The Special Forces (a.k.a. "Green Beret") Pages

What is "Special Forces?"

The term "Special Forces" refers specifically to the US Army Green Berets. There is no short answer for what that means exactly...so read on if you are interested to know. For those of you who are here eavesdropping, know that I have been very cautious to limit my explanations to the things you could find in "open sources," and I have made the PAO at ___________ aware of this page.

Is the Term "Special Forces" Synonymous with "Airborne Ranger," or "Navy Seal?"

No. The term "Special Forces"  - or "SF" - is often misconstrued in movies and elsewhere to mean any "elite" military force. But when a movie uses the term "Special Forces" to describe any elite unit or soldier, the connotation is more or less correct - but the terminology often is not. The term "Special Forces" itself refers specifically to the US Army's "Green Berets - a term that is obviously derived from SF headgear, and popularized in the Vietnam era John Wayne movie "The Green Berets."

If you would like to know the category for other elite forces, they fall under the moniker "SOF" - for "Special Operations Forces," and this is more than just a semantic distinction. A SOF (pronounced "soff") unit (like the Navy SEALs or the Army's Airborne Rangers, for example) is made up of operators with highly extensive tactical training, but not necessarily Unconventional or Partisan training. Their high level of training, of course, leads to a level of combat effectiveness far beyond that of a conventional unit of similar size. But only troops that are trained in "Unconventional," a.k.a. "Partisan," warfare are true "Force Multipliers." That is what makes them valuable to the militaries that have them, and that Unconventional focus is the unique-to-SOF mission of the US Army's Special Forces.

US Army Special Forces - Unique in Training, Purpose and Culture

Beyond Going Commando: Despite all the comparisons about which people like to speculate, comparing SEALs or anyone else to US Army SF is an apples-and-oranges proposition. Other elite units are certainly deserving of their reputations, but there is simply no comparable training anywhere in the world to what an Army SF soldier (Green Beret) undergoes. While there are many units that are similarly trained for various commando missions, no one but SF has the ability to work with, train, and enhance the capabilities of foreign militaries; and is focused on working with other cultures the way SF is. An SF soldier has a finely honed cross-cultural training; is trained in counter-insurgency (COIN); foreign languages; diplomacy; nation-building; guerrilla / partisan warfare; and much more.

What it Means to be a Force Multiplier Because of their unique training, US Army Special Forces are much more than just door kickers. They are a "force multiplier" that makes each operator exponentially valuable to higher command. For an example of what I mean, consider that the entire country of Afghanistan was wrested from the Taliban in 2001 by a mere 300 SF personnel and in only twenty-five days! That was accomplished because the teams were allowed to operate the way they are meant to. SF went in and were able to work with, organize, and train the existing Afghan resistance fighters like the members of the highly factionalized Northern Alliance. With the help and side-by-side mission participation of their SF advisors, these forces became more coherent and effective. Not since the OSS inserted the original team of Jedburghs into German occupied France during World War Two had SF been used so well and according to their unique purpose - and to such great effect. By the time the Marines got to Kandahar Airport, the country had already been secured - although the political climate that followed turned back many of the original gains the first teams made in Afghanistan.

More About Afghanistan and the Roots of SF: For an account of the initial invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, read Robin Moore's book "Hunting bin Laden." Mr. Moore is still the only civilian ever to have gone through the SF Qual Course. He is also the author of "The French Connection" that was made into a hit movie; and is still a regular with the teams at Ft. Bragg bars. For a first hand account of the OSS and how it grew to be father to SF and the CIA, read Colonel Aaron Bank's book, "From OSS to Green Beret."  Colonel Bank only passed away last year (2006) and was over 100 years old when he foiled with his bare hands a mugging on his person against two men at an ATM! The Special Operations Academic Facility at Ft. Bragg is named for him, and he is known as "The Father of Special Forces." 

As a culture, SF operators have always been known as "The Quiet Professionals" because barking orders; "standard-issue" haircuts; and loud displays of bravado are conspicuously absent. This makes SF that much more qualified to blend into any environment. SF operators have the unique ability to work either alone or in a team; and are even more comfortable in a business suit in a cosmopolitan city - or in a pair of cargo pants moving through an airport - than they are in uniform.

All in the Same House:

Joint Forces: US Army Special Forces (Green Berets) are a part of America's SOF arsenal - along with the Navy SEALs; Marine Recon; Air Force Para Jumpers; and a contingent of supportive elements like Special Aviation, Psychological Operations, and Civil Affairs. All branches of American SOF - whether from the Navy, Air Force, Army, or Marines - now fall under a unified (called a "Joint") command. Thus, it is possible that a Navy SEAL team will be taking "higher" orders from an Army general if the Army is the leadership in the rotation cycle at that time.

Combined Forces: The structure of our work with Coalition partners means that Special Operations Forces in training and on deployments regularly incorporate foreign units like the British SAS and many others into the training cycle or command structure. This is called a "Combined" Command - when it is multi national.

Combined Joint Task Forces: In a combat theater these days, Special Operations Forces are under a command called the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - or CJSOTF (pronounced "see-ja-sote-if"). At the CJSOTF, you will see New Zealanders, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Norwegian, and Special OPs folks from other countries too; as well as Navy SEALs, Special Forces, and many others. All forces in theater are accountable to the same commander.

What is the Special Forces Training Like?

Trainees for Special Forces are already the most experienced members of the Army before they begin the SF Qualification Course ("Q Course")...which takes 1.5 to 2.5 years to complete. Although it still changes a lot, the gist is that it is done in phases that go something like this:

• Selection: A three week physical and mental "gut check" that's meant to weed out the weak. Highlights include lots of classroom testing; the military's best land navigation course; over three hundred miles of carrying a heavy pack; and five days of grueling team events before the final "Bataan Death March." After all this, many who made it to the end of Selection still are not selected - after a close scrutiny of their performance.

• Small Unit Tactics: Seven weeks of Infantry and Ranger Tactics; Special Forces Tactics; exposure to the elements during hundreds of team patrols; graded patrols and missions; Airborne Operations; and Firing Ranges

• POW Training: I won't talk about this here, but it makes all the fuss about Abu Graib seem like quibbling over college fraternity pranks. Survival training and a escape / evasion exercise are also highlights. Wish I could say more about this one, because it's fascinating.

• Job Skill Training:  Job skill qualification in the Army is known as "M.O.S. Training." Meaning "Military Operational Specialty." In the Q Course, all but the medic MOS phases of training take about three months, in one of four Primary MOS's that are unique to Army Special Forces. NCO SF trainees are trained to operate as either an SF Weapons Specialist; an SF Engineer / Demo Man; an SF Medic; or an SF Communications Sergeant. Officers are trained as SF Team Leaders, and as a part of their training get a sampling of each of the NCO job training tracks.

I said "SF" in each description, because the SF training for each MOS goes far beyond what comparably trained soldiers in the rest of the Army receive. An SF Medic, for example, is not just an Army medic. He is better trained than most doctors - once you get outside the First World. For a trainee SF Medic, just the MOS phase of the Q Course takes a year or more to complete (if you are a rare "first time go" at every part of the training) and when they are done they are able to operate (legally ONLY in the combat environment) as a clinician, veterinarian, pharmacist, trauma care operative, and even a field expedient surgeon!

• Language Training: Four to six months in a language that is specific to your Group's Area of Operations. SF is highly specialized with each Group covering its "beat" in different regions of the world. Operators learn everything from Spanish and French to Arabic, Tagalog, and Mandarin. The training is referred to as "drinking from the fire hose," as it is common for trainees to learn one hundred new vocabulary words a day - even in Arabic!

• Phase Four: I will not name or elaborate much on this phase here, as the curriculum and the location are sensitive. Suffice it to say that this is the final exam where trainees "put it all together" and are placed on a team in a realistic environment and evaluated. Many trainees are still booted during this final phase, told after one or two years of SF training that they are not what SF is looking for.

Statistically, even AFTER a trainee has been selected (remember the first three weeks), he has a one in four chance of becoming fully SF qualified.

Furthermore, there are a couple of additional phases that are available to soldiers who need extra work in certain areas - making the training even longer. Typically, the men who go to these courses are soldiers who were in a "soft" or "non combat arms" MOS before volunteering for SF training. I knew one guy who came from the Army Band!

• Continuing Training: Despite the length of the "Q Course," and the experience level of those who enter that training, the completion of the Q Course is just the beginning for a Green Beret. New graduates are treated as "cherries" when they get to their first team. Young ones may not even be allowed in the team room until they have proven themselves. Now comes a barrage of so called "cool schools" that are only available to SOF forces. Schools that focus on shooting; driving; combat SCUBA; skydiving from outrageous altitudes; advanced operations and intelligence; cross cultural training; VIP personal protection; and a few additional MOS's that are available to senior SF operators. Many other schools cannot be discussed here. Some of the best SF operators may decide to take "The Long Walk" and go train with still "other folks" who cannot even be named here. 

What is Life Like in a Special Forces Unit?

How Do I Get Into Special Forces?

Most Special Forces units have their own recruiters. But you can go through any Army recruiter. If you are not prior service, ask to join the "18 X-Ray" or the "Rep 63" Program. If your test scores are high enough, you can probably get a slot and try out to be a Green Beret

Resources

Physical Conditioning for Special Forces

The Ballad of the Green Beret: Sung by Barry Sadler - the Original Performance on the Ed Sullivan Show

My Special Forces Gallery

Books

SOAF Library Reading List

From OSS to Green Beret

Five Years to Freedom

The Commandos

He Who Dares

Masters of Chaos

The Hunt for Bin Laden

Movies

The Green Berets

The Peacemaker

Links

SF Recruiting Command

Special Forces Association

SWC