Direct Action missions are short duration strikes that are used when Special Forces want to seize, capture, recover or destroy enemy weapons and information or recover designated personnel or material.

In many instances, Green Berets are in and out before the enemy has time to know what hit them. Many of these actions are quick-strike missions, usually involving a raid or ambush of an enemy camp.

Often, Special Forces use Direct Action to remove an enemy who is gaining power and influence in another nation. Other times it is used to protect American nationals or Soldiers being held in foreign countries.

The raid at Son Tay during the Vietnam War typifies a Special Forces Direct Action mission. In November of 1970, a team of Special Forces Soldiers assaulted a North Vietnamese Prisoner of War camp to free 70 American Soldiers who were reportedly being held in inhumane conditions.

Within moments of arriving, U.S. Soldiers discovered the POWs had subsequently been moved to another camp; Son Tay's water well had run dry and a rising river threatened to flood the camp.

While the rescue attempt didn't retrieve the Soldiers, it was still viewed as a success as it sent a clear message to the North Vietnamese that the U.S. Army was coming for its men.