Special Forces - who's the best?

SOCOM has some of the coolest toys:

www.weeklystandard.com...

I'm several decades out of the military loop...so I'm really not qualified to offer an opinion. In any event, blind as a bat...I'd like to throw a dart at this one.

Unless the South Korean mind-set has somehow deteriorated since the conflict in South East Asia...for sheer ferocity and discipline...I imagine that any ROK SF brigade might at least be considered for honorable mention. This would include the army's newer 707th Special Missions Bn.

If anyone has participated in training exercises with one of these units recently...I'd really be interested in your evaluation.


South Korea Army Special Warfare Command




South Korean Soldier or the US Soldier?

(Aka: lets put the big guys up-front?)

Actually, most East and South East Asian Special forces equivalent are worth mentioning. Just because most books and Media focus on the Developed nations, doesn't mean they may not be the best.

If equipments are all on equal terms, I wouldn't discount off the Asian military elite outfits. These guys are tough, in my experience, they out last most western equivalent in the boon with the bearest of essentials.

It's just that, in most cases, the developed nations special forces were able to deploy secretly and in the dark into their target country, thus were able to operate with stealth and surprise. If these nations were to do the same in developed nations with equal imperialistic aggression covered by humantarian BS, they, too, would be able to achieve their mission success with relative or equal results. For Special forces, Killing is easy, if your target does not know you are there, or not expecting you... then bomb the area with air-strikes (they can't shoot down), and finally DiDi out with Helicopters or submarines your adversaries can't afford ?

So how does one compare SF units ?

Just my two cents.

I enjoyed reading what you all have to say and I'd like to offer a personal opinion - although I hope you will forgive me if keep it very brief.

Ok lets get it out the bag, the SAS (SBS-EX_SAS) are THE special forces. I have complete respect for any man, no matter his nationality, that becomes part of any 'special forces' but how do you measure who is the best?

There is only one way, and that is track record and in that regard the SAS is untouchable.

Every, EVERY, SF has/has had an SAS contingent - these are the guys teaching how it is done.

Its nothing to do with bravado, nothing to do with being 'hard as nails',
it's about know-how.

Each to his own I find it comical and compunded by hollywood that you all try and distinguish who has the best SF.
FACT is each countries SF's have thier merits, and you cannot judge based on books, films and internet articles.

It is not a competition on who is the hardest or who's got the best record, I would praise ALL SF's who have individually honed thier methods in each catigory of theatre.

There is cross training amongst the SF's and each unit brings and swaps ideas and methods to the table.
I find it disrespectful and distastful to knock a particular countries SF's simply because a particular unit can swim furthest, run fastest or carry the heavyist pack etc.

We all learn take away ideas, and apply them to suit the environment.
It is often a question of trial and error, and what works for one particular group may not for another.

I have encountered baddass muthers from many SF's during my lifetime, but could I give a definative answer on who's the best ? thats Impossible.

As for elite units 2 Rep FFL I wouldn't like to pick a fight with, and the most willing fighters i've encountered are the Ghurkas. They fear nothing including death, and that they are born with that.

Apart from the Special Air and Boat Services of the United Kingdom who are Special Forces, I have always thought of other branches of the services as having Special 'Operations' Forces - in other words, troops who undertake 'special' operations.

For example the Royal Navy, in addition to having the SBS, also has the Royal Marines and an offshoot, what was once called the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre [what are they called now, anybody?]

The Marines [bless 'em] are not 'special' in the same way the SAS or SBS are, but are more akin to Seaborne Light or Maritime Infantry.

The Army on the other hand, has the Parachute Brigade. Just because they jump from perfectly serviceable aircraft this alone, does not make them 'special'. Some would say this makes them stupid [joke] but to all intents and purposes, they are air delivered medium infantry.

Other Special Operations Forces who train for and execute specialist tasking within the UK but not necessarily exclusively within our borders are, the Army's Force Research Unit and the RAF's 'Operations 10' Group.

Civvie wise, we also have the Met's D10 or D11, Special Branch's E4A and the Diplomatic and Royal Protection Groups.

Very little has ever been heard about the FRU or Ops 10, what their taskings are or what their role is within the great scheme of things.

If anyone can shed any light on the subject, I would be most grateful.

reply to post by fritz


You failed to mention 148 Commando, Commachio, RN Clearance Diving Teams as well as the RN Submarine Parachute Assistance Group - all special in their own way.

The RM MAWC are basically a training team that train marines to mountain leaders - Each Commando will have mountain leaders within them.

reply to post by Wotan[/url]

Yeah, I know mate.

In my defence, my very good friend who was a Squib, told me Commachio
has been renamed and retasked.

As for the rest, I did not mention them simply because, shock, horror, gasp, I know nothing about them and will not pretend to!

There are so many great groups.....obviously you have to credit the SAS with being really the birth place of modern Anti-Terrorism.....America has so many different special forces they all have their superior points over each other in different situations.....I don't think the special search and rescue groups are mentioned enough. I certainly would rather have them on the way then SEALS or etc if I am a downed pilot behind enemy lines....but they don't get much press or hollywood hype.

I did want to throw out a group I am highly impressed with that i don't see much on in most forums.....

and that is the ROK Marines......they still go by the very gritty and tougher training our Marines all went through in the 1960's.....you know all those little traditions that were eliminated for not being PC, or being too dangerous. They also live day and night prepared that tomorrow they will be at war on their own border.

You won't hear many South Koreans coming in these forums and bragging about the ROK Marines.....but ask anyone in any special service you know who has had a chance to work with them, how they estimate them....they are some tough as nails crazy SOBs.

I'd the very least I would put them on the equal of Rangers, or Recon in our country....all of teh ROK Marines are semi special forces.

I feel confident they would still give Chesty Puller a hard on.

There's an excellent training video on what they go through on the net somewhere i I can find it, I'll post.


[edit on 11/7/2008 by ForkandSpoon]

reply to post by ForkandSpoon[/url]

Yup. Good one mate.

I can recall ROK SAS serving alongside both Aussie and Kiwi SAS in the Viet Nam war.

Did a very good job, as I recall.

They pale in comparison to the BOPE... All of them... Their training is so tough on average only five pass every year. They are trained in war scenarios and even the SAS say they are the best Urban combat unit in the world. They kill and torture with little regard. One of the parts of their training is a forced march of 100 clicks fully equiped and after they end it they can only sit in a barrel full of salt. They say the pain is so intense you just pass out. but if you don't sit down on the next day you can't move.

Yup they didn't screw with the ROK forces...because THEY learned the local language, they didn't rely on information from guides that might just as well have hidden agendas, and made very clear EXAMPLES of anyone who messed with them.

reply to post by funlovincriminal


In Kanata we train for 4 years privateley and then do 2 years .

We take flying lessons or train in tanks or helicopters . I trained in a jet and had to run for a few weeks at a time . Once your hurt thats it you dont do the football thing and run again .

It is ok , we dont have a Seal's and no one is anyone there isnt the top gun immage . JTF2 is jail force team 2 , probably kingston thats just conscripts in Afghani like 2000 of em that liek the old conscript marines . They dont have training they come in and fight and die . They should get boot camp and such , our privates as we jokingly call em dont serve outside Canada anymore so you will most likeley only see JTF2 and not us .

As much as some of you might laugh i'd like to nominate the combination RAAF ATC's and Airfield Defense Guards (ADGies) for the most hardcore "Special Forces" team out there. While the Marine Corp, Delta Force and British SAS might have some hard nuts among them, the ATC's were the first to land in Iraq and were chosen to do so because they were the only people in the world considered to be good enough at their job to co-ordinate the massive landing effort of the American army. That's right, Beorge Bush asked Australian soldiers to go in to fight for him because his soldiers weren't good enough, does that hurt your national pride?

Also, if you class a special forces team as "a group of covert operatives tasked with select high value operations" as seems to be the general definition around these parts, i'd like to mention the crew members of the Australian Collins Class Submarines, the only people who have ever managed to penetrate the Iron Circle around a US Battle Group and "Sink" (hold a position without being detected for a period that would enable them to fire enough torpedoes to score a kill) a US Navy Carrier without being detected. the funniest thing is, they did it twice because the Americans didn't believe them the first time. They also managed to sneak into Pearl Harbour and "sink" the majority of US ships stationed there. On top of that they are also one of the only vessels in the world that have been recorded to have avoided ACTIVE sonar from an American Cruiser and proceed to sink aforementioned boat. If you don't believe me, look it up.

Peace Out

Either the 3rd Yak Mounted Mongolian lesbian regiment or the 2nd San Franciscan Queens brigade combined with the 27th Dykes on bikes armoured corps.

does that hurt our national pride? Please spare me. americas pride can never be hurt we invented the taco

Originally posted by CombatDrug
Also, if you class a special forces team as "a group of covert operatives tasked with select high value operations" as seems to be the general definition around these parts, i'd like to mention the crew members of the Australian Collins Class Submarines, the only people who have ever managed to penetrate the Iron Circle around a US Battle Group and "Sink" (hold a position without being detected for a period that would enable them to fire enough torpedoes to score a kill) a US Navy Carrier without being detected. the funniest thing is, they did it twice because the Americans didn't believe them the first time. They also managed to sneak into Pearl Harbour and "sink" the majority of US ships stationed there. On top of that they are also one of the only vessels in the world that have been recorded to have avoided ACTIVE sonar from an American Cruiser and proceed to sink aforementioned boat. If you don't believe me, look it up.

Well one of a few times that has happened, most notably last ear a Chinese submarine did the same thing. As well as a Swedish submarine on loan to the USN has also achieved the same feat. CBG's aren't invincible.

reply to post by Halfbread


one word for ya S.A.S from the uk best in a all round situation US forces will always fall second place even with all the tech them boys carry (all the gear no idea) sorry to bust that idea

I dont think its any of the US or British ones. But I understand that its easy to think so because of all the movies and so on.

Frankly, I believe most of them have similar training and it would be very difficult to say who is the "best" (strange word to use for government sponsored murderers).