Take on Terrorists in Specialized Missions
Special Forces Soldiers are legendary for taking on the most sensitive missions in the Army—from sabotaging enemy communications and supply lines to infiltrating enemy lines through quiet, guerrilla war-style tactics.
Part of the elite Special Operations Forces, you’ll work in a focused, small-team operational structure, leveraging the most advanced technology, weapons, and gear.
To become a Special Forces Soldier, you’ll go through rigorous training and a highly selective evaluation, testing physical and mental stamina.
Be the Expert in Guerrilla Warfare
Special Forces Soldiers are highly trained to perform crucial missions in the Army:
Special Forces Missions:
Counterinsurgency
Prevent terrorist and insurgent incidents abroad by responding to terrorist activities and training other nations' militaries.
Unconventional warfare
Enable a resistance movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt, or overthrow a government or occupying power by operating through or with an underground force in a denied area.
Direct action
Seize, capture, recover, or destroy enemy material, or recover personnel with quick strikes.
Foreign internal defense
Train and equip foreign allied military forces to defend against insurgency, subversion, terrorism, and other security threats.
Special reconnaissance
Conduct surveillance in hostile, denied, or diplomatically or politically sensitive environments, to collect or verify information of strategic significance.
Security force assistance
Train and develop the defense capabilities of friendly and developing nations.
Small, Tactical Teams with Expert Skills
Work in small, skilled teams where each member is an expert in their specialized field and trained to withstand increased levels of stress. Expertise on these teams include weapons, communications, medical, engineering, operations, intelligence, and leadership.
Intense Training to Become a Green Beret
To become a Special Forces Soldier, you’ll undergo challenging training, helping you increase your initiative, self-reliance, maturity, and resourcefulness for when you’re in the field. This extensive preparation includes several training steps. Each step must be passed in order to advance to the next level of training.
Prepare Physically
The first step is the Special Forces Preparation Course, a six-week course that prepares your physical fitness and land navigation skills so you can succeed in the last two steps of training.
Test Survival Skills
The second step is Special Forces Assessment and Selection, a test of survival skills and intense physical and mental training, to prepare you for the final step.
Immersive Special Forces Training and Graduation
The final step is the Special Forces Qualification Course, a 53-week course that includes advanced special operations techniques (ASOT): survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE) exercises. A new language will also be assigned to you to learn during the course.
The entire training program will lead up to a Special Forces mission during a staged invasion of the fictional country of Pineland. Here, Soldiers are tested on their ability to use their guerrilla-style skills.
If you pass this training, you’ll graduate as a Special Forces Soldier. Only those able to withstand the difficult training and meet these incredible challenges will earn the right to wear the Green Beret.
Special Forces Requirements
Depending on which path you take, there are different requirements you’ll need to meet in order to become part of Special Forces:
For those not currently serving in the Army:
- U.S. citizenship
- 20-32 years old
- Meet the Army height and weight standards
- Join as an active duty or Army National Guard Soldier
- Qualify for Airborne School
- Eligibility for a top secret security clearance
For current Soldiers looking to transfer in:
- 20-36 years old
- Pass the Army fitness test and clear height and weight standards
- Minimum rank of E-3, and within the rank of private first class, specialist, sergeant, or staff sergeant
- No more than 12-14 years in service prior to training, and minimum of 36 months remaining in service after graduation
- No more than nine months in E-7 grade when applying
- ASVAB placement test TECH score of 110 or above
- Qualify for Airborne School or Ranger School
- Reclassify from your current MOS or branch to Special Forces
- Eligibility for a top secret security clearance
For current Officers looking to transfer in:
- Rank of first lieutenant or captain
- Reclassify from your current MOS or branch to Special Forces
- Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) score of 85 or higher
- Eligibility for a top secret security clearance
Common Questions About Special Forces
Do I need to attend Basic Training to become a Special Forces Soldier?
Yes. In addition to Basic Combat Training, Soldiers must have completed Advanced Individual Training and U.S. Army Airborne School to be eligible to begin Special Forces training.
What happens if I’m not selected to Special Forces during training?
If you are not ultimately selected to join Special Forces during training, you will be assigned to a unit as a qualified specialist in the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) you trained for while applying to Special Forces.
What equipment, weapons and gear do Special Forces Soldiers use?
Special Forces Soldiers carry the most advanced equipment in order to complete the most sensitive missions, including: the lightweight all-terrain Ground Mobility Vehicle; the 7.62mm x 45mm shoulder-fired, gas-operated MK17 SCAR select-fire modular weapon system with a free-floating barrel; the advanced ram-air parachute specially designed for severe environmental conditions; night vision technology; the Re-Breather underwater breathing device to navigate rivers and streams unnoticed; the M-4 Carbine rifle; and the Nett Warrior situational awareness system for use during combat operations.
What language could I be assigned to learn as part of Special Forces training?
Assigned languages include French, Indonesian-Bahasa, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese-Mandarin, Korean, Persian-Farsi, Russian, Tagalog, Thai, Levantine, and Arabic (Egyptian).
Do Special Forces Soldiers receive extra pay?
Special Forces Soldiers receive special duty assignment pay, language pay, parachute pay and special-skills pay such as military free-fall, combat diver or demolition pay. Their total benefits package includes more than $50,000 to further their education; 30 days of vacation per year; complete medical and dental care; and initial entry and reenlistment bonuses, and more.
What is the history of the Special Forces?
The first Special Forces unit was officially established during the 1950s, after several notable operational successes during World War II. However, unconventional warfare, a staple of small-unit operations has its roots since before the Revolutionary War.