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Summary
"The Unit" is the U.S. Army colloquial term for Delta Force. Its members come from the United States Army (primarily from the Ranger Regiment, U.S. Military Intelligence and Special Forces) and appear to be primarily tasked with counter-terrorism. In a TV interview, series creator Eric Haney—who is a former Delta Force operator—stated that the term Delta Force is never used in the spec ops (special operations) community. They are only referred to as "The Unit." The unit's official cover is the "303rd Logistical Studies Group." In the third season's premiere, an onscreen read-out specifically identifies the unit as "ALPHA Team 1st Special Actions Group". (One of the cover designations for Delta Force is the "Combat Applications Group" or CAG.)
The Unit is based at a fictional army post, "Fort Griffith". The location of Fort Griffith is never explicitly stated, but in Episode 103 a bank statement of the lead character clearly shows an address for Fort Griffith, MO 63021 which puts it a few miles west of St. Louis. Unit members also wear the shoulder sleeve insignia of the deactivated 24th Infantry Division (United States) on their Class A uniforms, as well as the shoulder crest of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, "Strike Hold", currently part of the 1st ABCT of the 82nd Airborne Division. Also, while the Unit members are Infantry they do not wear the blue infantry aiguillette around their right arm. In later episodes, The Unit members are shown as wearing the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) patch on their Class A uniforms.)
The unit's immediate chain of command goes to the commanding officer, Colonel Tom Ryan—and, presumably, straight to the President of the United States. It is unknown if this bypasses the Secretary of Defense.
The wives of the unit's ALPHA team personnel are given minimal mission or operational information. They are responsible to maintain the "303rd Logistical Studies Group" cover in all interactions with anyone who is not a Unit family member. Their husbands are, in fact, still performing highly dangerous missions, but they are not permitted to know specifics, such as where their husbands are deployed, what their training routines consist of, how long their assignments will last – or even if their husbands are safe.
If a member of the Unit is killed in action, the family is told that he or she has been killed on a training mission. The wives themselves are encouraged to form a close, cohesive military family based on the common knowledge and strife this inevitably leads to.
The Unit has an unconventional structure. With the size of a company – approximately 130 operators – it is commanded by a Colonel (companies are usually commanded by Captains; Colonels usually command elements like regiments). The CO, Colonel Ryan, normally wears a "sanitized" uniform (bearing absolutely no tapes, such as his name, or even U.S. Army, or rank insignia).
Whereas a Special Forces ODA (Operational Detachment—Alpha) is commanded by a Captain, the Unit sends five-man teams into the field under non-commissioned officers, such as the team lead by Sergeant Major Jonas Blane, the Unit's NCOIC of Alpha team. It is possible that their soldiers have the same Special Forces specialties as in Army Special Forces. An ODA, formerly known as an "A-Team", has weapons sergeants, engineering sergeants, medical sergeants, communications sergeants, etc.
The wives, if suspected of speaking about the Unit's existence, can cause their husbands to be expelled and returned to regular Army service. Colonel Ryan has stated, time and again, that this can ruin a soldier's career, as well as their marriage, and has also stated that he will not hesitate to destroy families in order to preserve the Unit's security. He has also threatened the wives with closing the Unit down, and restarting it somewhere else under another cover – forcing the uprooting of all families involved.
The Unit deploys throughout the world, and both the Army and United States government have the ability to deny the existence of the Unit and any of its members in order to prevent the onset of international incidents. Their uniforms are commonly not standard Army issue, which makes it easier to deny their connection with the US Army if they are killed or captured. They also carry weapons that are not always standard-issue, and the Unit's personnel are well-familiarized with weapons from around the world and can make themselves look like military personnel from other organizations.
The Unit's members will frequently use code names such as Mr. White, Mr. Black, Mr. Blue or Mr. Green. These are usually used when working directly with American civilians, other English speakers not trained for emergencies, or on counterterrorism missions. According to Jonas Blane, the order of precedence for his team after he is disabled, is, from top to bottom: Mack Gerhardt, Charles Grey, Hector Williams†, and Bob Brown.
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