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Special forces permanently solve the most brutal military tasks. These units accept only ideally trained soldiers who can do their jobs even in extreme conditions.
Training special forces representatives is the most challenging test for the human body. However, they are the ones who make universal soldiers from ordinary men and women who can be trusted to solve the most complex and dangerous tasks. Below is a brief description of the training process of the most effective special forces in the world.
US Navy SEALs
This unique unit is known not only in the United States but also throughout the world. It was created to conduct special military operations in various natural and urban locations. Many successful missions of the Navy SEALs are explained by the excellent training of soldiers. Their training process begins with a 5-week preparatory course. It consists of a series of classes that help improve physical fitness and endurance.
The introductory course is the next stage of training. It lasts 24 weeks and involves improving physical fitness, developing ground combat skills, practicing teamwork, scuba diving, studying the basics of medicine, and more. At this stage, soldiers undergo various night training using night vision goggles (military grade), thermal imaging devices and other optics. The course ends with parachute jumping training.
The final stage of the training process is the qualification course. It lasts 26 weeks and prepares Navy SEALs to perform specific tasks. Depending on their qualifications, soldiers are trained in various weapons and navigation devices, hand-to-hand combat, reconnaissance, mining, medical care, and more. The training process ends with preparation for a specific mission in which the Navy SEALs will participate.
British SAS
The famous SAS special forces unit is the elite of the British army. It carries out the most complex tasks, including counter-terrorist operations, reconnaissance, participation in military operations, and hostage rescue. This special forces unit’s efficiency, accuracy, and actions are the main advantages. The training process in the SAS consists of 3 stages. The first of them lasts 6 days. During this time, the level of training of soldiers is checked. It includes swimming, running on flat and hilly terrain, jumping, and more. All training is carried out with weapons and various equipment.
The second stage is skills development. Soldiers who have successfully passed the selection begin developing and training the abilities needed for combat missions. They practice the ability to navigate with the help of available devices and maps, quickly and stealthily move across a field, forest, mountainous terrain, interact with each other, etc. The so-called “Long Drag” is held at the end of this stage. This test is a 64-kilometer hike carried out along the most challenging routes. The event requires reaching the specified point in 20 hours without losing any equipment, weighing 25 kg. Even in bad weather, the “Long Drag” is not cancelled.
The third stage is training team interactions and practicing tactical techniques. Fourteen weeks are allocated for this training. During this time, soldiers practice shooting from all available weapons, learn how to patrol the territory adequately, set up ambushes, conduct reconnaissance activities, conduct subversive activities, and drive various vehicles. A training mission in the jungle completes this stage of training. For this, soldiers are sent to Asia, where they live and perform assigned tasks in the most challenging conditions for a month. Poisonous snakes, high humidity, lack of qualified medical care – this is only a tiny part of everything that SAS soldiers have to deal with. After completing the primary training process, some of them (depending on their specialization) are offered to undergo an additional stage of training. It consists of parachute jumping, open-water swimming, canoeing, and more.
US Green Berets
In addition to the Navy SEALs, the Green Berets special forces unit is known in the United States and abroad. It was created to perform many essential tasks, such as internal defense, intelligence, counter-terrorism, etc. Dozens of successful operations have made the Green Berets an elite unit capable of effectively handling their work.
The Green Berets training process consists of 5 main stages. The first of them is theoretical. It lasts 7 weeks and consists of studying the unit’s history, unconventional warfare methods, and the basics of planning and conducting military operations. The second stage is language training. For at least 18 weeks, soldiers study the language, culture, traditions and everything that will be useful during the planned mission in one of the world’s countries. The following 13 weeks are spent training physical strength and endurance and practicing tactical skills and interactions in small groups.
The longest stage of training (which can last up to 50 weeks) involves practicing special skills. Depending on the soldiers’ qualifications, classes are held on shooting, navigation, psychology, sabotage, medicine, survival, planning, and reconnaissance. The final stage involves conducting a training mission and practicing combat skills.
A stable situation inside and outside the country depends on the effectiveness of special forces. If necessary, these units perform the most complex and dangerous work that no one else can handle. Their long and thorough training allows them to form ideal soldiers who will never retreat from their goals and can complete any mission successfully.
