The West Wing

20-Man Perimeter Force

Special Operations Perimeter Security in Hostage Extraction

Description

Admiral Fitzwallace assigns the 20-man perimeter force to forcibly secure the barracks perimeter via Comanche helicopters and Blackhawk, enabling a six-man snatch team to extract hostages. President Bartlet greenlights the op in the Situation Room—47 minutes from order to execution—shifting U.S. posture to direct action. Officers mobilize post-brief.

Event Involvements

Events with structured involvement data

1 events
S4E17 · Red Haven's On Fire
Order Given: Task Force Dawn Sky Deploys

The 20-man perimeter force is described as the insertion element that will forcibly secure the barracks perimeter, enabling the snatch team to operate — functionally crucial to isolating the objective and protecting extraction routes.

Active Representation

Presented in Fitzwallace's spoken asset list; implicitly embodied by the Blackhawk and Comanche insertion plan.

Power Dynamics

Tactical executor of the operation's protective layer; subordinate to joint command but decisive in battlefield control.

Institutional Impact

Serves as the mechanistic means by which policy is enforced on the ground, translating command decisions into tactical control.

Internal Dynamics

Operates under strict timing and coordination requirements; relies on precise synchronization with aerial and snatch elements.

Organizational Goals
Establish and hold a secure perimeter around the target. Suppress external resistance to permit the snatch team's ingress and egress.
Influence Mechanisms
Firepower and manpower projection via helicopter insertion. Coordination with snatch team and overwatch elements to control the ground.