BACKGROUND
The United States Army Special Forces (SF), also known as the Green Berets, are one of the greatest and most secretive units to be found on the modern battlefield. Growing out of various clandestine groups during WWII, US Army SF was established in 1952 and became its own branch of the US Army in 1987. The branch adopted the use of green berets in 1954, hence where the unit and its members get the nickname “Green Berets.” Since its inception, SF has participated officially in all formal conflicts the US has been in since the Korean War, and unofficially all over the world spanning a wide range of clandestine mission sets.
TRAINING
To become a Green Beret, one must first enlist, complete basic training, then advanced individual training like all soldiers in the US Army. Candidates must then complete airborne school. After that, candidates attend the Special Forces Preparation Course (SFPC) in preparation for the Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS). If a candidate makes it that far and is selected after completing SFAS, they will then proceed to Special Forces Qualification Course (Q Course). After completing Q Course, a candidate will be assigned to a unit and continue to train and eventually deploy. Officers go through a similar pipeline and some of the same courses, but their training focuses more on leadership and planning.
ROLES & ORGANIZATION
The Green Berets are rigorously trained and subject matter experts in unconventional warfare, counterterrorism, foreign internal defense, reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and other strategic missions. Under the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) based out of Fort Bragg, SF is divided into seven groups, five active duty and two National Guard groups. Each SF group is assigned a geographical region, but often train and deploy outside of their assigned region in support of ongoing SF missions.
NOTABLE MISSIONS
The first major missions for the Green Berets came during the Vietnam War, where they advised the South Vietnamese in counter-guerilla operations. They would go on to do increasingly more clandestine work as the conflict escalated. In the following decades SF would continue to be involved in clandestine missions across the globe; they would run counter drug/terrorism missions in Central and South America, hunt SCUD missiles in Iraq during Operations Desert Shield/Storm, and be involved with joint operations like Operation Gothic Serpent (Blackhawk Down) in Africa.
However, after the US was attacked on September 11, 2001, SF were the first to take the fight to the enemy by decimating the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. As the Global War on Terror (GWOT) expanded and escalated SF found themselves engaging and suppressing threats not only in Afghanistan and Iraq, but also globally. Currently with GWOT winding down and new threats emerging, SF is retooling and shifting its focus to maintain mission readiness. The Green Berets have been and will continue to be the tip-of-the-spear, projecting and protecting American interests globally.
