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The United States Army Special Forces —also known by
the nickname Green Berets or simply Special Forces
(capitalized)— is a
Special Operations Force of the
US Army trained for
unconventional warfare and
special operations. The force was founded in
1952by Colonel
Aaron Bank and their official
headgear is the
green beret, thanks to the efforts of an early officer,
Edson Raff.
Motto
Their official motto is De oppresso liber ("To
liberate the oppressed").
Unit Crest
The Green Beret
The Green Beret was originally unauthorized
for wear by the U.S. Army. However, in 1961,
President
John F. Kennedy authorized them for use by
the Special Forces. Preparing for an
October 12 visit to the Special Warfare
Center at
Fort Bragg,
North Carolina, the President sent word to
the center's commander, Brigadier General
William P. Yarborough, for all Special
Forces soldiers to wear the beret as part of the
event. The President felt that since they had a
special mission, Special Forces should have
something to set them apart from the rest. In
1962, he called the Green Beret "a symbol of
excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of
distinction in the fight for freedom." Aside
from the well-recognized beret, Special Forces
Operatives are also known for their more
informal attire than other members of the U.S.
Military.
Organization
U.S. Army Special Forces is
divided into five Active Duty
Special Forces Groups (SFG).
Each Active Duty SFG has a
specific regional focus. The
Special Forces soldiers assigned
to these groups receive
intensive language and cultural
training for countries within
their regional area of
responsibility:
- 1st Special Forces
Group - 1st Battalion
stationed in Okinawa, the
2nd and 3rd Battalions
headquartered at Fort Lewis,
Washington. 1st SFG has
responsibility for the
Pacific.
- 3rd Special Forces
Group - Headquartered at
Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
3rd SFG has responsibility
for all of Africa except for
the eastern Horn of Africa.
- 5th Special Forces
Group - Headquartered at
Fort Campbell, Kentucky. 5th
SFG has responsibility for
the Middle East, Persian
Gulf, Central Asia and the
Horn of Africa (HOA).
- 7th Special Forces
Group - Headquartered at
Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
7th SFG has responsibility
for Latin and Central
America as well as the
Caribbean (along with 20th
SFG).
- 10th Special Forces
Group - 1st Battalion
stationed near Stuttgart,
Germany, and the 2nd and 3rd
Battalions are headquartered
at Fort Carson, Colorado.
10th SFG has responsibility
for Europe, mainly Central
and Eastern, the Balkans,
Turkey, Israel and Lebanon.
- 19th Special Forces
Group - One of the two
National Guard groups for
the Special Forces.
Headquartered in Draper,
Utah, with detachments in
Washington, West Virginia,
Ohio, Rhode Island,
Colorado, California, and
Texas. 19th SFG has
responsibility over
Southeast Asia (shared with
5th SFG), as well as the
Pacific (shared with 1st SFG).
- 20th Special Forces
Group - One of the two
National Guard groups for
the Special Forces.
Headquartered in Birmingham,
Alabama, under Southern
Command, with battalions
from Alabama (1st
Battalion), Mississippi (2nd
Battalion), and Florida (3rd
Battalion), with
detachments in Chicago,
Illinois, Louisville,
Kentucky and Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. 20th SFG has
an area of responsibility
covering 32 countries,
including Latin America
south of Mexico, the waters,
territories, and nations in
the Caribbean sea, the Gulf
of Mexico, and the
southwestern Atlantic Ocean.
The area is shared with 7th
SFG.
History
The Special
Forces was
established out
of several
special
operations units
that were active
during World War
II. Its lineage
comes from the
1st Special
Service Force
(Devil's
Brigade) as well
as from
operational
detachments of
the Office of
Strategic
Services.
Special Forces
Command was
developed out of
the Special
Operations
Division of the
Psychological
Warfare Center
which was
activated in May
1952. June 1952,
with the
creation of the
10th Special
Forces Group (SFG)
under Colonel
Bank, marked the
forces' official
founding. This
coincided with
the
establishment of
the
Psychological
Warfare School,
which is now
known as the
John F. Kennedy
Special Warfare
Center and
School. The 10th
SFG deployed to
Bad Tölz,
Germany the
following
September. The
remaining cadre
at Fort Bragg,
North Carolina
formed the 77th
Special Forces
Group, which in
May 1960 became
7th Special
Forces Group.
Special Forces
were among the
first U.S.
troops committed
to Vietnam.
Beginning in the
early 1950s,
Special Forces
teams deployed
from the United
States and
Okinawa to serve
as advisors for
the fledgling
South Vietnamese
Army. As the
United States
escalated its
involvement in
the war, Special
Forces' mission
expanded as
well. In
addition to
raising,
training, and
advising the
Montagnard
Civilian
Irregular
Defense Group (CIDG)
and numerous
other indigenous
units, Special
Forces also
conducted long
range
reconnaissance
and provided the
majority of
personnel for
the highly
classified
MACV-SOG. The
5th Special
Forces Group
(Airborne)
earned seventeen
Congressional
Medals of Honor
in Vietnam,
making it the
most prominently
decorated unit
for its size in
that conflict.
Training
A completely new recruit to
the
United States Army, who has
signed on for the Special
Forces, starts his (all United
States Special Forces are
currently closed to females. The
training program begins in Fort
Benning,
Georgia. This consists of
basic training and Infantry
training combined in a 14-week
course. After graduation, he
moves to Airborne training,
which lasts for 3 weeks. Upon
graduation from Airborne school
the potential Special Forces
Soldier is next shipped to Fort
Bragg,
North Carolina for Phase I,
Special Forces Assessment &
Selection (SFAS), an evaluation
which lasts twenty four days. If
the potential recruit makes it
past this stage, he usually
returns to his previous unit to
await a class date to begin the
Special Forces Qualification
Course ("Q Course"). Afterwards,
recruits usually attend the
Primary Leadership Development
Course/Basic Non-Commissioned
Officer's Course at Camp Mackall
before officially beginning
Phase II, a five-week block of
instruction in Small Unit
Tactics. In late 2005, three
weeks of SERE training was integrated
into an expanded Phase II
curriculum, and follows
immediately upon successful
completion of the Small Unit
Tactics phase. The recruit then
ships back to Fort Bragg for
Phase III of the Q course, where
he trains within one of five
specialties within Special
Forces, those being: 18A,
Detachment Commander; 18B, SF
Weapons Sergeant; 18C, SF
Engineer Sergeant; 18D, SF
Medical Sergeant; and 18E, SF
Communications Sergeant. 18A-C
and E training courses are 14
weeks long, the 18D training
course is 46 weeks long. Upon
graduation the soldier attends
Robin Sage, a large-scale
unconventional warfare exercise
(Phase IV) and language school
(Phase V) before being awarded
the Special Forces tab.
Soldiers who successfully
complete SFAS and who are not
already Airborne qualified will
be assigned a class date to
attend Basic Airborne School at
Ft. Benning, Georgia prior to
reporting to Ft. Bragg.
Special Operations
Preparation Course (SOPC)
This is
a 30-day course taught at Fort
Bragg is designed to help
Soldiers prepare for the Special
Forces Assessment and Selection
course. It focuses on physical
training and one of the most
important skills a SF Soldier
can have—land navigation. This
course does not guarantee you
will pass the Special Forces
Assessment/Assignment and
Selection (SFAS).
Special Forces Assessment
& Selection (SFAS)
The SFAS Course
assesses and selects soldiers
for attendance at the Special
Forces Qualification Course (SFQC),
and is 24 days in length.
Special Forces
Qualification Course (SFQC)
The
SFQC consists of five phases.
I. Individual Skill
Training
The
individual skill phase (II)
consists of land navigation,
small unit tactics and live-fire
training.
II. MOS Training
During
the MOS training phase (III)
they are instructed on specialty
skills, which will be based on
applicant background, aptitude
and desires.
III. Collective Training
This
phase (IV) consists of Special
Forces doctrine and
organization, Unconventional
Warfare operations, Direct
Action operations, methods of
instruction and both Airborne
and airmobile operations. They
will deploy to the Uwarrie
National Forest, North Carolina,
for an Unconventional Warfare
exercise. There they will
perform as a member of an
Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA).
Their specialty and common
skills will be evaluated.
IV. Language Training
Language training (phase V) is a
key phase of the qualification
course. Proficiency in at least
one foreign language is part of
being a Green Beret. Arabic,
Spanish, Chinese and Russian are
just some of the languages
learned.
V. SERE Course
The
Survival, Evasion, Resistance,
and Escape (SERE) course will
end your training in the SFQC
(phase VI).
Special Forces Jobs and
Duties
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18B - Assistant Weapons
NCO, usually a
Staff Sergeant,
assistant to the Weapons
NCO.
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18C - Assistant Engineer
NCO, usually a
Staff Sergeant,
assistant to the Engineer
NCO.
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18D - Assistant Medical
NCO, usually a
Staff Sergeant,
assistant to the Medical
NCO.
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18E - Assistant
Communications NCO, usually
a
Staff Sergeant,
assistant to the
communications NCO.
●
18X - SF
Recruit
Primary Missions
Counter Terrorism -
Special
Forces are often deployed to preclude, preempt and resolve
terrorist incidents abroad. They prevent, deter and respond to
terrorist activities and train other nations' military in the
basics of fighting terrorism. One of the current main goals of
the Counter Terrorism exercise is to thwart terrorist uprisings
or cells from forming.
Direct Action - 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
Foreign Internal Defense -
When a nation needs to purge lawlessness or protect itself from
rogue nations, Special Forces’ Foreign Internal Defense (FID)
tactics are put to use. But FID campaigns are also employed
during times of peace to help nations prepare for unwanted or
unwarranted attacks by enemies.
Green Berets organize, assist and train the military and
national defense forces of foreign nations. Those governments
can use the tactics to protect their citizens from aggressors.
Special Reconnaissance -
Oftentimes, before the U.S. Army makes a strategic strike
against an adversary, Special Forces are sent behind enemy lines
to run Special Reconnaissance (SR) missions—covert, fact-finding
operations to uncover information about the enemy.
These intelligence-gathering activities
monitor as much about the enemy’s movement and operations as
possible and are considered by many to be the most important
Green Berets mission. Special Forces
teams survey enemy camps, machinery and weapons and send back
the information to their commanders in order to best prepare for
a strike. Special Reconnaissance
missions generally take place before any movement by our
military. Without that vital information, U.S. Army Soldiers
might be caught off guard and unprepared when entering enemy
territory.
Unconventional Warfare -
Special Forces have long employed the use of Unconventional
Warfare (UW), a.k.a. guerilla warfare, to train forces in
enemy-held or controlled territory. Unlike Direct Action, which
is generally a quick campaign, UW can last months, even years.
UW missions give the U.S. Army time
to enter a country covertly and build relationships with local
militia or natives, who are taught a variety of tactics
including subversion, sabotage, intelligence collection and
unconventional assisted recovery, which can be employed against
the enemy. By using UW training, the
Army can possibly prevent larger conventional attacks. And
because of deep roots set up by UW missions, other Special
Forces tactics, like Direct Action or Special Reconnaissance,
can be launched quickly and seamlessly.
Qualifications
- U.S. citizen
- Airborne qualified
- Score a 229 on the physical fitness test in the 17-21 age
group
- Have a GT score of 110 or higher for E-1 to E-3 and a GT score
of 100 for E-4 to E-6
- Pass the Special Forces Physical
- Qualify for a secret security clearance
- E-1 through E-3 can only have 11C or 11B as a military
occupational specialty.
Enlisted
Requirements
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-Pay Grade of
E-4 to E-7. Successful completion of SFAS is a
prerequisite to the SFQC
-High School Graduate or have a General
Equivalency Diploma (GED)
General Technical (GT) score of 100 or higher
-Stabilization of Current Drill Sergeants and Detailed
Recruiters will not be broken
-Specialists, Corporals, and Sergeants who successfully
complete SFAS will normally have their Retention Control
Point waived to attend the SFQC
-Upon successful
completion of SFQC, they will be allowed continued
service
-Staff Sergeants
approaching their RCP will not be allowed to apply
-Each Sergeant
First Class (SFC) must have no more than 12 years time
in service and nine months time in grade when applying
for SFAS and must be Either Airborne or Ranger Qualified
-SFCs must be able
to PCS to the SFQC within six months of selection from
SFAS
-Soldiers on assignment will not be allowed to attend
SFAS without their branch’s prior approval
-Soldiers on
orders to a short tour area will be allowed to attend
SFAS if a deferment is not required. These individuals
will be scheduled for the next available SFQC after
their DEROS
-Volunteers for
SFAS prior to receiving Assignment Notification will be
deferred to allow SFAS attendance
-For SFAS
graduates, assignment to the SFQC will take precedence
over any assignment conflict
-OCONUS-based soldiers may attend SFAS in a TDY and
return status anytime during their tour
-Upon successful
completion of SFAS, soldiers will be scheduled for the
next available SFQC provided they have completed at
least two-thirds of their overseas assignment obligation
and have received PERSCOM approval for curtailment of
the remainder of their overseas tour obligation
-Soldiers serving
on a short tour will not have their assignment curtailed
-CONUS-based soldiers may attend SFAS in a TDY and
return status anytime during their tour. Upon successful
completion of SFAS, soldiers will be scheduled to attend
the SFQC ensuring that they will have completed at least
one-year time on station prior to PCS
-Minimum of 24 Months remaining Time in Service (TIS)
upon completion of the SFQC
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Officer Requirements
-Secret
Security Clearance prior to
final packet approval and meet eligibility criteria for Top
Secret clearance
-Completed the Officer Basic
Course and have been successful in your branch assignments prior
to application for Special Forces
-Defense Language Aptitude Battery
(DLAB) Score of 85 or higher or a Defense Language Proficiency
Test (DLPT) of a minimum of 1/1 reading and listening score
-Minimum of 36 Months remaining Time In
Service upon completion of Special Forces Detachment
Officer Qualification Course (SFDOQC)
Warrant Officer Requirements
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-Rank of
Staff Sergeant (SSG/E-6) or above.
-A Special Forces
MOS (18B, 18C, 18D, 18E,
18F, or 18Z).
-A minimum of three years rated
time on an SFODA.
-A Score of 85 or better on the
Defense Language Aptitude
Battery (or a current 2/2 language rating).
-Completion of the Special Forces
Operations and Intelligence Course
prior to October 3, 1994 or SF Advanced Noncommissioned
Officer Course (ANCOC).
-Letters
of recommendation from Commanders at the Detachment,
Company, Battalion and Group levels (also recommended is
a strong letter of recommendation from another Special
Forces Warrant Officer with personal knowledge of the
applicants abilities).
"Must Not"
Requirements
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