources Element and Support Element would all be part of the Inner Circle who operate the Tactical Operations Centre.

The Human Intelligence part of the Targeting Elment would be handlers right? The ones who control the actions of their assets that are out in the field gathering data right?

The Hackers would fall under the Technical Resources element. hackers who would be recruited would have been 'blackhat' types who were given a choice of working for Stonycreek, or end up UNDER the prison with the cover story of having been child rapists instead of hackers.

The Stonycreek Operations Group uses the various legal (and illegal) assets of the Giovanni Crime Family much like James Bond uses Universal Exports. The Giovanni Crime Family sets up safe houses and the like all over the place for Stonycreek.

The Assault Element of Stonycreek are all former Delta, SEAL, US Army Rangers and some havbe been drawn from British SAS & SBS. Stonycreek hides their assault element as the Stonycreek Private Military Company that was organized like CAG/Delta Force & the British SAS.

The Stonycreek Private Military Contractor Company has three squadrons, each squadron has three direct action troops and a recon troop. Each troop is composed of four to six teams. Each team has four to six people on them.

If their own assault element can't handle the job (or Stonycreek is afraid that their operations could get press) they pass on the job to Delta Force or the SEALs. Usually getting the Outer Circle to create a cover operation that will allow the Federal Government to get some good press.