DELTA –
This is a joint service special operations force. It first came into existence to address the failed hostage mission: EAGLE CLAW. These are elite soldiers, and they have seen combat in places most of us have never heard of.

Desert One –
Designated assembly area for Navy, Air Force and DELTA soldiers inside Iran. This was where Operation EAGLE CLAW fell apart and 8 American soldiers lost their lives in the aborted hostage rescue attempt. Personally, I believe that had the doctrine of overwhelming force been applied, we would recognize EAGLE CLAW as a success and Jimmy Carter might have retained the presidency.

DGI –
General Intelligence Directorate (DGI) is Cuba’s intelligence service. During the Cold War, the DGI was effectively a KGB client. Today they continue to foment trouble. There is some speculation that the West Nile Fever, which sprouted spontaneously in the United States and Israel might have been precursor to a more serious biological attack. It would be bad news if Saddam and Castro are in cahoots.

DIA -
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is a Department of Defense combat support agency, providing military intelligence to warfighters, defense policymakers and force planners, in the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community, in support of U.S. military planning and operations and weapon systems acquisition.

Diego Garcia –
This is a strategic group of small islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean. They are a British protectorate and fundamentally a stationary aircraft carrier. It served as a staging area for B-52 raids during Gulf War 1.

Dong Feng 15 –
Short-range ballistic missile designed to deliver conventional or unconventional payloads.

Range: 200 – 600 kilometers

Payload: 500 kilograms

CEP: 280 meters

Dong Feng 21 –
Intermediate range ballistic missile designed to deliver conventional and unconventional payloads.

Range: 1800 kilometers

Payload: 600 kilograms

CEP: 300 – 400 meters

Dong Feng translates to East Wind. Current estimates place Chinese production at 300 missiles by the end of 2004. The placement of such weapons inside the Panama Canal Zone would create a national security threat on par with the introduction of Soviet missiles into Cuba. This is the weapon depicted in Reap the Whirlwind.

DRAM –
Dynamic Random Access Memory is a basic form of computer memory.

DSCS -
Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) satellites are super high-frequency systems capable of providing worldwide secure voice and data transmission. Operated by Air Force Space Commands 50th Space Wing, they provide an important part of the comprehensive plan to meet military communication needs.

DSP –
The Defense Support Satellites (DSP) comprise a constellation of 23 or 24 satellites and employ various sensors to detect ballistic missile launch and nuclear detonations (NUDET). This is the technology that detects the NUDET in Blood Covenant.

DSRV -
Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles (DSRV) perform rescue operations on submerged, disabled submarines of the U.S. Navy or foreign navies. DSRVs are designed for quick deployment in the event of a submarine accident. DSRVs are transportable by truck, aircraft, ship, or by specially configured attack submarine.

Displacement: 38 tons.

Maximum Speed: 4 knots.

Maximum Depth: 5000 feet

DST -
Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire is France’s intelligence service.

Douglas De Bono / DouglasDeBono.Com Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota E-Mail readermail@DouglasDeBono.Com