'Crimson Shadows' and Real Black Ops: How the CIA Fights Wars You'll Never Hear About

 

When CIA operatives and SAC commandos converge, it’s silent strikes, zero mercy, and no proof they were ever there

You’ve probably never heard of them—and that’s the point. When diplomatic options collapse and sending in the military would spark an international crisis, the CIA turns to the quiet professionals who don’t exist on paper: their field operatives and the lethal paramilitary commandos of the Special Activities Center, known as SAC.

     These aren’t ordinary soldiers or agents. Ground Branch operators—often drawn from elite units like SEAL Team 6, Delta Force, and Marine Raiders—are trained for one thing: to go where the U.S. government won’t admit it goes and do what it won’t admit it did. They blend in, disappear, and leave no trace except a stopped threat and a clean exit.

     In my spy thriller Crimson Shadows, CIA spymaster Corey Pearson finds himself in the thick of a covert operation that echoes real-world CIA missions. When rogue Panamanian General Hector Alvarez plots a coup to overthrow his country’s fragile democracy—with backing from Russian oligarch Viktor Orlov and a brutal cartel—Corey is tasked with dismantling a threat that could destabilize the Western Hemisphere.

     The mission is deniable, the stakes are global, and the enemy isn’t just Alvarez—it’s the Kremlin’s playbook unfolding in America’s backyard. Corey and his elite CIA team link up with SAC commandos to move silently through cartel-held jungle terrain, staging recon under the guise of bird researchers and preparing for a daring nighttime raid on a fortified plantation. There’s no room for error. Every move is calculated, every firefight personal.

     This fusion of elite intelligence and special operations reflects the real dynamics between CIA operatives and SAC teams. One of the clearest examples came just weeks after 9/11, when CIA and SAC were the first Americans to enter Afghanistan. Before the U.S. military deployed in force, a small, covert CIA team from the agency’s Special Activities Division (now SAC) landed deep behind enemy lines. They linked up with the Northern Alliance, carried duffel bags stuffed with millions in cash, and began coordinating resistance against the Taliban.

     These few CIA paramilitary officers, riding horseback through mountainous terrain with Afghan warlords, directed airstrikes and relayed real-time intel to Langley. They didn’t just pave the way for the war—they shaped it. Without them, the Northern Alliance would never have pushed back so quickly. That mission set the tone for the post-9/11 intelligence battlefield: small, smart, and surgical.

     Then came Benghazi. On September 11, 2012, when a U.S. diplomatic compound in Libya came under attack, there was no military rescue team standing by. Instead, it was a CIA team—comprised of field operatives and SAC paramilitary officers—who sprang into action. Tyrone “Rone” Woods and Glen “Bub” Doherty, both former Navy SEALs now working under SAC, heard the gunfire, defied orders to stand down, and headed toward the flames. They navigated a city in chaos, pulled survivors from the smoke, and returned fire against waves of attackers for hours.

     When militants turned their mortars on the annex, Rone and Bub held their ground, covering others with their lives. No headlines, no hero’s welcome—just quiet, relentless courage. Their sacrifice reminded the world that when the cavalry can’t come, SAC shows up.

     That same spirit drives Crimson Shadows. Corey Pearson’s mission to stop General Alvarez isn’t just about boots-on-the-ground action—it’s about precision and restraint, knowing one wrong step could ignite a war. When Corey confronts cartel forces training on a plantation funded by the corrupt Russian oligarch Orlov’s millions, he has to call in the SAC team for a synchronized strike.

     The plan unfolds in silence and speed—helicopter insertions under cover of night, explosive entries on cartel safehouses, Russian advisors taken down before they ever see it coming. Corey calls the shots, but SAC executes with ruthless efficiency. The team leaves scorched earth behind—but more importantly, they leave no fingerprints.

     Operations like these are why SAC doesn’t wear uniforms. They wear legends. They operate in the gray zone between diplomacy and war, where things get messy and the mission isn’t always morally clean. They're the embodiment of the CIA’s Third Option—covert action with no press, no parades, and no screwups. The men and women of SAC don’t just breach doors. They change the course of events before most people even realize something was at stake.

     What makes Crimson Shadows more than fiction is how closely it mirrors today’s geopolitical reality. A rogue general in Latin America propped up by a rich Russian oligarch’s wealth and cartel brutality isn’t far-fetched—it’s plausible, even probable. The combination of Russian oligarchs funding destabilization and violent non-state actors executing it is happening in multiple corners of the world. Corey’s mission isn’t just about bullets and betrayal—it’s about sending a message: foreign influence in America’s backyard comes at a price. Taking down Alvarez means dismantling Orlov’s grip and reminding Moscow that the CIA hasn’t forgotten how to play its own game.

     Whether it’s real-world heroes like Woods and Doherty or fictional operatives like Corey Pearson, one truth remains: you’ll never know their names—but you’re safer because of them. The CIA’s covert warriors operate in silence, but their impact echoes loudly across the globe.

    

Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and an accomplished author. He writes the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster Short Story series, blending his knowledge of real-life intelligence operations with gripping fictional storytelling. His work offers readers an insider’s glimpse into the world of espionage, inspired by the complexities and high-stakes realities of the intelligence community.