Army SF Guys -- Need Guidance

[Sugarbug]

Working on getting army fit right now. Thanks for the detailed response!

There will be other requirements for you since you'll probably be 25 before you start training. That said, do not settle for anything less than high excellent for the 17-24 (I think) group.

 

[deafdave3]

This is not true in the least.

Negative, Ghostrider.

Okay. I stand corrected. Wasn't too sure. Thanks.

 

[Sugarbug]

Okay. I stand corrected. Wasn't too sure. Thanks.

No point making those guys get a 4 yr degree. They need to be intelligent, for sure, but a degree just wastes 4 years of some of their best athletic ability/learning time.

 

[richardbeater]

ok after all this, if you have real questions pm me I can awnser what you want to know the best to my knowledge I am a 11b paratrooper from fort polk never went Sf but have trained with guys who have and know about the q corse and all, and no matter how fit you think you are your never at the level that they will want you to be during selection, anyway there are a few guys who can back up that i am military, malibu and a few others so you can pm me and i will awnser the best I can

 

[Booseman]

There are only a few people that can speak to any reality to SF on this forum. I have seen many things in just 28 post that make me laugh, WOW!!

pntbllr228 PM me any questions and I will try to answer them the best I can. It has been over a decade for me but I am sure most requirements are still the same.

 

[chad]

There are only a few people that can speak to any reality to SF on this forum. I have seen many things in just 28 post that make me laugh, WOW!!

What are you trying to say Booseman? If something I said is incorrect why don't you just call me out so I can stand corrected?
Just so you know I've prestiged multiple times on call of duty..

 

[Sugarbug]

What are you trying to say Booseman? If something I said is incorrect why don't you just call me out so I can stand corrected?
Just so you know I've prestiged multiple times on call of duty..

Haahhahah. Going in my sig.

 

[Emperor]

Now this is the kind of **** I was talking about! Real world advice.

I have no clue which number of you are bullshitting this poor bastard, but at least you have fulfilled my expectations!

 

[chad]

Now this is the kind of **** I was talking about! Real world advice.

I have no clue which number of you are bullshitting this poor bastard, but at least you have fulfilled my expectations!

Everything I said I believe to be correct based on research I did when I wanted to do what he wants to do.

 

[returningliberty]

Everything I said I believe to be correct based on research I did when I wanted to do what he wants to do.

Most of my info comes from guys who refused to see the light and join the cavalry. Instead they chose ground pounding apes. Sadly, when my friends got back from Benning all they could say was "Uhg! Bug!" so some few things might have been lost in translation, even with my superior Scout's intellect and tracking skills.
Naturally, being infantry, it's possible they forgot even their own training while they were off boozing and suffering from Stetson Envy, so you can't fault them.

 

[Booseman]

What are you trying to say Booseman? If something I said is incorrect why don't you just call me out so I can stand corrected?
Just so you know I've prestiged multiple times on call of duty..

That gave me a good chuckle. Thank you for that, I needed that this morning.

You are ok, it is just some others here.

Here are just a few bullet points.

Be a male, age 20-30 (Special Forces positions are not open to women)
Be a U.S. citizen
Have a high school diploma
Achieve a General Technical score of 110 or higher and a combat operation score of 98 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.
Qualify for a secret level security clearance.
Qualify and volunteer for Airborne training
Take Defense Language Aptitude Battery or Defense Language Proficiency Test
Achieve an overall minimum score of 229 on the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)

You can enlist in the SF straight from the street. You used to have to be at least an E-4 back in my day, I guess they really need people. You will go infantry if you sign an SF contract. Once you complete Basic training you will attend the following courses in order: AIT (Advanced Individual Training), Airborne School, SOPC (Special Operations Preparation Course), SFAS (Special Forces Assessment and Selection), SFQC (Special Forces Qualification Course), Individual Skills, MOSQ (this is for your specific field in the SF), Language training, Collective training, SERE (Survival Escape Resistance Evasion).

After all that training you are about 2yrs or so in to your contract and should get assigned to a group/team at that time. Remember, if you go this route and fail out at anytime you may and stress may be recycled but you could get booted to the regular army to a line. My suggestion is to get a Ranger contract and do that for a few years and learn all that you need and get some real life experience and a tab then go SF.

Just my 2¢

 

[Emperor]

That gave me a good chuckle. Thank you for that, I needed that this morning.

You are ok, it is just some others here.

Here are just a few bullet points.

Be a male, age 20-30 (Special Forces positions are not open to women)
Be a U.S. citizen
Have a high school diploma
Achieve a General Technical score of 110 or higher and a combat operation score of 98 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.
Qualify for a secret level security clearance.
Qualify and volunteer for Airborne training
Take Defense Language Aptitude Battery or Defense Language Proficiency Test
Achieve an overall minimum score of 229 on the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)

You can enlist in the SF straight from the street. You used to have to be at least an E-4 back in my day, I guess they really need people. You will go infantry if you sign an SF contract. Once you complete Basic training you will attend the following courses in order: AIT (Advanced Individual Training), Airborne School, SOPC (Special Operations Preparation Course), SFAS (Special Forces Assessment and Selection), SFQC (Special Forces Qualification Course), Individual Skills, MOSQ (this is for your specific field in the SF), Language training, Collective training, SERE (Survival Escape Resistance Evasion).

After all that training you are about 2yrs or so in to your contract and should get assigned to a group/team at that time. Remember, if you go this route and fail out at anytime you may and stress may be recycled but you could get booted to the regular army to a line. My suggestion is to get a Ranger contract and do that for a few years and learn all that you need and get some real life experience and a tab then go SF.

Just my 2¢

That looks more like .09 cents to me!

 

[Sugarbug]

That gave me a good chuckle. Thank you for that, I needed that this morning.

You are ok, it is just some others here.

Here are just a few bullet points.

Be a male, age 20-30 (Special Forces positions are not open to women)
Be a U.S. citizen
Have a high school diploma
Achieve a General Technical score of 110 or higher and a combat operation score of 98 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.
Qualify for a secret level security clearance.
Qualify and volunteer for Airborne training
Take Defense Language Aptitude Battery or Defense Language Proficiency Test
Achieve an overall minimum score of 229 on the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)

You can enlist in the SF straight from the street. You used to have to be at least an E-4 back in my day, I guess they really need people. You will go infantry if you sign an SF contract. Once you complete Basic training you will attend the following courses in order: AIT (Advanced Individual Training), Airborne School, SOPC (Special Operations Preparation Course), SFAS (Special Forces Assessment and Selection), SFQC (Special Forces Qualification Course), Individual Skills, MOSQ (this is for your specific field in the SF), Language training, Collective training, SERE (Survival Escape Resistance Evasion).

After all that training you are about 2yrs or so in to your contract and should get assigned to a group/team at that time. Remember, if you go this route and fail out at anytime you may and stress may be recycled but you could get booted to the regular army to a line. My suggestion is to get a Ranger contract and do that for a few years and learn all that you need and get some real life experience and a tab then go SF.

Just my 2¢

Was I one? Looks like I was spot on with there being an age requirement... even if they do left old farts in still.

 

[Rakkasan]

There is one option I have failed to see mentioned here. Let you in on a little secret... You do know there is a little known group located not to far from you. Yes it is a national guard unit, but it is SF regardless. And yes you can go to selection and Q course and such. 20th SF is part of the Alabama national guard with 1st battalion in Alabama, 2 battalion in Mississippi and 3rd battalion in Florida. Even though they are a national guard unit they get tabbed, deploy and see combat. Careful what you wish for though because alot of the A co 2/20 guys from the mid 90s are no longer with us. Now that being said, there are a few other ways to get into a group. If you like jumping out of airplanes, become a rigger and go to HQ. If you have college, go through the army's PA prgram (2 years) and go HQ. The doors will open from there. The direct enlistment route to a group came about in the last few years due to an increase in needs. Very unlikely you will make it through straight from the civilian sector. Land navigation alone will get you if physical fitness does not, and the physical fitness is as much psychological as it is physical. You will need basic 11B skills just to know what is going on. Don't bother if you have a family unless you don't like them because you wont see them. Don't have a bum knee or eardrum because you will be disqualified. Otherwise, I say go for it. De oppresso liber....

 

[ltranger14]

It's changed a little bit for the NG SF programs. Now they have try-outs if you want to join the 20th - 19th and go to SFAS. If you pass they will allow you to join the unit and then off the SFAS and so on.
Active duty it's called the 18 X program and has been pretty succcessful. But as stated before if you don't make it you can be placed in any infantry unit. Whereevr the Army needs you. EVEN mechanized unit.

 

[Booseman]

It's changed a little bit for the NG SF programs. Now they have try-outs if you want to join the 20th - 19th and go to SFAS. If you pass they will allow you to join the unit and then off the SFAS and so on.
Active duty it's called the 18 X program and has been pretty succcessful. But as stated before if you don't make it you can be placed in any infantry unit. Whereevr the Army needs you. EVEN mechanized unit.

Nobody wants Mech, that is a rolling coffin!!

 

[ltranger14]

Got that right!!! I'd rather walk, jump or swim!!!!

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

It's changed a little bit for the NG SF programs. Now they have try-outs if you want to join the 20th - 19th and go to SFAS. If you pass they will allow you to join the unit and then off the SFAS and so on.
Active duty it's called the 18 X program and has been pretty succcessful. But as stated before if you don't make it you can be placed in any infantry unit. Whereevr the Army needs you. EVEN mechanized unit.

The 18x program had an over 80% failure rate and I believe its been frozen.

 

[ltranger14]

As of last week it wasn't. I was visiting a recruiter friend and they were still looing for them. BUT he and I could be wrong.

 

[ajt2341]

gooseman hit most of the points.

The enlistment MOS you'd talk to a recruiter about would be 18X. I know that like any out of the ordinary enlistment options it opens and closes so you would have to talk to a recruiter about it. I haven't heard the exact numbers but I've heard good and bad about going straight in with 18X. Bad, there's a LOT of room to fail. The flip side to that coin is it is all the same steps as if you went a slower route so at least you find out up front where you fail at. The best thing I've heard about the program from teams is that those that do get through it may not be the most experienced, but they also don't have all the bad habits that a lot of those who were enlisted in other MOS's have.

If you know what you want to do, go for it, don't let anyone discourage you.