Us army special forces training program

This progressive course, which consists of 19 academic modules, is designed to take an individual from having no medical background to performing acute lifesaving interventions in just weeks, and will teach the new medic the skills and knowledge required to manage combat casualties from initial point of injury through to evacuation thus increasing team survivability. The SFQC consists of six sequential phases of training, upon completion of which candidates earn the right to wear the Special Forces tab and don the famous Green Beret.

Each of these phases is designed to foster an expertise focusing on core SF tactical competencies in support of surgical strike and special warfare in the following areas: Career Management Field 18 MOS classification; Small Unit Tactics; Unconventional Warfare; Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape SERE ; language proficiency; and regional cultural understanding.

There are typically 6 courses per year, with candidates per course approximately candidates per year , which are delivered by 4th Battalion, 1st Special Warfare Training Group Airborne. There are typically 6 courses per year, with candidates per course approximately candidates per year. Topics covered include:. Topics covered in this phase of training depend on the MOS. Table 3 provides an outline MOS training. The purpose of Phase IV is to act as a litmus test for candidates by testing their SF skills acquired in individual and MOS training within a realistic, practical unconventional warfare exercise.

Candidates are organised into squads SFOD-A and inserted into a notional country, made up of several counties spanning North Carolina, which is rife with political turmoil and armed conflict.

Candidates must navigate the region and complete specified missions. Candidates must also assess the combat effectiveness of guerrilla forces typically other earlier stage candidates before training them in basic individual tasks from each of the MOSs, as well as collective tasks in basic small unit tactics.

The purpose of Phase V is to provide candidates with basic special operations language training in the language assigned to them at the completion of the SFAS course. Languages are broken into two categories based on their degree of difficulty. Language instruction focuses on functional application geared toward mission-related tasks, enhanced rapport-building techniques, cultural mitigation strategies, interpreting and control of interpreter methods.

Graduation focuses on the graduation ceremony and out-processing, is 1-week in duration, and celebrates candidates not inconsiderable achievements. For the MFFPC, there are typically 14 courses per year, with 52 candidates per course approximately candidates each year. The course consists of two modules:. This article provides the basic information to allow individuals to make an informed judgement before applying for US Army Special Forces training.

The following documents can be found within the various websites listed in the Useful Links Section below. Alderks, C. Baldor, L. Banks, L. Available from World Wide Web: users. Darby, M. All Hands: Magazine of the U. August , pp. Earl, C. Broomall, Pennsylvania: Mason Crest Publishers. Fairbrother, B. Liptak, E. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.

McNab, C. Stephenson, M. Werner, B. White, S. Beal, S. Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection. Edison, J. Folley, A. Horn, B. Martin, J. Myers, M. Pellerin, C. Vogel, J. Vogel, U. We provide information, advice, and guidance IAG on a wide range of military, health, and fitness-related topics. Website Breadcrumbs Home.

Part Entry Standards and Applications. Part Miscellaneous. Soldiers stand in formation, preparing to don their Green Berets for the first time, during a Regimental First Formation ceremony.

Share this: Tweet. Like this: Like Loading Loading Comments Email Required Name Required Website. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. On day one, candidates will undertake a APFT and 5km run.

During Ground Week, candidates begin an intensive programme of instruction to build individual airborne skills, which will prepare candidates to make a parachute jump, and land safely. Candidates will train on the mock door, the 34 foot 10 metre tower, and the lateral drift apparatus LDA. In order to progress to the next module of training, candidates must individually qualify on the 34 foot tower, the LDA, and pass all physical training requirements.

Training aids include the foot towers, the swing landing trainer SLT , the mock door for mass exit training, the suspended harness, and the foot 76 metre free tower. Tower Week completes individual skill training and develops team effort skills. In order to progress to the next module of training, candidates must qualify on the SLT, master the mass exit procedures from the foot tower, and pass all physical training requirements. During Jump Week candidates must successfully complete five parachute jumps with the T parachute at 1, feet from a C or C aircraft.

Candidates must run to the air field each day, conduct sustained airborne training, and then don their equipment and await their turn to jump. Prior to jumping with their combat equipment, each candidate will conduct a rigging exercise with their instructor to show them the proper rigging of their Airborne Combat Equipment. The last jump combines combat equipment with a night jump, giving candidates a complete understanding of a night combat equipment jump.

Complete all physical fitness distance runs. Qualify on the Mock Tower. Qualify on Parachute Landing Falls. Qualify on Swing Landing Training. Complete all 5 qualifying jumps from a C or C aircraft with a T Parachute. Graduation is normally conducted at during the summer months and during the winter months on Friday of Jump Week at the south end of Eubanks Field on the Airborne Walk.

However, if weather or some other reason delays the scheduled jumps, graduation may be conducted on Fryar Drop Zone DZ one hour after the last jump hits the ground. This course trains selected officers in the critical branch 18A tasks and competencies required to perform the duties of a detachment commander of a SFOD-A. It focuses on the full operational spectrum of problem analysis and resolution design associated with SF core missions across the elements of the national power spectrum.

Duties and functional-area familiarisation of the 18 series MOSs communications, engineer, medical, weapons, intelligence include: the military decision-making process; special operations mission planning; adaptive thinking and leadership; special reconnaissance; direct action; unconventional warfare; foreign internal defence; counterinsurgency operations; military operations in urban terrain; interagency operations; warrior skills; advanced special operations skills; OPFUND management; elements of national power considerations; culture; in-depth core mission analysis; information operations, planning and conduct of ODA training; and three field training exercises.

Modules include: Module A Light Weapons : The purpose of this module is to produce a weapons sergeant capable of employing, maintaining and engaging targets with select US and foreign pistols, rifles, shotguns, submachine guns and machine guns and grenade launchers. Module B Heavy Weapons : the purpose of this module is to produce a weapons sergeant capable of employing, maintaining and engaging targets with select US and foreign anti-armour weapons, crew-served weapons, mortars and in the utilisation of observed fire procedures.

Module C Tactics : The purpose of this module is to produce a weapons sergeant proficient in SF and light-infantry tactics through platoon-level in a FID environment. This encompasses mounted operations, base defence and weapons employment techniques. Modules include: Module A. Here is where the Special Forces pipeline begins and ends for those seeking the Green Beret and special operations careers. Special Force Qualification Course Phase 1A is the preparation course where soldiers will check in, collect gear and start advanced-level physical training and land navigation.

Your motivation and desire will be challenged to see whether you are suitable for advanced Special Forces training. You will be tested and evaluated with psychological tests, fitness and swim tests, obstacle courses, long ruck marches and land navigation. There is a short two-week course after advancing to Phase 2. This course gets all selected soldiers up to speed with many of the advanced-level tactics used in the Q Course. This prep course is known formerly as SOPC 2.

Soldiers will begin with more small-unit tactics on the squad and platoon levels and be tested in weapons marksmanship. The learning curve is steep in this five-week phase. After SUT, the next three weeks will focus on survival training, avoiding capture, resisting enemy interrogations and exploitations, and escaping captivity. Depending upon the military occupational specialty, the soldier is selected to do the following jobs within the man team known as the Special Forces Operations Detachment Alpha ODA.

The process of completing these schools can take months. You will receive MOS training for your Special Forces MOS, which includes SF critical tasks required for award of a career management field 18 military occupational specialty and interagency operations.

Students learn a large variety of American and foreign weapons systems from hand guns, rifles, anti-tank weapons, crewed served weapons and mortars. Students who are engineer qualified become experts in building techniques, defensive fortifications, explosives, booby traps and land mines.

The 18D education is arguably the best combat medic training in the world and creates experts in medical, surgical, dental, veterinary and pharmaceutical subjects. Complete with trauma care, physiology, anatomy and advanced paramedic training. Students become experts not only in highly technical and advanced communication systems, but also the most basic forms of communications that are found in other countries. The entire bandwidth of communications is taught as well as cryptography and construction and repair of communications systems and antennas for all types of ground-to-ground and ground-to-air communications capabilities.

Language training -- Based on your language skills, you will advance through language and culture training to get ready to serve in the SF. Additionally, while receiving language training, you will be trained in warrior skills, such as combatives. This phase may take up to weeks. The final phase is a culmination exercise known as Robin Sage, which is five weeks long and where students will form their own SFODA and put their training and experience of the last several months to the test.

This is a realistic training setting, dealing with indigenous personnel, counterinsurgency and tested in the mission foreign internal defense of training a mock guerrilla force in a hostile environment. The options are the following:.