US Military Special Operations

All Navy personnel are paid based on their rank and their time in service. The standard military pay chart applies. There are instances where they will get hazard pay, for instance, staying parachute qualified.

The infamous secretive Air Force Base in the Nevada desert, commonly known as Area-51 in the civilian world is actually called S-4.

No, it hasn't.

No. Not even close, even though they do remain on active jump status.

I think it is the Marine Force Recon.

It means 'I have received and understood your communication'.

US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is a Unified Combatant Command (all major combat branches have forces within this command). They are in charge of overseeing all of the Special Operations Commands of each of the branches (ie. MARSOC, AFSOC, etc.). It was created after Operation Eagle Claw failed, which involved units that had never trained and operated together before. One of SOCOM's main roles is to coordinate joint efforts between special operations units of different branches. For example, if SEAL Team 3 and the 1st Ranger Battalion were going to perform an operation together, SOCOM would be in charge of overseeing the operation, not USASOC(Army) or NSWC(Navy), respectively.

Aggregating it may raise its classification level.

The US Navy has two different special operations units. The first unit is the SEALs. They primarily perform covert operations and guerrilla warfare along coastlines, rivers, and the rest of the ocean. However, they also operate on land as well, as seen with the Bin Laden raid when DevGru flew into the middle of Pakistan's capital city, a place where there isn't much water to speak of.

The Navy also has another unit called Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen, or SWCCs. They specialize in helping SEALs infiltrate and escape from hard to reach targets, such as along rivers or canals. They also provide fire support for these types of missions, should they need it.

SOCOM has approximately 66,000 people, as of early 2014. This includes all five component commands: USASOC, NSWC, AFSOC, MARSOC, and JSOC. However, not all of these 66,000 servicemembers are operators. This number includes support and command personnel as well. The US military has about 2.3 million people across the active, reserve, and guard forces. Therefore, SOF personnel account for approximately 3% of the US military.

It is kind of like joining the CIA, you are recruited because you have the right credentials, skills, aptitudes and training. You don't enlist, it is like a very closed fraternal group and you are asked to join.

No. By the time you go in as an officer, you'll be required to make the rank of Captain.. at which point, everyone who got their commission when you did without the senior military college will also be Captains... either you make the cut for SFAS and the Q-Course or you don't... if you don't make the cut, the college you went to isn't going to cause them to pretend like you did make it.

The objective of the navy SEAL night raid is to secure a place under attack.

A SEAL officer is expected to lead his team and keep them focused on the mission. Enlisted SEALs will have various areas that they focus on during an operation, such as the corpsman, who is the team medical expert; the communicator, who deals with the locals if necessary; explosives and air support, etc. Most of the enlisted guys will have skills that overlap, which could give them two to three jobs at once. This allows them to help each other if they get into a bind.

Ranger School has three different sections, or phases. Students are given a clear objective, but have their choice in how to achieve this.

The first phase, or Benning Phase, tests a student's mental and physical strength, leadership capabilities, and other skills required for the next phases. First phase is split into two sections: Ranger Assessment Phase, or RAP, and Squad Operations. RAP is where the majority of student fall out. It contains a physical tests with push ups, sits ups, & chin ups; a 5-mile run within 40 minutes; Combat Water Survival, which tests your abilities with heights and water; night and day navigation tests; 3 mile run with a 25-meter section where you must crawl under barbed wire; demolitions; an Airborne School refresher; and a 15-mile ruck march from one part of Benning to another. The second section deals with squad tactics, patrolling, demolitions, field craft, and communications.

Second phase, or Mountain Phase, deals with combat operations in mountainous environments. The main purpose is to test the student's mental strength. A student could be tired and hungry, and they could be asked to lead a patrol through difficult terrain, even if they just got back from one. The choice of mountains for this section is to induce a feeling of being in the middle of nowhere and knowing how to survive. You also learn how to climb and abseil down mountains and cliffs. You learn how to move across miles of mountainous terrain; ambush enemy patrols, vehicles, and sites; and parachute into small drops zones.

The last and third phase, or Florida Phase, teaches waterborne operations, small boat training, and how to operate in swampy or water environments. You learn how to recognize venomous and non-venomous snakes and how to deal with them. You also go through a 10-day field exercise where you learn how to execute raids and assaults in urban environments. If you pass all three phases, you are awarded your Ranger tab.

Whatever it may be information not accessible, Spec.Ops.Unit members have information protection! These guys just do their jobs and expect no admiration or recognition. Leave them alone!! (LT* first class D.W. Franco - Kansas City)

Some of the test that are done in the Navy Seal training include a timed four-mile, timed 1,000-meter swim and two sets of physical readiness tests.

Yes. The Marines created MarSOC in 2006. The 1st and 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalions (MSOB) were created from the Force Recon companies. The 3rd MSOB was created in 2009. They conduct foreign internal defense (training foreign military units), recon, and direct action operations, similar to the Army Special Forces.

The 23rd STS is an AFSOC unit stationed at Hurlbert Field, Florida. It was created in the early 90s alongside the 21st and 22nd STS, after AFSOC was formed from the 23rd Air Force. They have been heavily involved in Iraq & Afghanistan, and also sent teams of PJs and CCTs to various natural disasters around the world, such as Japan, Haiti, Sumatra, etc. What else do you want to know about them?

Obviously this question is completely personal opinion, and ill be as honest as i can.

The Marines have great sniper. Whether there the best in the whole US Military, i couldnt tell you for certain. But i can say Scout Snipers are very good. Navy SEALs have also been highly recognized for there sniping abilities.

But in my opinion, it is no doubt Delta Force. They are America's #1 Special Operations/Tier 1 unit. You wont hear about there shooting skills though because they are such a classified unit.

Originally Force Recon, they are now known as Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC).

First, you need to be at least a Corporal/E-4. Next, you have to pass a screening board, where they look over your career in the Marines to check for any problems, such as NJPs or other disciplinary actions, then they give you a physical to make sure you are in the proper physical condition and have no psychological or medical conditions that would affect your career in MARSOC or that your initial screening at basic might have missed or have appeared since then. If you pass the screening board, they send you to a Assessment and Selection (A&S) Course, similar to the Army's SFAS. After A&S, if you are selected, you will move on to the Individual Training Course, or ITC, which is similar to the Army's Q-Course. ITC is broken up into 4 different phases.

- Phase 1 focuses on physical fitness, such as swimming and conditioning; field skills, such as navigation and SERE; and mission skills, such planning and communications.

- Phase 2 builds on the previous skills, adding on demolitions, intelligence gathering/recon, and patrolling.

- Phase 3 adds pistol and rifle marksmanship, team tactics, and how to raid various objectives in urban and rural environments.

- Phase 4 works on irregular/guerrilla warfare and how to work with partner nations, such as Iraq or Afghanistan, and advise them during training.

After ITC, you are placed with an operational Marine Special Operations Team or MSOT, and continue your training.

You should talk to your local Marine recruiter if you are interested in joining MARSOC.

There are 8 active SEAL Teams - 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,10; 1 SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) team - 1; and 2 reserve SEAL Teams - 17 & 18. In total, there are 11 teams, excluding DevGru.

SEAL Teams 17 and 18 used to be called Operational Support Teams 1 and 2, but changed into SEAL teams in 2008 to help relieve some of the strain from the active duty teams that were undergoing constant deployments in support of the War on Terror. They were placed under Navy Special Warfare Group 11.

DevGru is an active SEAL team, but they answer to JSOC, not NSWC.

There also used to be a second SDV unit - Team 2 at Little Creek Naval Base in Virginia, but it was merged with Team 1 a few years ago.

It depends on if you were charged at the misdemeanor or felony level. If it was the former, then you can apply for a waiver. If it was a felony, then you can request to have it reduced to a misdemeanor, so long as you did not serve prison time. Probation does not affect this. If the charges are reduced, then you can apply for the waiver. You should talk to a Navy recruiter for more details.