4 ms·

Interesting how quick the squad was able to deploy, clearly bypassed any diplomatic decision making

heavenlyblue 6y ago
They might have specifically not notified the government nor the ambassadors because they didn’t know who was safe to know about it and whether there is anyone actually thinking of taking them captive.
- WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
  To be honest, if there's a real coup, you wouldn't want people to know that you're sending an airplane overhead...
dmix 6y ago
There was a civil war in Albania since 1997 and most other countries had their embassies evacuated. The US Marines cleared the US embassy in Tirana cleared already: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Silver_Wake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Silver_Wake They were probably prepared to deploy for some time (assuming this was 1998 and not 1997): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_Civil_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_Civil_War
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
IAmEveryone 6y ago
They were able to do so because of diplomatic decision making. They landed a transport plane on an airport. That's not a feat of military might. It's one of having the same blue/yellow emblem somewhere on your plane as on the 10.5 million cartons of infant nutrition you distributed the year before. Some "shots over their heads" may have been useful in discouraging individual idiots. But the only reason there was anybody left to rescue, and the reason they were allowedd to succeed, is that neither side of the conflict had any actual interest in harming them.
- chrisseaton 6y ago
  Wow commentators on Hacker News will even dismiss the work of the Special Air Service as 'not being that big a deal when you think about'.
  - kls 6y ago
    Going into any hot zone as a small squad is always a big deal. There are always rouge actors and self interested individuals, that will exploit the lawlessness of a hot zone. Knowing how to deal with them can mean the difference between life and death. Most are like any other predator, looking for a easy meal without the risk of harm. These higher level soldiers (SAS, Seals, Delta Force, KSK, KSM) guys are trained in this type of psychology and know most secondary actors will disperse in the presence of a creditable threat of resistance. While the embassies where certainly not the target of the primary actors, they are a rich target for secondary actors so it certainly was not a walk in the park for these guys, but I am sure to them it was business as usual.
    - herendin2 6y ago
      >There are always rouge actors and.. rogue, not rouge which would imply these actors have beautified themselves with cosmetics
  - jack_riminton 6y ago
    Haha, who knew HN commentators were not only experts in landing rockets at sea, quantum entanglement and esoteric programming languages but also the finer workings of the special forces
    - NotSammyHagar 6y ago
      We are like jedi knights. We can fly spaceships, fighters, code in c++ or even vb on a bad day.
  - tripletao 6y ago
    Why do you interpret this as dismissive? Everyone I've ever met in the military seemed quite aware and respectful of their role in a larger system--they want people who understand chain of command, not cowboys, even more so than other large organizations. That system likely provided these SAS operators both with direct support here (like briefings on what route to take travelling, who would and wouldn't be hostile, etc.), and with the indirect support inherent in anyone who hoped to end up controlling Albania not wanting the British as an enemy. I'd guess the operators felt appreciation for that support and pride in their own contributions to that system, and no diminution of their individual achievements.

They might have specifically not notified the government nor the ambassadors because they didn’t know who was safe to know about it and whether there is anyone actually thinking of taking them captive.

WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
To be honest, if there's a real coup, you wouldn't want people to know that you're sending an airplane overhead...

dmix 6y ago

There was a civil war in Albania since 1997 and most other countries had their embassies evacuated. The US Marines cleared the US embassy in Tirana cleared already: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Silver_Wake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Silver_Wake They were probably prepared to deploy for some time (assuming this was 1998 and not 1997): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_Civil_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_Civil_War

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

IAmEveryone 6y ago

They were able to do so because of diplomatic decision making. They landed a transport plane on an airport. That's not a feat of military might. It's one of having the same blue/yellow emblem somewhere on your plane as on the 10.5 million cartons of infant nutrition you distributed the year before. Some "shots over their heads" may have been useful in discouraging individual idiots. But the only reason there was anybody left to rescue, and the reason they were allowedd to succeed, is that neither side of the conflict had any actual interest in harming them.

chrisseaton 6y ago
Wow commentators on Hacker News will even dismiss the work of the Special Air Service as 'not being that big a deal when you think about'.
- kls 6y ago
  Going into any hot zone as a small squad is always a big deal. There are always rouge actors and self interested individuals, that will exploit the lawlessness of a hot zone. Knowing how to deal with them can mean the difference between life and death. Most are like any other predator, looking for a easy meal without the risk of harm. These higher level soldiers (SAS, Seals, Delta Force, KSK, KSM) guys are trained in this type of psychology and know most secondary actors will disperse in the presence of a creditable threat of resistance. While the embassies where certainly not the target of the primary actors, they are a rich target for secondary actors so it certainly was not a walk in the park for these guys, but I am sure to them it was business as usual.
  - herendin2 6y ago
    >There are always rouge actors and.. rogue, not rouge which would imply these actors have beautified themselves with cosmetics
- jack_riminton 6y ago
  Haha, who knew HN commentators were not only experts in landing rockets at sea, quantum entanglement and esoteric programming languages but also the finer workings of the special forces
  - NotSammyHagar 6y ago
    We are like jedi knights. We can fly spaceships, fighters, code in c++ or even vb on a bad day.
- tripletao 6y ago
  Why do you interpret this as dismissive? Everyone I've ever met in the military seemed quite aware and respectful of their role in a larger system--they want people who understand chain of command, not cowboys, even more so than other large organizations. That system likely provided these SAS operators both with direct support here (like briefings on what route to take travelling, who would and wouldn't be hostile, etc.), and with the indirect support inherent in anyone who hoped to end up controlling Albania not wanting the British as an enemy. I'd guess the operators felt appreciation for that support and pride in their own contributions to that system, and no diminution of their individual achievements.