Army Green Berets secretly deployed to help Saudi Arabia find and destroy Yemeni ballistic missile launchers.

Saudi Men inspect the damage done to a house in Riyadh by a ballistic missile. New York Times/Reuters.

Army Green Berets have been secretly deployed to help Saudi Arabia find and destroy Yemeni ballistic missile launchers operated by the Houthi rebels. New York Times. Officially, the US has only had an advisory role in the war in Yemen with help being limited to intelligence sharing and logistical support. However, a small unit of Green Berets are helping the Saudis destroy the Houthi's ballistic missiles. These troops have not crossed into Yemen but have been deployed to the border of the country. Since 2015 the Houthis have launched over 100 ballistic missiles and it was the December strike on Riyahd that spurred the deployment. 

My Comment:

Something about this New York Times report doesn't pass the smell test with me. I'm not sure if it's an error on their part or on their sources or an error on my end, but I don't really understand why the Green Berets would be the ones deployed to Saudi Arabia in a ballistic missile hunt. 

Why? For one thing that's not the Green Beret's role. They are mostly a training force but they are certainly capable of a SCUD hunt. But they would need to cross the border into Yemen to do so. I don't see how they can accomplish that goal if they are just sitting on the border. They could be training the Saudi military but I don't really think that seems like a role for the Green Berets. Other members of Special Forces, specifically Delta, have way more experience with hunting ballistic missile launchers as that was a key role they played during Desert Storm. 

So what does that tell me? Something may be wrong with that New York Times report. The first possibility is that it really isn't the Green Berets. Like I said, Delta Force is the one with experience finding and destroying ballistic missiles so they could be in that role again. 

The second possibility is that the Green Berets are doing cross border operations. That would be a major escalation and a bigger justification for this story, but I also think that it's unlikely that President Trump would want to risk any troops in Yemen. 

The third possibility is that the Green Berets are actually in their traditional role of counter insurgency and training. As big as the ballistic missile threat is, the Saudis also have to be worried about more conventional attacks as the Houthis have launched some cross border raids that have bloodied their noses. They might want the Green Berets to help out with that threat 

Finally, there is a possibility that the story is right and the Green Berets have more skills in that area than I was aware of. That's always an option as I am no expert on the US special forces. It's probably the most likely option but even so, this story has me on edge. 

As for the deployment, whoever is there and whatever they are doing, is it justified? I think so, if you buy the ballistic missile hunt theory. Saudi Arabia is a major ally in the region and they have been doing much better as far as relations are concerned. They have been helping with ISIS and the Syrian civil war and their government is moving in a more moderate direction. The war in Yemen isn't exactly a great thing but they have been much better allies then they have been in the past. 

Plus, the ballistic missile threat is real. Iran seems to be using Yemen both as a proxy war with Saudi Arabia and as a playground to test their new missiles. Taking out those missiles before they get launched is a priority, especially when you consider that that the Iranians may use what they learn to create a delivery system for nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. Since our troops are small in number and in an advisory role, I think it is worth it. 

That being said, I don't envy the mission. Hunting mobile ballistic missile launchers is no small task. The mobility of those launchers isn't to be understated and it makes it extremely difficult to destroy them. As I mentioned before the SCUD hunts of the 1st Iraq war more often than not failed and I am guessing the Saudis will have the same experience, even though our surveillance capabilities has increased greatly since the early 1990's. Even with the help with the Green Berets, they have their work cut out for them.