16 Secret Wars the U.S. is Fighting Now

By: Warren Gray

Copyright © 2024

“In the ongoing War on Terror, Congress has authorized the Department of Defense

to train and equip military forces anywhere in the world, and to provide backing to foreign forces supporting counterterrorism operations. Under these provisions,

known as Section 333 and Section 127e, the U.S. military is involved in…

15 countries where the U.S. government is engaging in secret wars.”

— Melissa Sue Gerrits, for 247wallst.com, September 25, 2023

“This proliferation of secret war is a relatively recent phenomenon…

The conduct of undisclosed hostilities in unreported countries…

to cover a broad assortment of terrorist groups…the covert action

statute, an authority for secret, unattributed, and primarily

CIA-led operations that can involve the use of force.”

— Katherine Yon Ebright, Brennan Center for Justice, November 3, 2022

“Of course it’s a violation of international law;

that’s why it’s a covert action!”

— Vice President Al Gore, 1993

It may surprise most of us to know that U.S. Army Special Forces, U.S. Navy SEALs, and CIA/SOG paramilitary officers are presently engaged in at least 15 secret wars worldwide, and one additional, not-so-secret war in Ukraine. Many of these countries, particularly in the Middle East and Africa, are hosting extremist branches of terrorist groups like the Islamic State/ISIS, al-Qa’ida, or al-Shabaab.

Beginning on the continent of Africa, 10 of these global wars are taking place in Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, and Tunisia. In the Middle East region, they include three more wars in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. In Southwest Asia, there are two more in Afghanistan and Iraq. And finally, in Eastern Europe, there is the ongoing war in Ukraine, totaling 16 wars in which U.S. special operations forces are engaged, usually in small-scale operations that target militant or terrorist groups.

The clandestine operations in Africa are largely aligned against groups such as al-Shabaab, al-Qa’ida, Boko Haram, ISIS-Somalia, and ISIS-West Africa. Operations Juniper Shield and Nimble Shield encompass many African nations in counterterrorism campaigns, with U.S. Special Forces (USSF) providing training and equipment to host nations to promote stability and build reliable partnerships in the region. In fact, U.S. special operations forces (SOF) operate in 22 of the 54 African countries.

As Nick Turse at The Intercept explained, “In 2011, when a U.S. (Obama)-backed uprising in Libya toppled autocrat Muammar Gaddafi, Tuareg (a Berber ethnic group of the Sahara region) fighters in his service looted the regime’s weapons caches, traveled to their native Mali, and began to take over the northern part of that country…and overthrew (the) country’s democratically-elected government…Obama waged his drive-by, regime-change war in Libya without any congressional authorization.”

This, of course, later included the fateful Ansar al-Sharia terrorist attack against the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton intentionally erased more than 33,000 classified emails, and then scrubbed the servers, pertaining to the horrific event, to obscure the awful truth.

Then, in 2016, Burkina Faso began “to see a surge in militant attacks,” as reported in Foreign Policy magazine. “The violence spilled over from neighboring Mali in the wake of the 2011…revolution in Libya…and contributed to the 2012 political destabilization of Mali.” So, past U.S. policy decisions in Africa certainly helped to create the chaotic conditions of insurgency warfare that exist today.

In terms of U.S. aid to the volatile region, the Nigerian armed forces will soon be receiving 12 MD 530F+ Cayuse Warrior Plus helicopter gunships from the United States, as just one example of security assistance to allied nations in Africa.

Camp Simba in Manda Bay, Kenya, is a joint, U.S. SOF military base for Task Force Red Dragon, coordinating with Kenyan forces to fight the al-Shabaab terrorist group, combat piracy, and conduct counterterrorism missions into neighboring Somalia, where a U.S. Navy SEAL was killed in 2017, while fighting alongside Somali security forces against al-Shabaab militants 40 miles from Mogadishu.

In particular, Kenya has an urgent need for overwatch aircraft to replace the armed U.S. Air Force U-28A Dracos (Pilatus PC-12/45 models) deployed there, for on-scene, intelligence collection or close air support. The Kenya Air Force tentatively ordered 12 Air Tractor AT-802L Longsword attack aircraft in June 2017, but the deal has remained strangely uncertain and unfulfilled since then.

On August 1, 2022, the U.S. Special Operations Command announced that the L3 Harris/Air Tractor AT-802U Sky Warden had won their Armed Overwatch program contract and would soon enter Air Force Special Operations Command service as the OA-1K, a tough, rugged, combat-proven aircraft almost specifically designed for dangerous, counterinsurgency operations like those in Kenya.

In Southwest Asia, U.S. troops withdrew in total chaos from Afghanistan in August 2021, but the CIA continues to operate in the region out of secret bases in neighboring Pakistan. In fact, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the terrorist leader of al-Qa’ida, was killed in downtown Kabul on July 31, 2022, by a CIA-operated MQ-9A Block 5 ER Reaper drone, firing an AGM-114R9X Hellfire II missile with six pop-out, steel blades instead of an explosive warhead (See my Gunpowder Magazine article on “Covert Ops: CIA Drone Kills al-Qa’ida Terrorist Leader” from August 24, 2022, for more details).

According to the documentary film Drone, by Tonje Schei, since 2002, the U.S. Air Force 17th Reconnaissance Squadron has been working for the CIA as a “customer,” carrying out at least some of the armed missions in Pakistan, and into Afghanistan.

MQ-9A Block 5 ER Reaper drone, with four AGM-114R Hellfire II missiles. Photo credit: General Atomics

And in Iraq, more than 2,500 American troops remain, at the invitation of the Iraqi government, to help prevent any ISIS terrorist group resurgence there. The secret, joint special operations task force at Erbil Airport in northern Iraq has been known as the “Death Star” in the past, with additional support from British and Canadian troops, as well as several other nationalities.

In the nearby Middle East region, U.S. SOF are partnering with the Lebanese G2 Strike Force unit under Operation Lion Hunter, conducting counterterrorist operations, as well as funding, training, and equipping the Lebanese armed forces to maintain regional stability, including providing six brand-new A-29B Super Tucano attack aircraft and donating six new MD 530F+ (AH530 Block II) Cayuse Warrior Plus helicopter gunships.

Lebanese Air Force MD 530F+ gunship, with FN HMP400 gun pod. Photo credit: MD Helicopters

In Yemen, U.S. forces provide military advice and intelligence, including MQ-9A Reaper drone strikes, to a Saudi-led coalition, and have supplied the Saudis in the past with weapons to use against Yemeni rebel forces.

And in Syria, American military forces continue to support the Syrian Democratic (Kurdish) Forces, who constantly fight ISIS militants, by providing U.S. air support (mostly MQ-9A Reaper drones), intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and military advice, with approximately 900 U.S. troops still deployed in northeastern Syria, as well as small numbers of British SAS Special Forces, Dutch KCT commandos, French special operations paratroopers, and Norwegian FSK Special Forces. More than 100 American troops have been killed since 2014 while fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria under Operation Inherent Resolve.

Finally, in Ukraine, The New York Times officially blew the lid off of the CIA’s covert involvement in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War, with their stunning article entitled “Commando Network Coordinates Flow of Weapons in Ukraine” on June 25, 2022, writing that, “Ukraine…depends more than ever on help from the United States and its allies, including a stealthy network of commandos and spies rushing to provide weapons, intelligence, and training.

“Some CIA personnel have continued to operate in the country secretly… directing much of the vast amounts of intelligence the United States is sharing with Ukrainian forces…working inside Ukraine…training and advising Ukrainian troops, and providing an on-the-ground conduit for weapons and other aid.

“The modern (CIA) special operations teams mainly focused on training in small-unit tactics, but also worked on communications, battlefield medicine, reconnaissance, and other skills requested by Ukrainian forces.”

Kelley Beaucar Vlahos of the conservative Quincy Institute observed that, “CIA ops, commandos in Ukraine: Can we just admit we are fighting this war?…CIA agents working on the inside…we aren’t supposed to be in a war, right?” Larry Johnson, a veteran of the CIA, wrote that, “This totally destroys any claim that the United States Intelligence Community does not know what is the true status and operational capability of the Ukrainian Army.”

Let’s take a look at some of the weapons and equipment of the U.S. Special Forces and CIA/SOG teams in these remote locations. It’s well known that Army Special Forces (“Green Berets”) prefer the Mk. 18 Mod. 1 carbine in 5.56mm NATO, with 10.3-inch barrel, and usually a suppressor and other attachments. One of their favored sniper rifles is the Barrett Mk. 22 MRAD ASR in .338 Norma Magnum.

Special Forces troops currently prefer the Glock-19 (Mk. 27) service pistol in 9x19mm. Not surprisingly, the superb Glock-19 is also the primary sidearm of Delta Force, CIA/SOG, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, Marine Raiders, Air Force Special Tactics troops, the U.S. Secret Service, and many other special units.

U.S. Special Forces soldier firing Glock-19 pistol. Photo credit: Americanspecialops.com

U.S. Special Forces are also frequent users of the Polaris MRZR Alpha 4 turbodiesel, all-terrain vehicle, which is extremely nimble, versatile, lightweight, and capable of mounting a swiveling machine gun, such as the FN M240B/H/L, or FN Minimi 7.62 MK3, with 16.6-inch barrel and suppressor.

Polaris Defense MRZR Alpha 4 vehicle, with suppressed, M240B machine gun. Photo credit: Polaris Defense

CIA weapons and equipment may be more varied, and one very revealing photograph taken in Afghanistan sometime before July 2018 clearly depicts the basic, combat gear of a SOG operative at that time, showing desert uniform items, web gear, body armor, night-vision goggles, PRC-148 radio with antenna and earpieces, satellite phone, GPS receiver, tactical wristwatch, flashlight, cell phone, and first-aid kit.

CIA/SOG equipment in Afghanistan. Photo credit: SOFREP

The weapons displayed were a Mk. 18 carbine with suppressor, a separate, M4A1 upper receiver, with an M203 grenade launcher secured below, and ammo pouches. Additionally, there was an AKMS folding-stock, Russian carbine for plausible deniability, a Glock-19 pistol with two spare magazines, two hand grenades, and a Duane Dieter CQD (Close-Quarters Defense) folding, double-edged dagger with 3.75-inch blade ($375).

Updating this list to include the very latest items, a Crye Precision MultiCam uniform is currently more likely, and an HK416A5 carbine with 11-inch barrel, instead of the Colt M4A1 or Mk. 18. A more-powerful carbine, such as the HK417A2 with 13-inch barrel in 7.62mm NATO, may sometimes be preferred, and the top-quality, B&T (Swiss) APC308 Pro with 13-inch barrel is also a great choice, for plausible-deniability concerns. The Glock-30S in .45 ACP is a very popular CIA or Delta Force pistol option.

In the search for an ultra-modern, lightweight, extremely-accurate sniper rifle for CIA/SOG teams, the bolt-action, Bergara MG Lite rifle (new in 2022) or Bergara MgMicro Lite (new in 2024) in 6.5mm Creedmoor is certainly an absolutely superb choice, already chambered for the USSOCOM’s latest official cartridge for sniper rifles, with a threaded, carbon-wrapped, 18-inch or 22-inch barrel for fitting a suppressor, almost as if it were specifically designed as an advanced, military sniper rifle.

Bergara MgMicro Lite rifle, with scope and suppressor, 2024. Photo credit: Bergara Rifles

For concealment purposes, the Smith and Wesson M&P9 Shield or Shield Plus is a favorite, striker-fired, subcompact pistol ($374) with a 3.1-inch barrel, but the slim, handy, Walther PPS M2 ($479) in 9mm is a very compact, foreign-made alternative. For those desiring a tiny, lightweight, backup pistol in an ankle holster for emergencies, the CIA still has abundant quantities of alloy-framed, Walther TPH pistols (only 11.5 ounces) in .22 Long Rifle, from the 1970s through the 1990s.

SOG operatives carry a wide variety of knives, usually privately purchased and owned, into action. The most-common are Leatherman multi-tools and Swiss Army Knives, used strictly as tools. If a foreign-made combat dagger is desired, three of the very best include the Eickhorn-Solingen (German) Recondo IV, the Extrema Ratio (Italian) Suppressor Operativo, and the ANV (Czech) M500 Anthropoid dagger.

This latter blade is named for Operation Anthropoid in World War Two, the assassination of Nazi SS Obergruppenführer (General) Reinhard Heydrich, head of the Reich Security Main Office (including the Gestapo, Kripo, and SD), in Prague, Czechoslovakia on May 27, 1942, by Czech partisans. The ANV name stands for Acta Non Verba in Latin, meaning “Actions, Not Words,” a very bold motto attributed to Julius Caesar, who saw his friend, Marcus Junius Brutus, among the assassins who had killed him.

ANV M500 Anthropoid dagger. Photo credit: ANV Knives

CIA/SOG officers are mostly limited to four-wheel drive, civilian vehicles, with rugged, Toyota Hilux or Tacoma pickup trucks, or Land Cruiser SUVs being especially popular, or non-standard, tactical vehicles, and often armed with a heavy machine gun in the back. Small, nimble, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are also employed quite often.

Air support for these Special Forces and CIA paramilitary teams may include some unusual helicopters, not officially part of the U.S. Armed Forces inventories, yet in definite use already for very special missions. These may include the very large, Sikorsky S-92A Helibus (holds 19 passengers), or its military equivalent, the MH-92A Superhawk.

The two MH-92As operating from the Horn of Africa bore small, fake, six-digit registration numbers on the tail surfaces, and no national markings, clearly trying to hide their true identity. Officially, the only MH-92As in existence are the Royal Canadian Navy’s 24 CH-148 Cyclone anti-submarine warfare aircraft, but these helicopters in Djibouti were definitely not Canadian Navy Cyclones. The remaining possibilities are either the CIA Special Activities Center’s (SAC) Air Branch, or the U.S. Army’s super-secret Aviation Technology Office (ATO) at Fort Eustis, Virginia.

Interestingly enough, the Army officially announced in December 2017 its intention to purchase up to 150 new helicopters over a five-year period, from 2019 to 2024, in an eclectic mixture that includes the Bell 407GX (used by ATO and Iraq), Bell 412EPI, the whisper-quiet Bell 429 (or military 429M), Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, and Bell UH-1H Huey II (used by Lebanon, and others) conversions. These helicopters were not for Army service, however, but were destined for foreign military sales and “other government agencies” (State Department, CIA, and possibly ATO, etc.).

This brings up some of the known ATO special operations aircraft, especially their five dark-gray, unarmed, Bell 407GX transport helicopters, which were diverted from an export batch intended for Iraq. These aircraft may very easily be modified into Bell 407GT or newer, Bell 407M gunship configuration, with twin GAU-19/B or Dillion 503D Gatling guns, and two seven-shot pods of AGR-20B laser-guided missiles.

NSA 407MRH Lightning, a Bell 407 gunship derivative. Photo credit: NorthStar Aviation (NSA)

Special operations missions are hazardous enough in open warfare, but entail much greater risks in unacknowledged, clandestine warfare, requiring the best-possible weapons and equipment for a reasonable assurance of success. This article has covered some of the unique highlights, often considering the use of non-standard or foreign equipment for the sake of plausible deniability in covert operations.

These 16 secret wars around the globe certainly generate considerable controversy, political debate, and they produce relatively small numbers of U.S. casualties, but it’s quite necessary to help protect our peaceful, democratic allies from the growing scourge of international terrorism, or violent, resurgent, Russian expansionism.

Perhaps Irish author Bram Stoker stated it best in his 1897 Gothic novel, Dracula: “It is a wild adventure we are on. Here, as we are rushing along through the darkness…with all the mysterious voices of the night around us, it all comes home. We seem to be drifting into unknown places and unknown ways; into a whole world of dark and dreadful things…But we are pledged to set the world free. Our toil must be in silence, and our efforts in secret…for the good of mankind.”

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Author as JSOC paratrooper, 1987. Photo credit: Melody Gray

Warren Gray is a retired U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, with experience in joint special operations and counterterrorism. He served in Europe (including Eastern Europe) and the Middle East, earned Air Force and Navy parachutist wings, four college degrees, and was a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Intelligence Operations Specialist Course, and the USAF Combat Targeting School. He is currently a published author, historian, and hunter.