# Volunteer special forces? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volunteer-special-forces/357013 "2006-05-16T19:02:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volunteer-special-forces/357013/1 "2006-05-16T19:02:27Z")
The UK has the 21 and 23 SAS, special forces regiments within the Territorial Army, staffed by volunteers. Do any other nations have similar special forces regiments which are not staffed by full time soldiers? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volunteer-special-forces/357013/2 "2006-05-16T20:32:03Z")
Not in the U.S., IIRC. The only “part-time soldiers” we have are in the various states’ National Guards - and, in recent years, that’s becoming less and less part-time, given lengthy and repeated deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. None of the NG units are considered special forces. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volunteer-special-forces/357013/3 "2006-05-16T21:08:15Z")
[QUOTE=Dominic Mulligan] The UK has the 21 and 23 SAS, special forces regiments within the Territorial Army, staffed by volunteers. Do any other nations have similar special forces regiments which are not staffed by full time soldiers? [/QUOTE] SAS? Super Army Soldiers? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volunteer-special-forces/357013/4 "2006-05-16T21:09:43Z")
Wrong. In fact, Our very own **Bear\_nenno** is(or was) a [member](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4594048&postcount=3) of just such a unit. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volunteer-special-forces/357013/5 "2006-05-16T21:27:05Z")
[QUOTE=Dominic Mulligan] The UK has the 21 and 23 SAS, special forces regiments within the Territorial Army, staffed by volunteers. Do any other nations have similar special forces regiments which are not staffed by full time soldiers? [/QUOTE] Doesn’t the SBS also have a Territorial unit? ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volunteer-special-forces/357013/6 "2006-05-16T23:25:39Z")
I don’t know, I merely used the SAS as an example. ---
**Author:** ![Hirundo82](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/919ad9/32.png) [@Hirundo82](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirundo82)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volunteer-special-forces/357013/7 "2006-05-17T01:46:01Z")
[QUOTE=kawaiitentaclebeast] Wrong. In fact, Our very own **Bear\_nenno** is(or was) a [member](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4594048&postcount=3) of just such a unit. [/QUOTE] [Link to the Army National Guard page on National Guard Special Forces](http://www.arng.army.mil/about_us/organization/special_forces.asp#). The US also has the [919th Special Operations Wing](http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/usaf/919sow.htm) ([official blurb](http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=156) near bottom). In the UK, in addition to the SAS the Royal Marines [apparently have a reserve unit](http://www.specialoperations.com/Foreign/United_Kingdom/Reserves.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volunteer-special-forces/357013/8 "2006-05-17T07:16:59Z")
The Israeli army has several special ops units among its reserves. Every reserve infantry brigade, every reserve armor brigade, and several regular armor brigades each have an elite recon company (“_sayeret_”) consisting of reservists. In addition, the IDF’s sole alpine unit is made up of former _sayeret_ members who learned how to ski as civilians.