ABSOLUTELY NOT. Delta and Green Berets are two completely
different special operations units with very different standards,
missions, and roles. Delta Force was formed by a Green Beret (Col.
Beckwith), who wanted to create a free-standing special operations
unit similar to the British SAS. Delta exists outside of the
traditional Army special operations hierarchy and is completely
autonomous. It is the most elite, professional, covert, and
exclusive special operations unit in the entire US armed forces.
Only very select Green Berets and Rangers are asked to try out for
Delta Selection. Only a very very small percentage of those
actually make it in. Delta has actually run Selection courses where
they have not accepted a single candidate. That's how elite and
high Delta's standards are. So Delta is the best-of-the-best
special operators (Green Berets and Rangers), who once accepted
then undergo years of more specialized training.
Green Berets basically specialize in unconventional warfare,
training foreign armies, and some reconnaissance. Delta specializes
in hostage rescue, recon, direct action, and anything else that
needs extreme tactical perfection and covert surgical precision.
Delta also takes part in black operations, high-value-target
assassinations, etc. So Delta is a big step above the Green Berets,
taking the best of them and the best Rangers, and then training
them to an utter precision point. Delta is by far the most elite
special operations unit that the US has to offer.
Colonel Beckwith was looking to create a unit more elite and
specialized than the Green Berets for the purposes of
counter-terrorism, autonomous direct action missions, and black
operations. Delta exists outside of the Army special operations
community and is managed by the Joint Special Operations Command,
with a direct line to top Department of Defense brass. Very
autonomous and no bureaucracy to slow them down. Delta takes
candidates that are the best Green Berets and Rangers, but only
maybe 10 (at most) make it through a year. After that, they have
years of more rigorous training before becoming a full
operator.
