Selection and training

Entry into Special Forces

Entry into Special Forces begins with Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS).[23] Getting "Selected" at SFAS (Phase 1) will enable a candidate to continue on to the next four phases of the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC, or the "Q Course"). If a candidate successfully completes these next four phases he will graduate as a Special Forces soldier and be assigned to a 12-man Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA), or "A team."

Pipelines to SFAS

A version of SFAS was first introduced as a selection mechanism in the Mid 1980's by the Commanding General of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at the time, Brigadier General James Guest.

There are now two ways for male soldiers (female soldiers are not permitted to serve in Special Forces) to volunteer to attend SFAS:


* As an existing soldier in the US Army with the Enlisted rank of E-4 (Corporal/Specialist) or higher, and for Officers the rank of O-2 (1st Lieutenant) promotable to O-3 (Captain), or existing O-3s.

* The other path is that of direct entry, referred to as Initial Accession or IA. Here an individual who has no prior military service or who has previously separated from military service is given the opportunity to attend SFAS. Both the Active Duty and National Guard components offer Special Forces Initial Accession programs. The Active Duty program is referred to as the "18X Program" because of the Initial Entry Code that appears on the assignment orders.

Pre-SFAS courses

In preparation to attend SFAS, an Initial Accession (IA) recruit will typically undertake upwards of six months of full-time training before attempting Selection. This initial training consists of three parts:

1. Infantry One Station Unit Training (11X-OSUT) at Fort Benning, Georgia. OSUT is Infantry-focused Basic Combat Training (BCT) and comprises:


* 1 week (sometimes two weeks) at the 30th AG Reception Battalion where recruits are administratively prepared for entry into the United States Army.

* 9 weeks of Basic Combat Training.

* 5 weeks of Infantry Advanced Individual Training (AIT).

Successful recruits graduate from this 15-week period with the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) of 11B (Infantryman).

2. After Infantry OSUT, recruits will attend the Basic Airborne Course (BAC or "jump school") held at the United States Army Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia. BAC is a three-week course designed to train a soldier in the skill of military parachuting. Should the soldier graduate this course he will receive orders authorizing him to wear military parachutist insignia.

3. Finally the recruit will attend the Special Forces Preparation and Conditioning (SFPC) Course on Temporary Duty (TDY) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. SFPC is a four-week course that prepares both Initial Accession and non-combat arms Active Duty SF candidates for Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS).

SFPC focuses on improving the strength and cardiovascular fitness of candidates, the ability of candidates to engage in military forced marches, and military land navigation. Fitness, forced marching, and land navigation are three major reasons for candidate attrition during SFAS.

Special Forces Assessment and Selection

As of December, 2007 a shortened SFAS of 14 days was approved.

Approximately 30-35% of enlisted candidates attempting SFAS are successful. Many unsuccessful candidates elect to Voluntarily Withdraw (VW), while others suffer injuries in the course of training and are "Medically Dropped." Those that successfully complete the course must then be selected by the final selection board. Many candidates who make it to the end of the course are not selected because the board deems that they lack the required attributes of an SF soldier, or that they are not yet ready to attempt the next phase in SF training.

Selection Outcomes

* Those who quit or who are Involuntarily Withdrawn (IW) by the course cadre are generally designated NTR or Not-to-Return. This generally ends any opportunity a candidate may have to become a Special Forces soldier. Active Duty military candidates will be returned to their previous units, and IA 18X candidates will be transferred to infantry units as 11B Infantrymen.

* Candidates who are "medically dropped," and who are not then medically discharged from the military due to serious injury, are often permitted to "recycle," and to attempt the course again as soon as they are physically able to do so.

* Candidates who successfully complete the course but who are "Boarded" and not selected ("Non-Select") are generally given the opportunity to attend selection again in 12 or 24 months. It must be noted, however, that the time window to attend SFAS a second time can be heavily influenced by deployment schedules, as "non-selected" candidates are assigned to infantry units in the meantime.

Successful Active Duty candidates usually return to their previous units to await a slot in the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC). Because an Initial Accession (IA) 18X candidate lacks a previous unit, he will normally enter the Q Course immediately, or after a short wait.

Active Duty candidates who successfully complete SFAS but who are not previous graduates of the Basic Airborne Course (BAC) are assigned a class date to attend jump school at Ft. Benning, Georgia prior to reporting to Ft. Bragg for the Q Course.

MOS, group, and language selection

Upon selection at SFAS, all Active Duty enlisted and IA 18X candidates will be briefed on:

* The five Special Forces Active Duty Groups
* The four Special Forces Military Occupational Specialities (MOS)initially open to them
* The languages utilized in each Special Forces Group

Candidates will then complete what is often referred to as a '"wish list." Enlisted candidates will rank in order of preference the MOS that he prefers (18B, 18C, 18D, 18E). Officer candidates will attend the 18A course. Both enlisted and officer candidates will list in order of preference the SF Groups in which they prefer to serve (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th) and the languages in which they prefer to be trained.

Language selection is dependent on the Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) test scores of the candidate, as well as the SF Group to which they are assigned. Different SF Groups focus on different areas of responsibility (AOR), which require different languages.

A board assigns each enlisted and officer candidate his MOS, Group placement, and language. The MOS, Group, and language that a selected candidate is assigned is not guaranteed, and is contingent upon the needs of the Special Forces community. Generally 80% of selected candidates are awarded their primary choices.

Upon successful completion of the Q Course, the newly graduated Active Duty Special Forces soldier will be assigned to one of the five Active Duty Special Forces Groups.

Special Forces Qualification Course

For various reasons, 10% of selected candidates will not complete the Q Course. Ultimately, out of every three candidates who attend SFAS, only one will earn the right to wear the Green Beret. The Q Course features some of the toughest and longest training in the US military, with some courses running as long as 18 to 24 months.

When a candidate enters the Q Course, he is assigned to the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg. IA 18X candidates and active duty candidates who have not already attended the Warrior Leader Course will attend the 3 week Common Leadership Training (CLT) course. The goal of the CLT is to provide candidates with the basic skills required to perform as Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) at the rank of E-5 (Sergeant), which is the minimum rank of any Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) team member. IA 18X candidates and active duty non-combat arms candidates will also attend the 3 week long Special Forces Preparation and Conditioning Course II, designed to reinforce and perfect the basic infantry skills of small unit tactics (SUT) and patrolling.

Phase II is a 13 week block of instruction in small unit tactics (SUT), Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE), and lethal hand-to-hand combat & element-of-surprise disarming techniques.

After Phase II, candidates begin Phase III, which is often called the "language blitz." Depending upon the language assigned, Phase III consists of either 9 or 15 weeks of intensive and immersive language training. Upon completion of this training, candidates are required to attain a minimum rating score in their assigned language.

Following the completion of Phase III, candidates then begin Phase IV, for specific training within one of the five initial Special Forces specialties: 18A, SF Detachment Commander; 18B, SF Weapons Sergeant; 18C, SF Engineering Sergeant; 18D, SF Medical Sergeant; and 18E, SF Communications Sergeant. 18A, 18B, 18C, and 18E training courses are 15 weeks long. The 18D training course is 48 weeks long.

The candidates culminate their Special Forces training by participating in Operation ROBIN SAGE, a 4 week long large-scale unconventional warfare exercise (Phase V), before being awarded the Special Forces tab and the Green Beret.

Further training

After successfully completing the Special Forces Qualification Course, Special Forces soldiers are then eligible for many advanced skills courses. These include the Military Free Fall Parachutist Course (MFF), the Combat Diver Qualification Course, the Special Operations Target Interdiction Course (SOTIC), and the Special Forces Advanced Reconnaissance and Exploitation Techniques Course (SFARETEC). Additionally, Special Forces soldiers may participate in special operations training courses offered by other services and allied nations throughout their careers.