The Special
Air Service is trained to perform equally well in all the fields listed
for the SEALs, but is also trained by MI-5 and MI-6 for in-depth
counter-espionage, more so than the SEALs. Physical competency must be
of equal stature to the SEALs, to the degree that both special forces
work closely together when necessary (Iraq and Afghanistan) and have
good camaraderie.
They wear a tan beret, just as the U. S. Army Rangers, and both the SAS
and SEALs are trained in knife fighting by experts in Apache Indian
knife techniques, as well as Sayoc Kali, Krav Maga, Jeet Kune Do, and
for the last 3 years or so, the Keysi Fighting Method, made famous by
the Chris Nolan “Batman” films.
They have the distinction of being the model on which almost all
national commando units are based today, including every other entry on
this list.
You might
think there are a lot of them, given the number of action movies
dedicated to the plot device of an invincible warrior, but there are
only about 2,000 of them. They are the Unites States’s most elite
special warfare combatants. They are trained in all the fields in which
the other U. S. special forces are trained, but to an even higher degree
of competency.
SEAL training lasts over a year, and requires an age of between 17 and
28 years, male, incorrect vision no worse than 20/200 in either eye, and
correctable to 20/20, and the physical screening test, which is beyond
belief.
500 yd (460 m) swim using breast or combat sidestroke in under 12:30
with a competitive time of under 10:30.
At least 42 push-ups in 2 minutes with a competitive count of 79 or
more.
At least 50 sit-ups in 2 minutes with a competitive count of 79 or more.
At least 6 pull-ups from a dead hang (no time limit) with a competitive
count of 11 or more.
Run 1.5 mi (2.4 km) in boots and trousers in under 11:30 with a
competitive time of 10:20 or less.
Then training begins. Physical conditioning, diving, land warfare, for
24 weeks, then 26 more weeks of SEAL qualification training. Then
specialization in whatever fields a SEAL team needs expertise in:
anything from sniper to language specialist, rope climbing, diving,
jumpmaster, surreptitious entry, dynamic entry (door breacher), etc.
The name means
“Flotilla 13,” and their official motto is the same as the Israeli
military: “Never Again,” in reference to the Holocaust. Their unofficial
motto, as they like to joke, is “When the going gets tough, the Jews
get pissed.”
They are 1 of the 3 most elite Israeli special forces units, but
Shayetet 13 is the unit most similar to the Delta Force. They specialize
in hostage rescue and counter-terrorism, and because they live so close
to a host of nations that seem bent on eradicating them, they are at
all times ready in an instant to travel abroad and kill. They are very
secretive, but of their missions publicized, the most notable include
Operation Spring of Youth, in which they hunted down members of Black
September in Beirut Lebanon and killed them, in revenge for the 1972
Munich massacre.
Apart from their firearms and heavy weapons training, they train
extensively in Krav Maga, the national martial art of Israel, to which
they endearingly refer as “Jew-jitsu.” It’s philosophy is based on the
principle that in a real street fight no quarter will be asked or given.
Fight to kill. Groin strikes are quite prevalent.
The only
official United States counter-terrorism unit, dedicated to hostage
rescues, counter-insurgency, and general counter-terrorism. They’re full
name is 1stSpecial Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, managed by the
Army. Selection is done according to a physical fitness test: situps,
pushups, followed by a 3-mile run, in an undisclosed time limit.
Then an all-night, 18-mile hike over mountainous terrain with a 35 lb
backpack and a compass, no map. This finally culminated with a 40-mile
hike with a 45 lb backpack, in a shorter time limit.
Then psychologists conduct a grueling battery of mental exams on the
recruit to try to break him into confusion. If he passes this, he
actually gets to begin Delta Forcetraining, for 6 months. Firearms,
heavy weaponry, elite hand-to-hand training.
That’s their
nickname. Technically they are the U. S. Army Special Forces, as opposed
to the special forces of other countries, many of which also wear green
berets.
Typically, the Green Berets are trained to administer “unconventional
warfare,” which entails infiltrating a hostile area in anticipation of a
large-scale military engagement, andtraining the local resistance
populations to fight back against the enemy. This was done in South
Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, among others.
In the event that there is no local resistance to the enemy, the Green
Berets infiltrate and soften up the enemy by “neutralizing” as many of
its officers as possible. This usually involved sniping and throat
cutting.
Training is very extensive and begins with the Army’s assessment of the
recruit’s possession of 12 attributes: intelligence, physical fitness,
motivation, trustworthiness, accountability, maturity, stability,
judgment, decisiveness, teamwork, influence, and communications. 40% of
applicants satisfy the Army that they have these attributes.
Final training consists of various endurance courses, carrying heavy
backpacks over 40 miles of rugged terrain, with nothing but a live
chicken and a knife, day and night. If the recruit can make a fire, he
can eat the chicken cooked. He is not given matches or a lighter. He is
allowed only a compass and his own hand-drawn map, completed from
earlier reconnaissance courses.
After basic
Army training, voluntary enlistment into the 75th RangerRegiment will
train the recruit for the HALO parachute jump, SERE, languages, elite
combatives expert, mountain warfare, combat diving, in addition to all
the weapons qualification training.
After nine weeks of this, they enroll in Advanced Individual Training,
to become masters of their chosen fields, then immediately enroll in the
Army Airborne School, then in Ranger Indoctrination or Orientation
Programs.
By the time they’ve graduated, they’re so well trained that members have
reported waking up screaming from nightmares about Ranger school to be
relieved that they are only in Vietnam.
But then, they lose a few points for an incident a Ranger told me about:
he was the captain of a tank regiment on maneuvers in the Amazon
jungle. Just an exercise, but because of the sweltering heat, they had
to open their tank hatches. This captain, who shall remain nameless,
heard a thump behind him, and turned to see a Goliath Bird-eating Spider
crawling toward him, raising its front legs and hissing.
He admits to screaming like a girl, knifing the tarantula, jumping out
of the tank and running off into the jungle for a mile and a half. His
buddies still rib him about it.
The closest thing to James Bond can be found in the personnel of the
UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, or Security Service, section 6. It
works in close partnership with section 5 (MI-5), the latter which is
more of a pure spy agency, dedicated to counter-intelligence and
counter-espionage.
MI-6, however, is the unit which deploys its agents all over the world
to detect international intelligence threats and “neutralize” them
before they become truly dangerous. Their headquarters is at Vauxhall
Cross, London, and they will be quick to tell you there that there is
noJames Bond among them, and that their assignments and missions are
quite boring.
They do, however, have an agent very similar to “Q,” who is in charge of
all equipment and weaponry deployed for each operation. They also have
indoor firing ranges, dojos,
Currently,
only men are allowed to try out for the U. S. Marine Corps Forces
Special Operations Command. It’s primary missions are typically special
reconnaissance, direct action, and internal defense within foreign
nations.
Their training regimen is comprised of 4 phases, increasing in
strenuousness. Phase 1 is SERE training, survival, evasion, resistance,
escape. They are trained to make fire by friction, fire by mirrors, even
fire by ice, depending on the location to which they are deployed. You
mold the ice with the heat of your hands into the shape of a lens, which
works just like a magnifying glass.
Of course, they take matches and Zippos with them. After this, they
begin physical fitness training, and hand-to-hand combat, practicing a
hybrid of the most functional martial arts: Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun,
Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, even Pankration. Then, Sayoc Kali, which is Filipino
knife fighting.
This is just phase 1. Phase 2 is marksmanship, amphibious demolitions,
reconnaissance. Phase 3 is a contrinuation of 2, but with the addition
of field radioes and satellite data-uplink systems. Phase 4 is
“irregular warfare” instruction, which is a euphemism for “anything
goes.” This phase consists primarily of the Derna Bridge operation,
which forces the recruits to use all skills acquired during the course.
They call
themselves “berets verts,” or “green berets,” and consist of 6 units:
Hubert, Trepel, de Montfort, de Penfentenyo, Jaubert, and Kieffer. Each
unit is trained for special tasks, whether combat diving, close quarters
sea combat, exfiltration, canine units, or long range fire support,
including snipers and missile launchers. They were established much at
the behest of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who was a naval officer in WWII.
Whereas most of
the training regimens of militaries around the world are designed to
teach, Russia’s Special Purpose Regiments, equivalent to the U. S. Green
Berets, endure punishment daily throughout their training. They may
quit anytime they want. The Spetsnaz want only the best, pain-hardened,
battle-loving killers.
They spar with the express goal of injuring each other, breaking ribs,
fingers, vertebrae, healing only long enough to get back on their feet
and complete thetraining . They are typically deployed for
reconnaissance or house-to-house close quarters combat, but are also
employed as extremely formidable bodyguards for high-ranking
politicians.
They claim that they are not taught to ignore pain, since that is
impossible. They are instead taught to enjoy it.
