Joint Task Force Aztec Silence
Encyclopedia
Joint Task Force Aztec Silence is a United States Department of Defense
task force
conducting anti-terrorism operations. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on 1 March 2005, then-United States European Command
commander General James L. Jones
said:
The 'assets' at Sigonella are a rotational squadron of United States Navy
P-3 Orion
s. "In March 2004, P-3 aircraft from this squadron and reportedly operating from the southern Algerian base at Tamanrasset
were deployed to monitor and gather intelligence on the movements of Algerian Salafist guerrillas [the GSPC
, now known as the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb
operating in Chad and to provide this intelligence to Chadian forces engaged in combat against the guerrillas."
Aztec Silence has also involved Special Operations Command, Europe personnel deploying to Algiers
.
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
task force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
conducting anti-terrorism operations. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on 1 March 2005, then-United States European Command
United States European Command
The United States European Command is one of ten Unified Combatant Commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russia, Iceland, Greenland, and Israel...
commander General James L. Jones
James L. Jones
James Logan Jones, Jr. is the former United States National Security Advisor and a retired United States Marine Corps General....
said:
- EUCOM established Joint Task Force AZTEC SILENCE under the Commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet in December 2003 to counter transnational terrorism in the under-governed areas of Northern Africa and to build closer alliances with those governments. In support of this, U.S. Navy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets based in SigonellaNaval Air Station SigonellaNaval Air Station Sigonella , "The Hub of the Med", is a U.S. Navy installation at NATO Base Sigonella and an Italian Air Force base in Sicily, Italy. Although a tenant of the Italian Air Force, NAS Sigonella acts as landlord to more than 40 other U.S. commands and activities. It is located west...
, Sicily were used to collect and share information with partner nations and their militaries. This robust cooperative ISR effort was augmented by the release of intelligence collected by national assets.
The 'assets' at Sigonella are a rotational squadron of United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
P-3 Orion
P-3 Orion
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engine turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner. The aircraft is easily recognizable by its distinctive tail stinger or...
s. "In March 2004, P-3 aircraft from this squadron and reportedly operating from the southern Algerian base at Tamanrasset
Tamanrasset Airport
Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport , also known as Aguenar Airport or Tamanrasset Airport, is an airport serving Tamanrasset, a city in the Tamanrasset Province of southern Algeria...
were deployed to monitor and gather intelligence on the movements of Algerian Salafist guerrillas [the GSPC
GSPC
The acronym GSPC may stand for:* Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat* Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation* Glasgow Solicitors Property Centre* Global Strategy for Plant Conservation* a symbol for the S&P 500...
, now known as the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb
Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb
The Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb, previously known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat is a radical Islamist militia which aims to overthrow the Algerian government and institute an Islamic state. To that end, it is currently engaged in an insurgent campaign.The group...
operating in Chad and to provide this intelligence to Chadian forces engaged in combat against the guerrillas."
Aztec Silence has also involved Special Operations Command, Europe personnel deploying to Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
.
Sources and references
- http://www.algeria-watch.org/fr/article/pol/us/forces_sahara.htm
- Joint Task Force Aztec Silence GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
- http://www.defenselink.mil/transformation/articles/2005-07/ta070805a.html
- Barbara Starr, US backs Chad against extremists, CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, March 11, 2004 - http://www.barry.navy.mil/Site%20Pages/CO.aspx - was J1 of Task Force