Delta Force, formally the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), is a US Army unit used for hostage rescue and counterterrorism, formed on 19 November 1977 as the threat of terrorism against the United States grew. Delta Force's first operation, Operation Eagle Claw, was a disaster. However, Delta Force redeemed itself in a series of special forces operations, including the rescue of hijacked planes, fighting the FMLN alongside the Salvadoran Army in the 1980s, taking part in the 1983 invasion of Grenada, and several operations in the Middle East and East Africa. Delta Force's size is classified, as is much of their operational history, which includes several covert Cold War operations.
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