Project DELTA - Organization

Organization

By 1966 DELTA consisted of the following:

• Headquarters Section consisting of 31 US Special Forces and over 50 South Vietnamese Special Forces

• Strike-Recondo Platoon(s) of 12 teams each with three US and three South Vietnamese special forces. Four more teams were added later.

• Roadrunner Platoon consisting of six and then later twelve five man CIDG teams.

• A Security Company consisting of 124 Nung.

• Bomb Damage Assessment Platoon consisting of four US and 24 CIDG.

• A 200 plus civilian work force was based at the Nha Trang basecamp and elements of it would accompany DELTA when it traveled to establish Forward Operating Bases (FOB).

MIKE Forces were battalion and then brigade size reaction forces assigned aid in case of hostile action but also by conducting economy of force operations. Project DELTA's MIKE Force was the 91st Ranger battalion.

Project Delta aviation support was provided by the 281st Assault Helicopter Company (10th Combat Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group (Combat), 1st Aviation Brigade), which was placed under operational control of the 5th Special Forces Group in direct support of Project Delta operations. The 281st AHC provided dedicated helicopter support from its arrival in Vietnam, 9 June 1966, until Project Delta was deactivated in June 1970. The 281st AHC "Intruders" are credited with developing special operations aviation tactics, as well as being the original special ops aviation unit. Forward air control support was originally supplied by pilots from the 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron; later the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron assumed the mission.