# Which is the US military's most elite special operations force? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 21, 2007, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033 "2007-04-21T03:21:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/1 "2007-04-21T03:21:24Z")
Of these groups, which is the most elite? Which is the most specialized? Which has the most difficult entry/training program? This is all subjective, of course, but i’d like to hear people’s opinions. Navy Seals Green Berets Army Rangers Marine Recon Delta Force The CIA’s SAD Other [insert here] Thanks ---
**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:** [April 21, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/2 "2007-04-21T03:48:49Z")
Each will tell you _they_ are, of course. From all I’ve read, though, Navy SEALS have a fair claim to the top spot. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/3 "2007-04-21T03:59:46Z")
More an IMHO I think…but IMHO, Navy Seals all the way. Of course, as a former Squid, what did you THINK I’d say?? 😛 You might want to add UDT to your list too…the Marine UDT guys I remember from my youth were pretty damn good. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/4 "2007-04-21T04:16:02Z")
What about those Air Force guys who rescue pilots or build runways in the middle of nowhere? I don’t know if they’re the toughest but they certainly seem the most specialized. Marc ---
**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:** [April 21, 2007, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/5 "2007-04-21T04:51:35Z")
The Coast Guard’s pararescue guys are crazybrave and tough, too. Check out Jon Krakauer’s _A Perfect Storm_ sometime. ---
**Author:** ![lokij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@lokij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lokij)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/6 "2007-04-21T04:51:48Z")
[QUOTE=MGibson] What about those Air Force guys who rescue pilots or build runways in the middle of nowhere? I don’t know if they’re the toughest but they certainly seem the most specialized. Marc [/QUOTE] That would be the US Air Force Pararescuemen. Yeah… they might actually have the hardest and most elite job duties of the special forces. Apparently the training to become one takes 2 years and they’re all trained paramedics in addition to everything else. I like their motto.. “So that others may live.” [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Force_Pararescue#Training.2C_a.k.a..2C_.22The_Pipeline.22) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/7 "2007-04-21T05:13:31Z")
The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) was profiled in the [April 2002 issue](http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/1281461.html) of _Popular Mechanics_. They do all kinds of crazy stuff and they recruit from the elite forces of the other branches. ---
**Author:** ![gatorman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@gatorman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorman)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/8 "2007-04-21T05:26:19Z")
Each branch of the military has its own special force. They are all incredibly well-equipped and trained, its just matter of opinion. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/9 "2007-04-21T05:28:14Z")
And yet the French paras consider them ALL wimps. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tingbudong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tingbudong/32/520_2.png) [@tingbudong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tingbudong)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/10 "2007-04-21T09:54:14Z")
I’m not a military man, but I believe that each unit specializes in certain operations, and as such, one probably can’t define an all-around ‘top’ special forces unit. SEALS for example, train largely for seaborne and littoral operations, and as such, probably excel in this area, as opposed to say, the Green Berets, who are (As far as I know) very well educated soliders, organizing counter-insurgencies and act as adivsor/trainers to allied militaries. Given though, the high demand for these guys recently, they are probably used in many situations outside their original sphere of speciality. ---
**Author:** ![pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pretend_my_name_is_witty)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/11 "2007-04-21T11:37:50Z")
If you know about them…they’re not the most elite. I know they’re not US, but the most elite are referred to mostly as [THEM](http://www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/THEM)! ---
**Author:** ![FRDE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/12 "2007-04-21T13:37:56Z")
You mean the ‘Piss Artists Rifles’ ? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/13 "2007-04-21T19:58:55Z")
The [303,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wag_the_dog) of course! ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/14 "2007-04-21T20:40:54Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] The Coast Guard’s pararescue guys are crazybrave and tough, too. Check out Jon Krakauer’s _A Perfect Storm_ sometime. [/QUOTE] Not to diminish their courage, but do they ever have to perform under fire? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/15 "2007-04-21T20:56:41Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Not to diminish their courage, but do they ever have to perform under fire? [/QUOTE] Perhaps not, but danger comes in other forms than human enemies. Trying to pull distressed mariners out of a boat in hurricane-force winds is no task for the faint of heart. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/16 "2007-04-21T20:58:00Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Perhaps not, but danger comes in other forms than human enemies. Trying to pull distressed mariners out of a boat in hurricane-force winds is no task for the faint of heart. [/QUOTE] True, but don’t Navy Seals have occasion to do all that, while under fire? ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/17 "2007-04-21T21:30:57Z")
[QUOTE=lokij] That would be the US Air Force Pararescuemen. Yeah… they might actually have the hardest and most elite job duties of the special forces. Apparently the training to become one takes 2 years and they’re all trained paramedics in addition to everything else. I like their motto.. “So that others may live.” [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Force_Pararescue#Training.2C_a.k.a..2C_.22The_Pipeline.22) [/QUOTE] Yep, the PJs. During the first week or two of basic training, they’d ask if anyone wants to join either Pararescue or Combat Control. From what I understand, to even get in, there is some ridiculous PT test. There was a guy in my BT flight that was seemingly in great shape (ripped, would run 5 mile half-sprints for fun) who tried out. He flunked the exam. He said he did OK on the endurance portion, but the ensuing strength training nearly brought him to tears. Like another poster said, each branch has their own “elite” force. I think it probably comes down to individuals and who is in what branch at the time. I also served with the SOC guys, and they always seemed a little crazier than the rest of us. They didn’t seem to be in any superior physical conditioning, though. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/18 "2007-04-21T22:12:22Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] True, but don’t Navy Seals have occasion to do all that, while under fire? [/QUOTE] I always heard that the Navy Seals did water to land assaults so well that they shouldn’t come under fire at all. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/19 "2007-04-21T22:29:05Z")
[QUOTE=pretend my name is witty] I know they’re not US, but the most elite are referred to mostly as [THEM](http://www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/THEM)! [/QUOTE] Giant ants? ---
**Author:** ![Pudmobile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Pudmobile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pudmobile)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033/20 "2007-04-22T17:55:52Z")
Well I think you forgot these guys on your list [http://http](http://http)://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEVGRU I personally think Devgru and Delta are the best combat orientated special forces in the US. Both recruiting mostly from special forces in their respective branch. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-us-militarys-most-elite-special-operations-force/401033.md?page=2)