Green Light teams were United States special forces units that operated during the Cold War. Their mission was delivering man-portable Special Atomic Demolition Munitions (SADMs) behind enemy lines in case of a nuclear exchange. They trained to covertly deliver these tactical nuclear weapons by air, land, and sea, and ensure the detonation of the payload. These teams represented a unique intersection of special operations and nuclear warfare. The nature of such missions put these special operators at extremely high risk.
The programme became public in 1984. The US eventually fully took it down by 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent dissolution of the Soviet Union. An estimated 300 SADMs were in circulation between 1964 and 1988. [source]
Images Sourced From: US Army, Glen George,
1 History
In the 1950s, the Soviet Union’s military capabilities exceeded those of the United States and its NATO allies. People around the globe feared that the Cold War was on the brink of “turning hot,” and lived in fear of a widespread nuclear conflict.
US and Soviet Union leaders, however, imagined military scenarios with limited use of nuclear devices on tactical levels. This fostered the development of portable nuclear weapons.
The US developed the first man-portable SADM, the B-54, in the 1960s. Weighing approximately 26.5 KG (58.5 pounds), and measuring 45cm (18 inch) in height, the B-54 was designed for quick deployment and portability. The size allowed it to fit into a large rucksack. Target areas for “backpack nukes” were in Eastern Europe, Iran, and North Korea. The devices were pre-positioned in countries adjacent to their targets for quick forward deployment. [source]
Green Light teams consisted of specially selected soldiers from various branches of the military, including Army Special Forces, Navy SEALs, and the Marine Corps. As such, they already had special forces training. [source, source]
SADMs were designed as tactical weapons and as such had a smaller explosive power compared to strategic nuclear bombs, like the one dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. SADMs were modified to different “strengths,” but most data suggests a common explosive yield of 1 kiloton of TNT. In comparison, the Hiroshima bomb, known as “Little Boy,” had an explosive yield equivalent to about 15 kilotons of TNT. Fortunately, SADMs never saw combat use the Green Light Teams program was abandoned by the end of the Cold War. [source, source]
After the program became public, some NATO members, such as Germany, pressured the United States to remove the devices from their soil. [source]
In 1997, reports indicated that the Soviet Union possessed similar portable “suitcase nukes.” [source]
2 Mission set
The primary mission of Green Light Teams was to use SADMs against enemy targets behind the front lines in case of an armed conflict. This included supply lines, communication centers, tunnels, bridges, mountain passes, dams, canals, ports, railroad hubs, and oil facilities across the Warsaw Pact, North Korea, and later Iran. The goal was to slow the advances of enemy forces. [source, source]
Military planners envisioned the use of SADMs within a strategic scenario in which a limited nuclear exchange could occur amid larger conventional combat operations. By employing tactical nuclear weapons, the US hoped to have a response that would prevent a full-scale nuclear war or other significant conventional military escalations. The impetus behind such planning was a perceived need for a quick, but strong response against any Soviet aggression. It allowed for more flexibility in military responses, adding a “third option” to a potential defeat against a superior force or a (potentially suicidal) nuclear exchange. [source, source]
US nuclear doctrine prescribed that no single individual can have means to employ a nuclear weapon on their own. Thus, teams consisted of at least two. The detonation code was split between the two Green Light operators, with both parts needed to start the countdown. [source]
In case of capture by enemy forces, Green Light Teams were prepared to destroy the SADM with conventional explosives. This would prevent a detonation at the cost of scattering nuclear waste, not unlike a radiological dispersion device. [source]
3 Training
The training of Green Light Teams was a highly specialized and intense process. It was designed to prepare soldiers for the unique challenges of deploying SADMs. Recruits underwent rigorous selection and training over the course of a week at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. It included eight to twelve hours of classroom and field training daily with a focus on nuclear safety protocols, mission planning, and device handling. They also engaged in exercises that simulated real-world scenarios for insertion – scuba diving, kayaking, parachuting, land navigation, and skiing. Team members carried dummy SADMs that were identical to real ones (minus the nuclear material) during training in diverse terrains. [source, source, source]
Additionally, training included disguising and burying the SADM to make detection more difficult. Disguises could look like beer kegs, trash cans, or mailboxes. Some operators received language training and trained to dress like ordinary citizens of a target country to blend in. Training was done in pairs, but deployment teams ranged between six and ten operators. [source]
After their training, operators were subject to regular follow-up training and evaluations to maintain their fitness in handling nuclear weapons. [source]
3.1 Operational Challenges
Despite their intensive training, Green Light operators would face tremendous risks and challenges, if ever deployed. The most significant risk related to carrying nuclear weapons into hostile territory without support of friendly forces. Their only support were weapons and supplies hidden across Eastern Europe and marked on special maps. [source, source, source]
During training, instructors told that operators have about 30 minutes to leave the blast radius. However, many team members expressed skepticism about their chances of survival if discovered or if their mission failed. SADMs were equipped with mechanical timers, which became less accurate the longer they were set for. They could potentially detonate up to eight minutes early or up to 13 minutes late. Operators were often expected to protect the charged device from detection, which necessarily involved some operators to remain in closer proximity. In the event of a detonation, beyond the damage caused by the blast, casualties were predicted to be high due to radioactive fallout. Also, mission scenarios were to operate without support from friendly forces and command structures. Hence, many operators viewed their operations as “suicide missions”. [source, source, source]
4 Conclusion
Although Green Light Teams never deployed on real combat missions, their existence provides a unique perspective on a time when all military options were on the table. They showcase the unique lengths to which the US military was willing to go to prepare for a potential large-scale conflict.
The establishment of these special teams to carry tactical nuclear weapons converges the realms of special operations and nuclear warfare. Their high-level readiness marked the level of military and political tension present during the Cold War and by the threat posed by nuclear weapons.
While modern delivery systems make human “couriers” largely obsolete, the looming threat of tactical nuclear weapons remains real as they lower the threshold of nuclear weapon use without the fear of mutually assured destruction. Both the US and Russia deploy their tactical weapons abroad, in Europe, but other countries–such as Pakistan–base their tactical devices within their own borders and continue to develop such delivery systems for use against nearby threats. [source]
5 Additional resources
- Declassified training film released by the Sandia National Lab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zBhtFFkUDI&t
- SADM Delivery By Parachutist/Swimmer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zBhtFFkUDI&t=33s
