Across the ages, every great society has celebrated and revered a great warrior tradition and passed on the stories of these heroes in folklore. We can look back to the Spartans, Roman legions, Vikings, medieval Knights, Samurai, or Aztecs, and each time we will find that a strong warrior class coincided with a strong nation. […]

In our Selection preparation, we always stress the importance of Rucking and the value that all of the services in the Special Operations community put on it. The services will all stress the 45-pound minimum in training. One of the frequent questions we get is why train with 45-pounds when in reality the amount will […]

Recently we have revisited some of the basics of Land Navigation, one of the trio of the biggest obstacles that Special Operations candidates will face in their individual Selection courses. And now we’ll move on to the next one, and one we always get a lot of questions about. Rucking. I look upon rucking just […]

(Dedicated to Recon6) Riiiingggg… riiiingggg… riiiingggg… (this is a sound that phones made in the day, back before we could we could select Poison by Bell Biv Devoe as a ring tone) Jesus H. Christ, it’s only 0230… and oh-no, there can be only one good reason my home phone is ringing at this hour. […]

se·lect /səˈlekt/ verb 1.
carefully choose as being the best or most suitable: “he has been selected to take part” Every one of us inherently wants to be selected. “Oh…PICK ME, PICK ME!” We bustled on the school playground forming up for games. Doesn’t it seem like you can hardly just go participate in a thing […]

Prologue:There a two men who I credit, or blame, for bringing me to the Delta Force from my state of uncertainty and lack of self-confidence: James Nelson Sudderth and Matthew Loren Rierson. Both are departed. Both deliberately approached me and asked me to come to Delta Force. First it was Matt who asked me ‘when […]

One of the indirect benefits of being a Special Operations Forces (SOF) unit member is getting the chance to attend a series of interesting schools. Such schools aim at improving the participants’ craft, whether he’s a shooter or an enabler (support guy). Each component command has a number of schools tailored to the needs of […]

The journey to becoming a Special Forces soldier won’t be easy. Special Forces training is rigorous and highly selective, but the courage and strength you will gain as a candidate will stay with you your entire life. In addition to Basic Combat Training, soldiers must have completed Advanced Individual Training and U.S. Army Airborne School […]

In an apparent move to attract more candidates, the Navy has released a new recruiting video about the Navy SEAL selection and training process. Many people don’t realize that shiny military career fields in special operations—such as SEALs, Green Berets, Rangers, Pararescuemen, and Marine Recon—serve as a great way to recruit quality people for the […]

The time I spent in Hereford was hell on my body, even though it was almost healed from my ordeal on the hills. I had no toenails left, and the blister scars on my feet were still visible and hurt a little bit, especially when I put them in my new jungle boots to break […]

Read Part 1 of Surviving Delta Force Selection here. Having completed the first leg of the 40-mile forced march in twice the amount of time allowed to pass the selection phase, I was sure I was behind the power curve, but felt strong and fast and in good spirits. I felt confident that I could […]

I was stationed in Key West, Florida, at the U.S. Army Special Forces Combat Diver Academy as a SCUBA instructor. I had intentionally sought out that assignment to avoid a mandatory levy into the Special Warfare Center (SWC)—duty that all Green Berets inevitably faced in their careers at some point. Rather than get stuck in […]

While covering a story recently, I had the opportunity to tour some facilities with a number of current and former elite operators hailing from various military branches and government agencies. Although these men may have different abbreviations on their identification cards, the community of people with their unique skill set and level of expertise is […]

One of the hardest things to do for all of us is to break out of our comfort zone. And that not only goes for training, which we’re talking about today but in everyday life situations. However, that same comfort zone can and will lead to stagnation both personally and professionally. And we have to […]

The Marine Corps took its time to become part of SOCOM but now their MARSOC units are not only part of the SOCOM umbrella but growing in both size and influence. The Corps keeps a pretty tight lid on their operators and their training. We visited their booth at the annual SOFIC event in Tampa. […]

We have frequently in the past advocated for many of the fine organizations that support our Veteran community here at SpecialOperations.com, especially those who care for our Special Operations Forces and/or are conducting a fundraiser thru rucking. During the past weekend, the 30th annual Bataan Memorial Death March drew its largest field of ruckers and runners […]

We are always preaching about staying hydrated during the Selection course as well as in your preparation train up beforehand. And practicing proper hydration has to be practiced during the Selection course, regardless of the season or you will most assuredly fail. The military is unlike almost every other profession because we work outside, regardless […]

About 8-9 months ago we posted a piece on boots and not only having ones that fit properly but having at least one backup, broken-in pair when you start Selection. With new classes starting up, we’ve gotten some questions about the different gates and events at Selection and we’ve posted on those and will revisit […]

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Steve H. Lopez Special Operations units are famous for their arduous selection and assessment programs. All four service components of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) boast that they offer the toughest challenge to those aspiring to join their units’ elite ranks. In an attempt to increase the success […]

When we think about Special Forces Selection and Assessment (SFAS), nothing fun, funny or silly immediately comes to mind. You’ll hear about the horror stories of the ruck marches, the soft sand of nearly every Camp Mackall firebreak, the Star land navigation course and the various conveyances constructed during Team Week. It is known more […]