Special Operations.Com

Jungle Special Operations

Special Ops units help Ecuador fight drug war

by Spc. Jon Creese

ECUADOR (Army News Service, July 7, 1999) -- Soldiers from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command recently played a role in the on-going war against cocaine production in Ecuador.

By sharing their knowledge and experience in weaponry, small unit tactics and airborne and water infiltration techniques with the Ecuadorian military, they provided the training needed to minimize the production and distribution of illegal cocaine.

In order to be most effective, they took measures to close the gap between the Ecuadorian military and its civilian populace. A representative from 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C., advised an Ecuadorian commander on interaction with communities most likely to be targeted as catalysts for the growth of an illegal empire.

"There are a lot of ways to hinder drug traffic," said Maj. Bernard Sparrow, commander of Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne). "This is just another avenue for us. If we can help the Ecuadorian government stop the production of illegal cocaine at the early stages, then that's what we need to do."

Sparrow commanded the joint-combined training exercise May 5 to June 9 that covered a 120 by 75 kilometer-area from Coca (central Ecuador) to the far-western town of Santa Cecilia, and from the southern town of Putumayo, north to the San Miguel River, which borders Colombia.

He said seven U.S. elements participated in the exercise; Operational Detachment Bravo 730 and four Operational Detachments Alpha from 1st Bn., 7th SFG (A), Fort Bragg, N.C., an element from 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., and Navy Seal Team 4 from Little Creek, Va. Also present was a civil affairs representative from 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg.

"Each have specific training missions based on training they've had," Sparrow said. The elements were stationed at different sections of the training area, spanning almost one quarter of the entire country and embodied several large towns.

In Santa Cecelia, along a muddy path hemmed in by an over-grown tropical jungle, Special Forces and Ecuadorian soldiers trudged along in the rain, their combat boots weighted with thick, dark, mud. They stopped, listened, crouched and trudged along some more. Enemies on ropes swung toward them out of the trees like cardboard ghosts as the Ecuadorians practiced basic ambush and raid techniques under the supervision of ODA 733, Co. C soldiers. Then they headed off to the rifle range to become familiar with U.S. weapons.

"We teach basic infantry skills out here, but what you learn real quick is you've got to modify them in this jungle," said Master Sgt. Daniel Deck, team sergeant for ODA 733, as he studied a global position system devise used by the Ecuadorian military. "I got this for myself to mark fish at diving sites in Panama, but it also works well in this jungle (environment) ... it acquires your position a lot quicker than our system."

Miles away, where the Putumayo and San Miguel rivers intersect and serve as a buffer zone between Ecuadorian forces and Colombian guerillas, soldiers from ODA 731, Co. C, and sailors from ST 4 trained Ecuadorian soldiers in water infiltration tactics and boat mechanics.

"This area poses the biggest threat," said Master Sgt. Brian Cochrane, senior engineer sergeant for the team. "The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia across the river are used as muscle for drug trafficking.

"The hardest part is finding a place to train with such a high threat," he said. "You can't train without security, so we're always armed, whether we're on roving patrols, or doing physical training."

When they were not busy training, some soldiers toured the Ecuadorian Military Academy or the Ecuadorian Jungle School, which is currently being improved to attract students from the United States and other parts of the world.

"This really gives the guys a chance to get cultural insight into the country," Sparrow said. "Primarily, we are here to train the host nation in specific skills to better prepare them to fight, but our expertise is based on language capabilities and long-term cultural experiences and interaction with Latin-American forces."

"We're trying to build stronger civil-military relations here," said Sgt. 1st Class David Williams, team sergeant for Tactical Support Team 16, Company A, 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) attached to 7th SFG (A). "We need to keep coming back. That's the only way to build a good relationship between the military and civilians."

Williams assisted the Ecuadorian civil affairs colonel with operational affairs, accessed the local population in the operational area and provided civic action to the people in those areas by handing out toothbrushes, soap, notebooks, pens and pencils, and an occasional Power Bar from his own stash.

"The important thing is to visit local towns after the exercise to make sure no damage was caused by any of the operations," Williams said, and if there is any damage, those people will need to be compensated.

The mission evolved into its final stage, Operation Succumbios, May 31. Ten days of activities began with a joint-combined airborne operation and focused on Ecuadorian soldiers exercising what they learned during the prior three weeks.

(Editor's note: Creese is a writer with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Public Affairs at Fort Bragg, N.C.)

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