Operation Eagle Claw

Operation EAGLE CLAW was a failed U.S. hostage rescue, by military special operations forces, to recover U.S. personnel taken hostage at the U.S. embassy in Teheran, Iran on November 4, 1979. While the plan was high-risk, it is still regarded to have been feasible; the greatest problems was that the ad hoc task force assigned the mission was inadequately equipped and trained, suffered from interservice politics, and was conducted under such tight operational security that the security kept personnel from receiving information they needed to know.

After-action review led to the formation of the United States Special Operations Command, and, within USSOC, the standing 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR).