CIA-trained Ukrainian paramilitaries may take central role if Russia invades

While the covert program, run by paramilitaries working for the CIA’s Ground Branch* — now officially known as Ground Department — was established by the Obama administration after Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014, and expanded under the Trump administration, the Biden administration has further augmented it, said a former senior intelligence official in touch with colleagues in government.

Previously:

The CIA has backed Ukrainian insurgents before. Let’s learn from those mistakes + Project Aerodynamic

*Ground Branch: The CIA’s covert alternative to special operations

Ground Branch is a part of the CIA’s Special Activities Division**, which also includes Air Branch and Maritime Branch. As the author noted, GB paramilitary officers are primarily recruited from the special operations community. At one point known as a sort of good-old-boys network, Ground Branch was once heavily represented by former Marines. Later, GB became heavy with retired Delta Force sergeant majors. These days, things are a bit different, with the CIA preferring to contract younger former sergeants out of Army Special Forces who they can raise up through the ranks of the agency over a longer period of time.

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GB has been very active in both Afghanistan and Iraq during the Global War on Terror, but their actions are rarely reported by the press. Even less known is the role that GB played in the Libyan Civil War, when Gaddafi was overthrown after President Obama signed an executive action authorizing clandestine support to rebel factions. Today, GB officers are active in northern Syria with the Kurdish YPG militia, where they provide tactical support in the war against ISIS.

**CIA Special Activities Division (SAD): 12 Things You Never Knew

There are two separate groups that now operate under the CIA:

1. SAD/SOG: The elite unit was established for tactical paramilitary operations.

2. SAD/PAG: The separate group is used for covert political action.

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In addition, its believed that Political Action Group members clandestinely organize various government protests and demonstrations in hostile nations.