Military Trained for Police Ops A retired colonel charges that the U.S. military's elite units are being trained in civilian areas in America to take over the role of domestic police. Exclusive to The SPOTLIGHT

By Mike Blair A high-ranking retired Special Opera tions Command officer told The SPOTLIGHT that elite military units have been undertaking urban warfare maneuvers in cities and towns across the United States in preparation for assuming the duties of U.S. law enforcement. The retired colonel confirmed for the first time that the mysterious training engaged in by U.S. Army Special Forces and Delta Force, Navy Seals, Marines Force Recon and U.S. Air Force Air Commandos is intended for domestic operations. Use of U.S. troops to enforce civilian law is a gross violation of the Posse Comi tatus Act, legislation passed during the Rutherford B. Hayes administration prohibiting the U.S. military from engaging in domestic law enforcement, and the Constitution. The officer, a retired colonel, told The SPOTLIGHT that the Pentagon has been purposely misleading the public by explaining that these exercises are urban warfare training to prepare American elite troops for missions in foreign lands, such as hostage rescue operations at a be sieged U.S. embassy or other U.S. interest centers. The colonel said, however, the fact is the troops are primarily training for po lice-type activities, particularly in the United States. Two units have been heavily involved in the training: the Army's Delta Force and the Night Stalkers, the latter group being a unit of highly-trained helicopter pilots, who ferry the Delta Force troopers into action and have been responsible for flying low, at almost tree-top or roof-top level, over civilian areas. The colonel, who spoke with The SPOTLIGHT on the condition of anony mity, has been supported in his revelations by disclosures to the Internet web site, World Net Daily, by former Night Stalker, Captain Jeff Norgrove. "These aren't really military exercises," Norgrove said. "They are SWAT training. The Army will never admit that to you, but that's what it is.'' Last year, Delta Force and the Night Stalkers were involved in a controversial exercise in Kingsville, Tex., where the SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) troops used live ammunition and explosives to conduct their training. Special Operations Command officials at Fort Bragg, N.C., insist that only "training ammunition" was used during the exercise in Kingsville and other American communities. A number of retired military officers have come forward to insist that Army claims of the use of only training ammunition are untrue. "They really think we're so stupid that we can't figure this out," Norgrove said. Most of the Night Stalkers and the Delta Force troops, according to Norgrove and the retired colonel, are young and not fully aware of what is going on. "They just do what they are told," Nor grove explained. "It's exciting and the pay is very good." The colonel told The SPOTLIGHT that the young Delta Force soldiers and Night Stalkers involved in the activities are heavily indoctrinated. "They would not have any hesitation to shoot at their fellow Americans if they were ordered to do so and felt that it was the right thing to do under a given circumstance," the colonel said. "They are part of what the military refers to as 'the warrior class' and they are tasked to take out the enemy, and that could mean to them, under the right circumstances, either foreigners or their own countrymen," the former Special Operations officer explained. While the FAA regulations require air craft to fly well above the tops of houses and buildings, the Night Stalk ers are criss-crossing American cities and towns at extremely low levels, many contend, endangering the civilian population. In Kingsville, as an example, a helicopter struck the top of a telephone pole, causing a fire near a home. The Delta Force and Night Stalkers do not even wear standard military uniforms. Instead, just like any SWAT team, they are garbed in black uniforms, complete with black helmets and face shields. They also wear bulletproof body armor and are usually discharged from the Night Stalkers' helicopters wielding Ger man-made Hechler and Koch 9-mm machine guns. The maneuvers are always conducted at night. The helicopters are painted dark with a special paint that has a sandpaper texture, appears black and enables the aircraft to avoid radar. They are flown without lights by Night Stalker pilots utilizing night vision goggles. The helicopters bear no markings that can be seen in the darkness. The special paint is obviously responsible for stories about and sightings of "black helicopters," which have long been pooh-poohed by the Pentagon as the hallucinations of "right-wing nuts."