hi Ken,
here is my attempt to answer your question about the difference between Special Forces, Special Operations and Rangers.
Special Forces and Green Berets mean the same thing. Special Forces is the unit name...Green Beret is the headgear worn by all Special Forces.
Special Operations is a larger unit and includes a wide variety of our best, highly specialized units including:
Special Forces
SEAL
Special Operations Squadrons
Ranger
etc.
Ranger is an 8 week army school conducted in georgia and florida. open to all ranks and branches, this is very specialized, combat patrol training conducted under the nearest to real conditions imaginable. the course covers intense combat operations in wooded, urban, mountain and jungle terrain. over 99% of Rangers have also completed the airborne (parachute) school. Ranger school graduates are found in every branch of the Army...infantry, armor, artillery, aviation, finance etc. we also have special Ranger units. they are usually organized similar to an infantry battalion with companies, platoons and squads.
Special Forces is a separate branch of the Army. currently, you must be a Captain or Sergeant to apply. that means no lieutenants, no corporals and no privates.
Special Forces training begins with a complicated selection process that includes intense phsychological testing. (if you flunk the shrink test, you get to start training :o). this is followed by training in your specialty...demolitions and explosives, light and heavy weapons, medic, communications, or operations and intelligence and a lengthy qualification course that is quite intense to say the least. this phase can take a year or a bit longer to complete. at this point, you are awarded the beret and assigned to an A team but can only join the team for ops when you demonstrate proficiency and fluency in the team's assigned language and complete the SERE course. some need months in the language lab. the time is provided. all Special Forces (Green Berets) are fluent in at least one foreign language. the final phase is the most challenging...the Special Forces SERE (Survival, Escape, Resistance and Evasion) course is feared by all. it is the most intense physical and pschological survival school in the world...nuff said.
at this point the new Green beret's real training begins. he will now participate in hot deployments with his team. over the next year or 2, he is expected to become fully cross-trained, qualified and tested in each of his teammates specialties. he will have regular tests on his foreign language. team members teach other team members constantly. he will now attend a series of other schools that include Ranger, Pathfinder, HALO (high altitude low opening parachuting) and Combat Diver. imo the least understood but most valuable of these courses is Pathfinder.
hope this helps explain the difference in the units.
unclewest |
