Previously, We already posted 10 of World’s Best Military Units/Arm Forces and it gives me an idea to write a special top 10 list about the world’s best special forces.
Special forces, or Special Operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform.
Special Forces soldiers need to be physically and mentally robust and have the confidence, courage, and skill to operate individually or in small teams, often in isolation and in a hostile environment.
They are high value assets, commanded at the strategic level that deliver effects disproportionately to their size.
Here’s our Top 10 lists of the World’s Best Special Forces.
10 – United States Army Green Berets U.S.
That’s their nickname. Technically they are the U. S. Army Special Forces, as opposed to the special forces of other countries, many of which also wear green berets.
Typically, the Green Berets are trained to administer “unconventional warfare,” which entails infiltrating a hostile area in anticipation of a large-scale military units engagement, and training the local resistance populations to fight back against the enemy.
This was done in South Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, among others.
In the event that there is no local resistance to the enemy, the Green Berets infiltrate and soften up the enemy by “neutralizing” as many of its officers as possible. This usually involved sniping and throat cutting.
Training is very extensive and begins with the Army’s assessment of the recruit’s possession of 12 attributes: intelligence, physical fitness, motivation, trustworthiness, accountability, maturity, stability, judgment, decisiveness, teamwork, influence, and communications. 40% of applicants satisfy the Army that they have these attributes.
Final training consists of various endurance courses, carrying heavy backpacks over 40 miles of rugged terrain, with nothing but a live chicken and a knife, day and night. If the recruit can make a fire, he can eat the chicken cooked. He is not given matches or a lighter.
He is allowed only a compass and his own hand-drawn map, completed from earlier reconnaissance courses.
9 – French Naval Commandos France
They call themselves “berets verts,” or “green berets,” and consist of 6 units: Hubert, Trepel, de Montfort, de Penfentenyo, Jaubert, and Kieffer.
Each unit is trained for special tasks, whether combat diving, close quarters sea combat, exfiltration, canine units, or long range fire support, including snipers and missile launchers.
They were established much at the behest of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who was a naval officer in WWII.
8 – MARSOC U.S.
Currently, only men are allowed to try out for the U. S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. It’s primary missions are typically special reconnaissance, direct action, and internal defense within foreign nations.
Their training regimen is comprised of 4 phases, increasing in strenuousness. Phase 1 is SERE training, survival, evasion, resistance, escape. They are trained to make fire by friction, fire by mirrors, even fire by ice, depending on the location to which they are deployed.
You mold the ice with the heat of your hands into the shape of a lens, which works just like a magnifying glass.
Of course, they take matches and Zippos with them. After this, they begin physical fitness training, and hand-to-hand combat, practicing a hybrid of the most functional martial arts: Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun, Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, even Pankration.
Then, Sayoc Kali, which is Filipino knife fighting.
7 – MI-6 UK
The closest thing to James Bond can be found in the personnel of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, or Security Service, section 6.
It works in close partnership with section 5 (MI-5), the latter which is more of a pure spy agency, dedicated to counter-intelligence and counter-espionage.
MI-6, however, is the unit which deploys its agents all over the world to detect international intelligence threats and “neutralize” them before they become truly dangerous.
Their headquarters is at Vauxhall Cross, London, and they will be quick to tell you there that there is no James Bond among them, and that their assignments and missions are quite boring.
They do, however, have an agent very similar to “Q,” who is in charge of all equipment and weaponry deployed for each operation. They also have indoor firing ranges, dojos, and a gym.
6 – Army Rangers U.S.
After basic Army training, voluntary enlistment into the 75th Ranger Regiment will train the recruit for the HALO parachute jump, SERE, languages, elite combatives expert, mountain warfare, combat diving, in addition to all the weapons qualification training.
After nine weeks of this, they enroll in Advanced Individual Training, to become masters of their chosen fields, then immediately enroll in the Army Airborne School, then in Ranger Indoctrination or Orientation Programs.
By the time they’ve graduated, they’re so well trained that members have reported waking up screaming from nightmares about Ranger school to be relieved that they are only in Vietnam.
But then, they lose a few points for an incident a Ranger told me about: he was the captain of a tank regiment on maneuvers in the Amazon jungle.
Just an exercise, but because of the sweltering heat, they had to open their tank hatches. This captain, who shall remain nameless, heard a thump behind him, and turned to see a Goliath Bird-eating Spider crawling toward him, raising its front legs and hissing.
He admits to screaming like a girl, knifing the tarantula, jumping out of the tank and running off into the jungle for a mile and a half. His buddies still rib him about it.
5 – Spetsnaz Russia
Whereas most of the training regimens of military units around the world are designed to teach, Russia’s Special Purpose Regiments, equivalent to the U. S. Green Berets, endure punishment daily throughout their training.
They may quit anytime they want. The Spetsnaz want only the best, pain-hardened, battle-loving killers.
They spar with the express goal of injuring each other, breaking ribs, fingers, vertebrae, healing only long enough to get back on their feet and complete the training.
They are typically deployed for reconnaissance or house-to-house close quarters combat, but are also employed as extremely formidable bodyguards for high-ranking politicians.
They claim that they are not taught to ignore pain, since that is impossible. They are instead taught to enjoy it.
4 – The Delta Force U.S.
The only official United States counter-terrorism unit, dedicated to hostage rescues, counter-insurgency, and general counter-terrorism. They’re full name is 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, managed by the Army.
Selection is done according to a physical fitness test: situps, pushups, followed by a 3-mile run, in an undisclosed time limit.< Then an all-night, 18-mile hike over mountainous terrain with a 35 lb backpack and a compass, no map. This finally culminated with a 40-mile hike with a 45 lb backpack, in a shorter time limit.
A very interesting post. There is one other group which I might have included and that is the SBS – The Special Boat Service – they are another elite British fighting unit.
Enjoyed your post and thanks for sharing.
The SBS is missing here. But I would rate the Spetsnaz a little higher up the order. I think its better than the Green Berets, Marsoc and the Rangers. Its alpha units are among the most capable units in the present world. But the top two ratings are spot on. Thanks for the post.
I don’t see Israel in the list but they’re awesome too not rather shown in TV
First, Rangers don’t have tanks. Second, why is there a tank in the middle of the jungle?
Fake story.
Now give the Rangers their points back and move them ahead of the ‘Green Berets’ where they belong!
Number one and two need to be swapped in order of ranking!
1.Navy SEALs
2.Delta Force
3.Alpha Group
4.SAS
5.Spetsnaz
6.Shayetet 13
7.KSK
8.GROM
9.Para Commandos
10.Joint Task Force 2
1. Sayeret matkal isreal which is also counter terrorism ect.( also called the unit as in the tv show)
2.Alfa group which is the highest unit in spetnaz which can beat any type of navy sealteam even team 7 which everyone knows there is one the reason why i say this is because alpha training takes 3-5 years
3. Navy seals us
4.shayetet 13 navy seals of isreal also called batmen
5.delta force us
by the way spetnzna is not a unit it means units for special purposes and green beret no joke are a joke i would name 6
6. Recon marines us
And i dont have time to write any more anby the way this list go’s from 1 being the best
I would put JTF2 against any of those other sof. Units. An American colonel was given temporary command of a JTF2 unit and said that he would pick JTF2 for direct action over any American unit.