Special Forces soldiers drop plan to ‘infiltrate’ Utah

Army Special Forces soldiers will not "infiltrate" Utah communities this summer — a plan that had riled residents suspicious of the government’s motives.

Green Berets had planned to parachute into several central Utah counties, cross mountains and work with Utahns who would be playing roles as resisters to an enemy regime.

The Defense Department wants the soldiers to have fresh training in skills at the heart of Special Forces’ mission, such as covertly cultivating relationships with regular citizens and training resistance forces trying to liberate themselves from oppressive governments, said Col. Robert Dunton, a special projects officer for the Utah National Guard who was helping organize the exercise.

Unconventional : The Defense Department had selected a central Utah community to participate in a training exercise for Army Special Forces soldiers

Setting: The town of Manti, Utah was deemed an ideal location because of the desert landscape and the strong religious conviction on its residents.

 The Special Operations Command has designated Utah, with its desert and mountain geography as well as a culture dominated by a religious faith, as a good place for such training.

"Every place we go [to train] is a different culture… a different mentality throws them off and requires [soldiers] to adapt," said Staff Sgt. Ryan Sabin, a spokesman for the 10th Special Forces.

But budget tightening and other factors have put the kibosh on the training.

Paul Weddle, a retired Green Beret contracted to help the Army set up the exercise in Sanpete, Sevier, Emery and Carbon counties, said he got news late Thursday it has been canceled.

The news was welcomed by some who had resisted the exercise.

"I’m relieved," said Alan Braithwaite of Manti. "I like to see them get trained; I just didn’t want them coming here and scaring people and that’s what it was doing."

Braithwaite was the leader of a sizable group that protested Manti’s welcoming of the Special Forces exercise last fall. Fifteen people spoke at a Manti City Council meeting the day after President Barack Obama was re-elected, urging the council to rescind the welcome.