Thanks, Neil. It was a terrific experience.
The Kuwaiti Martyr’s Museum in Kuwait City. Here over a dozen Kuwaiti resistance fighters made a last stand against Iraqi forces just prior to the liberation of Kuwait by allied forces.
JOHND D. GRFSHAM
South of the Border: Venezuela
My journey to the Persian Gulf had given me a taste of the SF world downrange, but my appetite was hardly satisfied. I wanted to experience other kinds of SF missions in a greater variety of settings. Several opportunities presented themselves—among these, visits to the 7th SFG in Bolivia or the 1st SFGs UXO school in Cambodia—but I couldn’t fit these into my schedule (and I’ve got to confess that traveling halfway around the world to watch people disarm ancient munitions did not strike me as fun).
Early in 1999, however, the right downrange opportunity fell in my lap: Venezuela. Strategically placed, mineral-rich, and one of America’s strongest allies in Latin America now going through massive changes, here I’d see a side of SF downrange missions I hadn’t yet experienced—focusing less on “here and now” contingencies and more on the building up of a nation’s forces and capabilities. This was too good to miss, so I had my friend Major McCollum set a trip up for February 1999.
February 8th dawned cold and snowy around Washington, D.C., a misery compounded for travelers by the American Airlines pilots’ union, who had initiated a nasty work stoppage... targeted, as luck would have it, against the routes handling traffic to Latin America and the southeast. The entire eastern half of the country was in a flying gridlock.
Despite the chaos, some talented reservations personnel managed to get me to the Miami International Airport, where I met Tom McCollum in a sea of disgruntled travelers.
Six hours and a switch of airlines later, I managed to shoehorn myself onto a flight to Venezuela, but had to leave luckless Tom McCollum in the mess at Miami (he caught up later in Venezuela); sometime past midnight local time, the aircraft settled down to Caracas International Airport, where I was met by a fine young 7th SFG sergeant named Carlos, who took me under his wing until the major could catch up.
The Caracas Airport is on the coast, some miles north of the city, and it took some time to get to our hotel. During the drive, Carlos filled me in on the local situation:
The week before, amid much pomp and controversy, a new president was inaugurated, Hugo Chavez. A onetime army officer—a paratrooper, in fact—Chavez led a failed military coup in 1992, and was jailed for two years. He now presents himself as a radical populist with big ideas about political reform. Essentially, his policy has been to toss the bastards out—the corrupt and self-serving political elite who have long run the country (as I write he is trying to restructure the courts and the National Assembly).
So far, the Venezuelan people seem to like him (he currently has a 70% approval rating).
All well and good.
However, Chavez has a strong authoritarian streak. There is little evidence that he listens to or fosters independent democratic voices, or has a serious plan for dealing with Venezuela’s economic problems (even though oil prices have recently doubled, business mistrust of Chavez may lead to a 6% economic contraction this year); and in fact there’s a better than even risk that he’ll make things worse rather than better. A dictatorship under Chavez is not out of the question (though dictatorships are out of fashion in Latin America). On the other hand, the Venezuelan people treasure their democracy and their constitution. They’re not likely to give these up easily.
The next couple of years in Venezuela are going to be very interesting (perhaps as in the Chinese curse about living in interesting times).
Of course, Venezuela’s neighbor Colombia has been fated to suffer the effects of the Chinese curse. And worse, the drug-based insurgency there is threatening to throw the entire region into a major war. At the moment, the country is a nest of snakes. And even identifying the major power players is next to impossible. It’s hardly as simple as left versus right, of poor against wealthy, or this faction against that faction; but many against many. It is possible, however, to identify the chief evil, and that’s drugs and drug money. So the largest rebel group (they control an area roughly the size of Switzerland), the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), is nominally a force of the left, but, in fact, is not so much political as the paid army of the drug cartels. (They also get monetary support that comes from ransom payments derived from kidnapping wealthy or otherwise important persons.) Yet FARC is far from the only dark force in Colombia. And it’s not the only gang to resort to kidnapping and other criminal tactics... the right-wing National Liberation Army is one example. And powerful ultra-right elements in the military cause plenty of trouble as well.
Few future scenarios for Colombia look happy. As in: a FARC overthrow of the elected government of President Andres Pastrana (far from unlikely) would make them the first narco-government. But a rightist takeover would hardly be an improvement.
In the event of a FARC takeover, Colombia’s neighbors, including Venezuela, would likely go to war to change that. (There have already been cross-border clashes, and Venezuela has been slowly but deliberately expanding its army and national police forces.) Interesting times.
Meanwhile, U.S. policy in the region is in a bind: On the one hand, the current Clinton Administration wants to support the democratically elected regimes and to keep the lid as much as possible on the Colombian pressure cooker (good luck!). On the other hand, the Latin Americans are proud and independent people, and they are reluctant to accept full Yanqui partnership in their national security affairs. (They have not forgotten U.S. imperialism, even though that was decades in the past.) For both of these reasons, current American policy in this part of Latin America is based on improving the security forces of host nations, but not on putting U.S. forces on the ground. This support takes the specific form of Special Forces teams conducting JCET-type FID missions.
When I arrived in Venezuela, 7th SFG had four missions on the ground in Venezuela, involving four active teams (three ODAs and an ODB). My objective was to observe each of these teams in action.
We pulled into my hotel sometime after midnight, local time. A meeting was scheduled at the American embassy for early in the morning. Venezuela’s a terrific place for a vacation, but that was not to be my fate.
Tuesday, February 9th—U.S. Embassy, Caracas, Venezuela
Caracas is a lovely city, set in a valley and surrounding hills. The American embassy is located on one of the tallest hills, and is more strongly fortified than a medieval castle.
Once Carlos and I had cleared security, we headed upstairs into the vaulted security area where the various military, intelligence, and legal missions are based.102 Here officials from the military and Coast Guard, as well as the C.I.A., F.B.I., D.E.A., and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies operate under heavy security... and a cloak of discretion. While it is no secret that they are here (or in other countries), they keep a low profile.
When I arrived, I was met by a handsome and soft-spoken SF chief warrant officer (we’ll call him Milwaukee), who was coordinating the four teams with the embassy. Chief Milwaukee ran me through the schedule for my travels throughout Venezuela.
Today’s visit would be to a Guardia Nacional base east of Caracas. (The National Guard is the National Police and Security service.) I would then fly to the south and west of the country to see the other three SF teams and their missions. I was also told that Major McCollum would probably arrive sometime later that evening, assuming that the airline strike was no worse. With a wry smile at Tom’s plight, I followed Sergeant Carlos back to his car for the ride out to Macarao, east of Caracas.
Tuesday, February 9th—Headquarters, Grupo de Acciones Comandos de la Guardia Nacional de Venezuela
As we drove east into the mountains and the El Avila National Park (Venezuela is one of the first Latin American mainland countries with a serious environmental movement, and the governme
nt is backing it), Sergeant Carlos described the unit I would be visiting today. The Grupo de Acciones Comandos de la Guardia Nacional de Venezuela (known as GAC FAC for short) is roughly equivalent to our specialized antiterrorist units (such as the F.B.I.’s Hostage Rescue Team or the Army’s Delta Force) in its mission, and is one of the most talented military units in South America—the elite of the elites (what U.S. planners call a “Tier 1” unit). Though technically flagged as a battalion, GAC FAC is actually sized more like an oversized U.S. company, with about 120 members, and is organized into three forty-man companies (each with two platoons). GAC FAC is a powerful little unit with all kinds of skills (it is far from limited to an antiterror role). Unlike other so-called Latin American elite military units that are there merely for show (they look grand and march straight, but could not lead a charge to the bathroom), GAC FAC is trained hard in skills ranging from riverine and underwater warfare, to hostage rescue, sniping, and demolitions; and the entire unit is jump and airmobile qualified, which means they can be inserted almost anywhere by any means imaginable. (Our own SOF commanders consider them to be easily the most capable Special Operations unit in the region.)
GAC FAC is part of the much larger Guardia Nacional, which is responsible for the nation’s internal security (the Army, Navy, and Air Force have responsibility for external threats). In other words, the Guardia Nacional does all the jobs we would normally associate with our own Justice Department, Treasury Department, State Police, and some missions of the Army National Guard. And they have done a fine job in these powerful roles, with the result that they are quite popular with the local population. In fact, the Guardia Nacional is broadly perceived as the de facto protector of the nation’s democracy and constitution. (It seems that in the crunch, they have always come down on the side of the democratically elected government. This consistency seems to have set the belief in the minds of the people that they can be trusted to do it again if necessary.) It was GAC FAC that put down the final stages of the 1992 coup led by Hugo Chavez. (Though the Guardia Nacional was keeping a wary eye on the new president, the past tension between Chavez and his security forces probably won’t create present difficulties for either.)
All of this does not come cheap. GAC FAC is twice as expensive to maintain as a normal Guardia National battalion like the 69th I visited later. But its proven record of operations in the field against terrorists and drug smugglers is worth the expense. In fact, because GAC FAC is a real asset in maintaining the stability of the whole region, it is in the best interests of the U.S. to support GAC FAC’s high standards of training, and to provide them with new capabilities.
The entrance to the GAC FAC compound east of Caracas, Venezuela. GAC FAC is the finest antiterrorist unit in Latin America, roughly equivalent to the U.S. Delta Force.
JOHN D. GRESHAM
After an hour’s drive though a beautiful mountain valley, we arrived at about 11:00 A.M. at the GAC FAC barracks. This compound is not large and flashy, with guards in dress uniforms. Rather, it reminded me of a boys’ camp back home. But this was hardly a summer camp; it was a facility every bit as functional as the Delta Force compound back at Fort Bragg.
On the GAC FAC reservation, which spreads over several miles of the valley, the unit maintains firing and demolitions training ranges, obstacle courses, a small survival school, a shooting house for practicing breaching and assaults, and lakes for practicing rubber boat skills.
Though these facilities lack the technological sophistication of similar facilities back home, high technology is not the only way to train men for the commando trade. The observations of experienced NCOs can more than make up for an absence of closed circuit televisions and video recorders.... There is an old saying: “If it costs a dollar to train someone to 90% perfection, it costs ten dollars to reach 99%, and a hundred to reach 99.9%.” GAC FAC was in the 99% range.
Once we had parked the car, Carlos escorted me to a small, rustic-looking barracks beside the road. This was the team house for ODA 763, a team from “E” Company, 2nd/7th SFG (and one of the teams that work for Lieutenant Colonel Joe Smith, who I met during JRTC 99-1). ODA 763 carried a complement of nine men, and was commanded by a captain named Marshall. During the coming weeks they would deliver a variety of training, advisory, and support services to GAC FAC. These would include the following:• Sniper Training—ODA 763 would establish and supervise a program of refresher training for GAC FAC’s sniper teams. This would include gunsmithing to improve system accuracy, training of spotters, and requalification of the entire GAC FAC sniper pool.
• Mobile Interdiction—To improve GAC FAC’s counterdrug capabilities, ODA 763 would teach skills for interdicting the narcotics traffic routes into and through Venezuela. These skills included intelligence gathering, analysis and assessment, mission planning, and roadblock/search techniques.
• Shoothouse Refurbishment/Training—A shoothouse is a training facility that simulates a real building. Troops in training attack it with real ammunition. Though it was a well-designed facility the GAC FAC shoothouse, after years of use, had almost been shot to pieces. ODA 763 would initiate a program whereby the Guardia Nacional troops would refurbish the facility, and improve and expand its capabilities.
• Survival Training—ODA 763 would establish for GAC FAC a miniature version of the Survival, Evasion, Rescue, and Escape (SERE) school.
• Tactical/Field Training—ODA 763 would engage GAC FAC in a general course of field and tactical training maneuvers. These would include training in raids, ambushes, reconnaissance, land navigation, and other SOF-related skills.
• Delivery of Materials—In support of all the other training objectives, ODA 763 would deliver to GAC FAC a large number of training manuals, maps, and other materials (translated into Spanish) prepared to support their expected threats, missions, and goals.
Colonel Marcos Rojas, the commander of GAC FAC.
JOHN D. GRESHAM
7th Special Forces Group soldiers of ODA 763 supervise members of GAC FAC in a sophisticated shoothouse exercise. Assigned to the Guardia Nacional, GAC FAC is an impresesive antiterrorist unit.
JOHN D. GRESHAM
This was a lot to do in just eight weeks (the team had arrived in mid-January).
The team house was a large structure, with plenty of room for bunks and storage for weapons and gear. In one comer was the communications sergeant, with his array of satellite, HF, and other radios. He smiled as we walked by and gave us a “thumb‘sup.”
After a quick look-around, it was time to make a call on the commander of GAC FAC.
The headquarters building was a short walk up a hill. Once there, I was shown a chair on a small patio, and provided with a cold drink. After a few minutes I was introduced to the man many consider the finest officer in the Guardia Nacional: Colonel Marcos Rojas. As soon as I met him, I knew why. This was one super-high-caliber military professional. (I’ve been told he will shortly be made a general.) Powerfully built, with bright eyes and a serious look, even with his broken English, you could tell immediately how proud he was of his unit, and grateful to the U.S. for sending ODA 763 to make it better. With Captain Marshall as a translator, we talked about the roles and missions of the Guardia Nacional and GAC FAC and how they fit into the Venezuela of Hugo Chavez. He made it clear that they were as prepared to put down coups as they had been in the past.
Promptly at noon, he stood up and gestured for us to follow him down the hill toward the road. What came then was a tour of the barracks facilities. These were predictably clean and orderly, and all the young men I saw around and about were lean and hard, bright and handsome lads.
A GAC FAC soldier being given Survival, Evasion, Rescue, and Escape training.
JOHN D. GRESHAM
Every man was a volunteer, the colonel explained, and he took it as a matter of personal pride that everyone had a good place to live, proper equipment and training, and the security to know that the Venezuelan people were behind them. As w
e passed, he addressed each soldier by name, and it was clear his men were glad to see him. You could feel their pride in knowing that he was theirs. This man was no old-fashioned Latin “Jefe” (chief, strongman), but the best kind of modem military leader.
A few minutes later, he led us into a dining area for the troops, directed us to the front table, and then took a seat himself. “This is the only mess hall in camp,” Captain Marshall explained. “There are no separate facilities for officers and enlisted personnel. Everyone eats the same food together.” Only the barracks were segregated by rank, and frankly I liked the enlisted quarters better than those of the junior officers.
This man shared everything with his men. Even in the U.S. military, vast cultural walls exist between officers and enlisted personnel (you see very little of that in the Special Forces, however). I was impressed!
That afternoon the ODA split in two. The two gunners and an assistant took a truck up to a new earthen dam down in the valley where they set up at a presurveyed sniper range, and continued the sniper course they had started the previous week. Four other team members took another company down the road to teach the basics of roadblocks and vehicle searches.
ODA 763 soldiers conducting sniper training with their GAC FAC counterparts. GAC FAC has a well-developed sniper capability, in support of their antiterrorist mission.
JOHN D. GRESHAM
I hopped in Colonel Rojas’s truck and we drove up to the dam. Four Venezuelan snipers were practicing with full Gilly Suits on, the better to know the distractions and problems that can go into a “one shot, one kill” fire mission. As I watched, the two SF gunners went from man to man, checking sights, adjusting grips, and coaching the small details that make good snipers. Standing just behind the Americans, Colonel Rojas watched every move.