Top Five Special Operations Conflicts of US Army

New Delhi: US is the most powerfull nation of thw world so are its armed forces. The army is headed by the Secretary of the Army, and the top military officer in the department is the Chief of Staff of the Army. The highest ranking army officer is currently the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During fiscal year 2010, the Regular Army reported a strength of 561,979 soldiers; the Army National Guard (ARNG) reported 362,015 and the United States Army Reserve (USAR) reported 205,281 putting the combined component strength total at 1,129,275 soldiers. It has a special Operations command and Community known as the United States Army Special Operations Command .The United States Army Special Operations Command is charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Forces of the United States Army. The commander of United States Army Special Operations Command is Lieutenant General Charles T. Cleveland. It is comprised of four main combat elements: Delta Force, Green Berets (Special Forces), Rangers and Nightstalkers (Special Operations Aviation Regiment or SOAR). And time and again thses units have remain indulged in conflicts with some or the other nation, here we present a list of top united states army special operations conflicts:1. Operation Eagle Claw of 1980: IranThis operation was ordered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter to end the Iran hostage crisis by rescuing 52 Americans held captive at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran on April 24, 1980. The mission was a failure and the hostages remained in Iran until the following January . Its failure, and the humiliating public debacle that ensued, damaged American prestige worldwide and is believed by many, including Carter himself, to have played a major role in his defeat in the 1980 U.S. presidential election.2. Operation Urgent Fury of 1983: GrenadaIt was controversial due to charges of American imperialism, Cold War politics, the involvement of Cuba, the unstable state of the Grenadian government, the illegality under international law and Grenada's status as a Commonwealth realm.On October 25, 1983, Delta Force, 1st Ranger Battalion and 2nd Ranger Battalion invaded Grenada to protect American citizens and assist in restoring order to the island nation.A great portion of the forces had to unexpectedly jump into the combat zone while the rest were inserted by fast roping out of Blackhawk helicopters. The mission was a success though highly criticized by other nations including Canada, Russia and Britain.3. Operation Just Cause of 1989: PanamaThe United States Invasion of Panama, code-named Operation Just Cause, was the invasion of Panama by the United States in December 1989. It occurred during the administration of U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and ten years after the Torrijos–Carter Treaties were ratified to transfer control of the Panama Canal from the United States to Panama by January 1, 2000.On December 20, 1989, Delta Force, Special Forces and all three Ranger Battalions were tasked with taking down the PDF and capturing General Noriega in Panama so he could be charged with drug smuggling.They seized the airfield and the surrounding areas under heavy gun fire from the PDF. Even with 23 American casualties, the mission was a success and ended on December 27th.Noriega surrendered on his own to face the charges against him.4. Battle of Mogadishu 1993: SomaliaThe Battle of Mogadishu more commonly referred to as Black Hawk Down or, locally, as the Day of the Rangers. In 1993, the UN Ambassador to Somalia requested assistance in removing Mohamed Farrah Aidid from power in the country.The United States deployed elements of Delta Force, 3rd Ranger Battalion and Nightstalkers to accomplish the task.The elements entered the country in August but the real mission took place on October 3rd when intelligence indicated Aidid would be meeting with two of his top lieutenants.The mission was going as planned until the opposition took down a Blackhawk helicopter that was circling the area. Some of the teams were redirected to the downed helicopter. Shortly after, a second helicopter was hit. Known for never leaving a fallen comrade, the special operations teams worked their way to secure the bodies in the two helicopters.The pilot of the second helicopter had his body dragged through the streets and was held hostage for eleven days before eventually being released. When October 4th arrived, the Americans had suffered nineteen casualties and endured the worst fighting in recent history ultimately resulting in a failed mission.5. Battle of Takur Ghar of 2002 : AfghanistanThe Battle of Takur Ghar was a short but intense military engagement between United States special operations forces and Taliban insurgents fought in March 2002, atop Takur Ghar mountain, Afghanistan. For the U.S. side, the battle proved the deadliest entanglement of Operation Anaconda, an effort early in the war in Afghanistan to rout Taliban forces from the Shahi-Kot Valley and Arma Mountains. On March 4, 2002, a Navy SEAL fell from a helicopter that was fired on by Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Rangers from 1st Battalion were flown by Nightstalkers to rescue the fallen SEAL.With communication issues, the Rangers were unaware they were landing in a hot zone and immediately came under heavy fire. The troops were able to secure the mountain top. Whether the mission was a success depends on who is asked.Arguing between high-ranking officers led to the communication issues and played a part in the American deaths that occurred. It is also widely believed that high ranking Al Qaeda officers, including possibly Bin Laden, were able to escape during the battle.