American Philip Locke

Philip Robson Locke was born and raised in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. His father, William Locke, was a coal miner. His mother, Cissie Locke, was a maid. After Locke graduated from high school, he went on to the Virginia Military Institute. He graduated from VMI with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army via Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps. Soon after, Locke married his girlfriend of three years, Rose.

While at VMI, he decided to become an infantry officer. Upon completing the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Locke attended the U.S. Army Airborne School. After airborne training, he went through Ranger orientation training and Ranger School, earning his Ranger Tab. Locke was then assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment as a platoon leader in the 2nd Ranger Battalion. Eventually, he rose to the position of a company commander. A little while later, Locke attended and graduated from the Infantry Officer Advanced Course.

Soon after, he attended the Assessment and Selection Course for the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta. Upon successful completion of the course, Locke went on to the Operator Training Course. Afterwards, he was assigned to Delta Force as an assault troop commander. Locke was later made a squadron commander and then operations officer of Delta Force. After he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, he began attending the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Upon earning a Master of Military Art and Science in Advanced Military Studies, Locke became the deputy commander of Delta Force.

With numerous commendations, he left the Army after twenty years of distinguished service. Locke then moved to Washington, D.C. with his wife, Rose, and son, Anthony. A little while later, he joined the Defense Intelligence Agency as an operations manager in the Defense Clandestine Service. Locke was later given command of highly unconventional anti-terrorist black ops unit within the DIA called Section 20.

So top-secret that it officially doesn't exist, Section 20 is a high-tech tactical operations team that focuses on high-risk, top-priority targets. Directed to attack terrorist threats where they originate, it functions as a highly sophisticated mobile intelligence unit with the capability to move from country to country anywhere in the world, sometimes covertly, sometimes with the agreement of the local government. All of its work is unofficial and "off the books." That allows its small group of operatives to operate independent of the U.S. national security apparatus and therefore disregard various laws and international treaties.

The missions tasked to Section 20 are deniable covert and clandestine operations that would be completely disavowed by the U.S. government if ever made public. They include targeted killings, false-flag actions, enforced disappearances, clandestine insertion and extraction of operatives, and providing secret military assistance to foreign governments in their counterterrorism efforts.

As Section 20's commanding officer, Locke is directly involved in and overseas covert paramilitary direct action and special reconnaissance operations, as well as unilateral espionage operations in which Section 20 personnel assume false identities and go deep undercover in order to identify targeted terrorists, track them to a specific location and capture or kill them as necessary. A clear-thinking and highly-experience special operations veteran, his command of Section 20 brings strategic clout to this paramilitary group. As a chief counterterrorism officer, Lieutenant Colonel Philip Locke has helped save the United States from devastating terrorist attacks on numerous occasions.

Note

 * A British version of this character appears on the UK-US television series Strike Back.