| Task Force 402 | |
|---|---|
 United States Army Special Operaions Command | |
| Active | 2006-2007 (defunct) |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | U.S. Army |
| Type | Special Operations |
| Role | Utilized Skills to develop and implement Provincial Reconstruction Team, with security operations and tactics for DOS personnel |
| Part of |
U.S. Army USSOCOM |
| Motto(s) | EAD |
Task Force 402, AKA WhiteWater, was an example of the United States Joint Task Force concept of conducting special operations. It was organized under the concept of having United States Army Special Operations soldiers from the United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command[1], out of Fort Bragg, NC, with Department of State personnel, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), personnel from the supporting maneuver Brigade element, Department of Justice (DOJ), and other governmental and non-governmental agencies to create a Provincial Reconstruction Team.
TF402 was a unit created from Infantry, Combat Engineers and Civil Affairs Military Occupational Skills (MOS). Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) soldiers were called back to active duty for the mission.
Deployment[]
Upon completion of training at Fort Bragg, NC, the unit deployed to Baqubah, Iraq, FOB Warhorse [2] in 2006. Missions also included the following bases: LSAA Aanaconda, FOB Paliwada, COB Speicher, FOB Cobra, International Zone, FOB Caldwell, FOB Normandy and many other smaller FOBs.
Operations[]
The task force was noted as operating in an autonomous fashion. In the only known operations which they conducted is that they conducted several missions with 20th Special Forces Group, in order to gather information from a local business possibly providing weapons and parts to create Improvised Explosive Devices that were catastrophic in the Diyala Province of Iraq. This operation was taken further with the help of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Paul Brinkley after his visit to the facility, when he provided the funding for satellite up-links, telephones, and other mission critical technology not only for the local business, but for local coalition forces to ensure the safety of the almost 1,900 employees.
The unit did not fall under operational control of the local unit at FOB Warhorse, but controlled by Multinational Force Iraq (MNFI). This was a hard concept for some members of the unit who were from traditional units outside of USACAPOC and USASOC. Members had custom patches with an insignia design that was branded on one unit members arm. The call sign of Whitewater was created by two members of the unit as an alternative to the name Blackwater Worldwide, in which instead of using armored vehicles, they were jokingly incorporate use of multiple Kawasaki Ninja ZX-9R to operate with and achieve mission goals, without taking any timed IEDs due to the high rate of traveling speed. That was easily aborted and ran as a joke, as it was intended to be.
Blackwater Worldwide was present during 2006 for operations, and instances occurred with joint missions, and their contract was not updated by DOS.
Missions and achievements[]
- The unit conducted numerous civil military missions in which conferences were held throughout the province and missions up to Khanaquin, near the border of Iraq, first city in from Iran on FOB Cobra which was handed over to the Iraqi Army within a few days of completion of the mission.
- All members of the unit were involved in numerous incidents of direct enemy engagements throughout the deployment, from IED blasts to small arms fire. All were awarded the Combat Action badge or Combat Infantryman Badge.
- Events that occurred sometime in January 2007, members of the units were awarded Army Commendation Medals w/ Valor for their actions upon contact with enemy forces, over 20 miles from a coalition base. This engagement left a number of supporting unit members in critical condition, and killed the current Commander of TF402, MAJ Alan R. Johnson.
- Ambassador Khalilzad, while visiting the local Civil Affairs company, presented members of TF402 with coins on behalf of the President George W. Bush of the United States.Embassy Link
- One member of the unit had survived the attack on the World Trade Center on 11 SEP 2001, only to be recalled for this mission due to his financial skills.[1]
Post deployment[]
| U.S. badges, patches and tabs | |
|
Combat Action Badge |
| File:Usacapoc.gif | USACAPOC (Airborne) Patch
worn as the unit of assignment during its deployment. |
|
Multi-National Force — Iraq Patch
worn as a Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (US Army)-Former War Time Service (SSI-FWTS). |
|
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Patch
worn as a Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (US Army)-Former War Time Service (SSI-FWTS). |
|
4th Infantry Division
worn as a Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (US Army)-Former War Time Service (SSI-FWTS). |
|
1st Cavalry Division
worn as a Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (US Army)-Former War Time Service (SSI-FWTS). |
|
25th Infantry Division
worn as a Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (US Army)-Former War Time Service (SSI-FWTS) for certain members. |
