About SFG-MAKO
Defense Intelligence Agency • Directorate for Mission Services
Defense Intelligence Agency • Directorate for Mission Services
Special Forces Group - MAKO
UNUS PRO OMNI
OFFICIAL NAME
DIA Special Forces Group - MAKO
OFFICIAL DENONYM
Marine Airborne Combat Operator
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
United States of America (USA)
BRANCH
U.S. Army Special Operations
DIA Directorate for Mission Services
ROLE
Special Operations, reconnaissance, clandestine action, HUMINT support, unconventional paramilitary warfare, foreign internal defense, high intensity direct action combat, counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism, special reconnaissance, information operations, counterproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and security force assistance.
The DIA Special Forces Group - MAKO (SFG-MAKO) is a paramilitary intelligence group that falls under the umbrella of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and the Department of Defense (DoD).
It is composed of both American and American-allied military personnel, many of whom are former highly skilled special operations personnel. MAKO conducts missions worldwide.
Its operatives are trained in unconventional paramilitary warfare, foreign internal defense, high-intensity direct-action combat, counterinsurgency and counterterrorism, special reconnaissance, information and HUMINT operations, counterproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, security force assistance, and a plethora of other possible missions.
UNIT TIMELINE
MAKO's lineage traces back to the 1st Observation Detachment of the 82nd Airborne Division, 504th Infantry Regiment. During Operation Husky in Sicily, the unit landed at Marina di Acate where they famously fought off sharks in the water, fashioning necklaces from shark teeth. This earned them the nickname "Marina Makos".
Reorganized into an unconventional role, the unit conducted sabotage, infiltration, and deep reconnaissance in China and North Korea, operating beyond traditional command structures.
When the Defense Intelligence Agency was established, the unit received its official name "MAKO" (Marine Airborne Combat Operations). Nicknamed "McNamara's MAKOs" after Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.
SFG-MAKO performed politically sensitive operations throughout the globe - conducting clandestine reconnaissance and counter-insurgency missions.
After the Cold War, MAKO shifted focus to narcotics and counter-terrorism, operating in the Middle East, Africa, East Asia, and Latin America while maintaining capacity for deniable operations.
UNIT DESIGNATIONS
Known By Many Names
WWII - Sicily 1943
Marina Makos
The unit's earliest nickname, earned from their first combat jump when they fought off sharks at Marina di Acate.
WWII
Observers
Retained from the Second World War, referring to their founding unit's original designation as the 1st Observation Detachment.
Cold War 1961
McNamara's MAKOs
Early Cold War nickname referencing Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, who supported the unit's formalization under the DIA.
Modern Era
The Red Berets
Named for the unit's ceremonial headpiece, paralleling their connection to the Army Green Berets.