Special Forces - who's the best?

so are the SAS and SBS, we are just more specialized..
The SAS are trained to enter terrority from any mode of transport, overland, in the air, and by sea.
Their training from there is for land combat.
The SBS are the same, except training for maritime combat.
I think you refer to the Paras and Marines, who are specialized in entry using one of the above listed modes only

Unlike the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program which screens foreign participants for any involvement in human rights violations, the Special Forces program, which conducted training exercises in 102 countries in fiscal year 1997, apparently does not.

Source

Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course

On an average less than 50 people graduate the qualification course, of Green Beret training.

If you want to knowexactly how good US Special Forces are here is the record.

Honors

"


Secret medals for unsung heroes of the SAS and SBS
By Michael Smith, Defence Correspondent
(Filed: 29/10/2002)


Special Air Service and Special Boat Service troops hailed for their bravery in operations against al-Qa'eda and Taliban fighters during the war in Afghanistan have won a dozen top military gallantry awards.

Members of the SAS, SBS and the Royal Air Force squadrons that fly their aircraft are awarded four Conspicuous Gallantry Crosses, five Military Crosses and three Distinguished Flying Crosses today."

And this bit CRACKS me up

"At least one member of the SBS was also thought to be in line for a VC. The SBS senior NCO led a patrol of half a dozen SBS commandos who rescued a CIA officer from the Qala-i-Jangi prison near Mazar-i-Sharif in November last year."

If your SF are so good why cant you do it yourself

"AMERICA is to award the Congressional Medal of Honour, the equivalent of the Victoria Cross, to a British Special Boat Service commando who led the rescue of a CIA officer from an Afghan prison revolt.

It will be the first time the medal has been awarded to a living foreigner. The Queen will have to give permission for the SBS soldier to wear it.

The SBS senior NCO led a patrol of half-a-dozen SBS commandos who rescued a member of the CIA's special activities section from the fort at Qala-i-Jangi near Mazar-i-Sharif, last November. The fort was holding 500 al-Qa'eda and Taliban prisoners, many of whom had not been searched and were still armed.

An exchange of fire developed into a full-scale revolt and two CIA officers who had been interrogating the prisoners were caught in the battle. One, Johnny "Mike" Spann, was killed by the prisoners. The other, who has been named only as Dave, was trapped inside.

The SBS patrol was about to leave the area when the revolt broke out but returned to rescue Dave. The uprising went on for three days and the SBS commandos remained throughout, bringing down aerial fire to quell the revolt.

The battle was one of the most contentious episodes in the war last year with human rights groups raising concerns over air strikes against prisoners, some of them unarmed. The SBS is often seen as a poor relation of the SAS but has been present at all leading special forces operations of recent years.

The eagerness of the Americans to recognise the courage of the NCO contrasts with suspicion within the regiment that two SAS soldiers being considered for VCs for an attack on the al-Qa'eda cave complex will not get them.

One led the main attack on the heavily defended al-Qa'eda mountain cave complex near Kandahar while the other directed aerial fire at extreme risk to his life."

remember this?

HAHA Go SBS and SAS do those Yanks jobs

another point is we dont have to flaunt our medals on the internet to try and sound hard.

Nobody is fluanting medals. That information was gained from the US Army Center of Military History.

As a matter of fact, more medals are deserved than are awarded, and often the medals are lowered from what is originally to be given.

This thread can go on and on. If you all really want to know who is the best go to the History Channel

Canadian spec ops group rock and rooll.. I've seen whole cases of Labatts decimated in mere seconds. ..

Just another interesting point...
the only guy in Afghanistan to win the Congressional Medal of Hono(u)r was a British SBS lad, who saved some American lives

Just another interesting point...
the only guy in Afghanistan to win the Congressional Medal of Hono(u)r was a British SBS lad, who saved some American lives

Navy SEALs go through the roughest training anywhere, these guys can tough it out in the worst combat situations.

then, I demand to know, why our SBS (similar to your SEALs, Just better) were sent in to rescue YOUR CIA officers in Afghanistan!
See earlier post for full details

and also why one of our SBS lads was the only guy to be put up for the CMOH!
Outrageous, the only Yank top medal to be awarded is to a Brit!
We're just too good, innit

Originally posted by browha
then, I demand to know, why our SBS (similar to your SEALs, Just better) were sent in to rescue YOUR CIA officers in Afghanistan!
See earlier post for full details

and also why one of our SBS lads was the only guy to be put up for the CMOH!
Outrageous, the only Yank top medal to be awarded is to a Brit!
We're just too good, innit

ahhhh..no one is saying that your special forces are any worse than the navy seals, and I don't see the logic in arguing over who is better as they are both different units. Im sure the SEALs could have rescued the CIA officers just as well if not better than your guys...and one other thing are you an actual special forces soldier, because you keep referring to them as "we"

Well.
I refer to them as 'we' in the context of us all being British.
And I do know quite a few people in the SF/will be in the SF

I would definitely have to say as far as world wide, the Spetsnaz is one of the toughest. As far as the US is concerned I would have to go with Marine Corps Force Recon, Though I might be a little bias though being part of this group heheh but I still have to say that we have worked with some of the SpecOps units from around the world and even other US units. And the Russian guys are some gritty suns-o-guns! We watched a few videos on their training and those guys get beaten half to death if they screw up, we just get the crap PT'd out of us hehehe. And as for other US units, I would have to say the US Coast Guard's Special Enforcement Division was pretty tough. We worked with some of those guys out in Iraq and they could hold their own for sure. They were VERY experienced operators.
USMC First Force Recon Co:
www.forcerecon.com...

My uncles friend was a recon in Desert Storm, he said that 1 seal could take out 10 recon in a room at same time without a weapon. That convinces me there.

[Edited on 30-12-2003 by Laxpla]

Surely the emphasis on who is the toughest of all the special forces is somewhat misguided. The job of the Special forces is more than who is fastest, strongest, fittest etc. The force who succeads will be the force who can out think, out smart, and out manoeuver the enemy. while the spetznaz seem to rely on shear brutality, along with some of the other SF's from the "non-western" countries, the rest train to be the most intelligent whilse also being able to hump it!

i have read a lot about special forces, and am in the military myself, and from what i can glean from it all, i may have to side with my own country on some things. The SAS are world renowned for being the best, however i feel the Special Boat Squadron (SBS) are better, since they are frequently relied on to mop up the mess the SAS sometimes make. a few cases in point can be made by reading duncan falconers book "first into action." And who else would halo jump into the North Sea in winter and swim a mile to an oil rig in the dark and gale force winds, for a training exercise? Only the Crazy Brits! Duncan Falconers book also covers an aspect i never thought about when i thought of SF. Operating under cover with the SAS, 14 Int and other security forces in Northern Ireland. Ive never read about any operations quite like them, very different yet extremely tough. Coming home doesnt always get you out of theatre, they come looking for you. and for those who say the US Marines are the best for Sniping? where did they learn that trick? UK Royal marines. i regularly see US Marines here in my home town learning their trade. and where did the Royal Marines learn to Snipe? from the Ghillies of the scottish estates, stalking deer. Its from them that most of the stalking training of snipers round the world has stemed. for example, the use of a "Ghillie" suit. I do have to admit however that the Bravo Two Zero mission was a bit of a screw up, yet some how andy McNab and his buddies are Heros? i dont get that!

one more point i must make, the Isreali Mossad are crazy! They are the only people who could get real results in the arab theatre of operations, since they can blend in more easily.

Id Love to see the Us Forces try and train in the Scottish weather too!

From info off net;

The United States is well aware of Canada's Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2). The U.S. was impressed by JTF2�s performance in Afghanistan and has requested more of the same for any campaign in Iraq.

JTF2 consists of volunteers from three branches of the Canadian Armed Forces. JTF2 began in 1993 when it took over counter-terrorist duties from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Its numbers are said to be about 350. Its Canadian base is Dwyer Hill Training Centre in Ottawa�s rural west end.

JTF2 works with a budget of $25 million, though Defence Minister hopes to increase this. The average age of a JTF2 commando is 28, considerably more experienced than fresh-faced recruits. As Canadians, JTF2 soldiers are acknowledged to be specialists in cold-weather fighting, having done extensive training in the Canadian Arctic.

This is Canada�s special force, our elite fighters. They are selected and trained as rigorously as any elite force in the world, which includes Britain�s Special Air Service (SAS) and, in the United States, the Green Berets, Rangers and Delta Force. The requirements of the U.S. super-elite Delta Force probably also apply to Britain�s SAS and Canada�s JTF2, which means a quarter of those who volunteer � and these are top soldiers � are routinely washed out. Of those who go on, one in 10 makes it to the elite unit.

SAS are by far the best due to there past record, you can only be impressed look on here www.specwarnet.com...
and here
home.hccnet.nl...

Even when 8 SAS soldiers mucked up due to the worst conditions in Iraq for 30 years they manage to kill 250 soldiers with four of the SAS surviving. One of the SAS members didnt get caputured and walked 180 miles across Iraq to the Syrian border. Also the captured SAS troops were tortuered horifically and still came out alive, they were starved to death and put in solitary confiment for 44+ days!

The russian Spetznantz may have the toughest training but theve failed on numerous occasions like when terriosts took over the theatre in Moscow, they gassed half the hostages.

[Edited on 2/1/04 by Davedarave]

Nah, id still say the SBS rather than the SAS, they are Second

Has nobody ever heared of the German Kommando Spezial Kr�fte (KSK)?



Here is a Link with rather Outdated Information, but the only one I could find in English:

www.specwarnet.com...

The KSK was also involved in "Enduring Freedom":




A little Picture Gallery:

www.kskmod.de...


And two Videos:

www.kskmod.de...

www.kskmod.de...

no, havent forgotten, they just arent up to the same standard, germant forces in general arent up to standard!