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Direct action (DA) is a term used in the context of militaryspecial operations for small-scaleraids,ambushes, acts ofsabotage, and similar actions.
TheUS Department of Defense defines direct action as "short-duration strikes and other small-scale offensive actions conducted as a special operation in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments and which employ specialized military capabilities to seize, destroy, capture, exploit, recover, or damage designated targets." Direct action differs from conventional offensive actions in the level of physical and political risk, operational techniques, and the degree of discriminate and precise use of force to achieve specific objectives.[1]
TheUS military and many of its allies consider DA one of the basic special operations missions. Some units specialize in it, such as theNavy SEALs and75th Ranger Regiment, and other units, such asUS Army Special Forces, have DA capabilities but focus more on other operations.[2]