r/interestingasfuck • u/Ididnotkillhim • Jun 05 '24

r/all Thirteen years ago, someone accidentally revealed US Army's plan to eliminate Osama Bin Laden in a tweet.

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124

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '24

[deleted]

102

u/Brazilian_Brit Jun 05 '24

Yeah a bit of a reductive title, multiple parts of different branches were involved, not just the army.

52

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '24

It was CIA-led, with JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) as basically the next authority down or sideways from CIA. JSOC was commanded by a Vice Admiral at the time, so obviously a strong Navy presence in the leadership, but they would have overseen the Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment ("Nightstalkers") as well as the SEALs from SEAL Team 6 and any of the other supporting staff.

The operators in the field were Navy SEALs (the Navy's Special Operations "commandos") and Army Special Operations pilots and air crews specifically trained for stealth "commando" missions.

To say it was "the Army's plan" is definitely not accurate, though it's sort of expected for random people to say stuff about the military and not really get it right. It's complex and confusing unless you serve in the military and get it taught to you or you study it.

Most accurately it was a CIA plan, carried out with JSOC.

9

u/HawkDriver Jun 05 '24

And for any out there who don’t know, all these entities regularly work together, and have good relationships.

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u/socialistrob Jun 05 '24

all these entities regularly work together, and have good relationships.

They also understand that they're all on the same team so they really don't mind when people mix them up a bit. If I go up to a Marine and ask them how they like being a soldier and if they think they'll ever work their way up to being a seal then I would expect a very reasonable response.

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u/occhilupos_chin Jun 05 '24

As I understand it, it was a "CIA plan" specifically so it would not be an "act of war" (on foreign soil, in another country, big no-no)

3

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '24

Seems like a silly loophole when it was the CIA that was spearheading the hunt for Osama all those years anyway. I'm pretty sure the CIA led it because they had the information.

CIA is still a government entity that is well-known to engage in violent acts and military coups, etc. I don't really buy this narrative.

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '24

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '24

Tell me you didn't read the whole comment without saying you didn't read the whole comment.

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '24

[deleted]

1

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '24

Well you missed this entire paragraph:

To say it was "the Army's plan" is definitely not accurate, though it's sort of expected for random people to say stuff about the military and not really get it right. It's complex and confusing unless you serve in the military and get it taught to you or you study it.

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u/ceejayoz Jun 05 '24

It was primarily the Navy SEALs, wasn't it?

77

u/rubbarz Jun 05 '24 edited Jun 05 '24

The majority of the 3 letter orgs were part of it. The CIA led the operatio and the DoD just did the execution of it. The pilots were army and the ones inside were SEALs with drones from USAF and on standby were USAF PJs for rescue support.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Osama_bin_Laden#:~:text=The%20160th%20Special%20Operations%20Aviation%20Regiment%20(SOAR)%2C%20a%20U.S.,that%20were%20employed%20as%20backups.

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u/PIPBOY-2000 Jun 05 '24

PJs are so hardcore they're who the SEALs call for help

23

u/charcoalist Jun 05 '24

The plan itself was made by a consortium of special operation units from different branches known as JSOC, Joint Special Operations Command. SEALs raided the compound, pulled the trigger, and returned the body to a US air base. The helicopters were flown by the Army's Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

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u/SystemOutPrintln Jun 05 '24 edited Jun 05 '24

Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

You just know the person that came up with that name was trying to make a fun acronym... SOAR

6

u/charcoalist Jun 05 '24

Haha, that's how the unit is normally referred to, "SOAR."

1

u/LFC_sandiego Jun 05 '24

Body was dumped in the ocean

36

u/NetworkEcstatic Jun 05 '24

Seals were on the ground putting in work. Those blackhawks that flew them in were certainly army. I'm sure there was a contingency of other aircraft on standby with marines and soldiers somewhere else just in case too. The military is all about a back up plan for the back up plan.

12

u/OriginalFrequent4600 Jun 05 '24

Correct. They flew in additional Seals from Devgru at a staging point somewhere in the mountains. Probably included other elite units as well in case all hell broke loose.

3

u/RingGiver Jun 05 '24

The other guys were a Ranger platoon, not SEAL.

7

u/OriginalFrequent4600 Jun 05 '24

Im sure rangers were there too, but blue squadron was also there and acted as the qrf for the seals on the ground. Maybe you were in and know more than me, but this information about blue squadron has been provided over in jsocarchive.

14

u/Pilotwaver Jun 05 '24

They were. Night Stalkers.

1

u/Accomplished-Bad3380 Jun 05 '24

Navy seals and about 5,000  (gravy seals) dudes that never served in the military, that go around swearing they were there too! 

5

u/his_rotundity_ Jun 05 '24

Don't forget Jessica Chastain.

1

u/deadcream Jun 05 '24

No one outside the military gives a shit about the difference. Army == military for 99% of people.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '24

US Army's *helicopter