Most Badass Special Forces?
http://listverse.com/2010/01/11/top-10-badasses-o…
The Spetsnaz is pretty hardcore, but I think I'm going to agree with their ranking of the SAS at #1. Does anyone else deserve an honorable mention?
Whereas most of the training regimens of militaries around the world are designed to teach, Russia’s Special Purpose Regiments, equivalent to the U. S. Green Berets, endure punishment daily throughout their training. They may quit anytime they want. The Spetsnaz want only the best, pain-hardened, battle-loving killers.They spar with the express goal of injuring each other, breaking ribs, fingers, vertebrae, healing only long enough to get back on their feet and complete the training. They are typically deployed for reconnaissance or house-to-house close quarters combat, but are also employed as extremely formidable bodyguards for high-ranking politicians.
They claim that they are not taught to ignore pain, since that is impossible. They are instead taught to enjoy it.
Please, let's not do this.
What is this, Venus In Furs? XD
I was gonna say sas but don't really need to
Navy Seals.
Please. Look at all the military shit the USA does. Seals get so much action.
G4 (TV channel) does these types of ranking.
I think ranking special forces is pretty silly and borderline retarded. It is not about how "hardcore" a country's special forces soldiers are, it is about the will of the the country's ruling political party to use them.
LOL at cripple fight.
Seriously though, if it wasn't for Special Forces doing their job, I'm sure there would be a hell of a lot more terrorist attacks.
young grasshopper, I dont think you're aware that the US GOV finances "terrorists"....
this list is so badass.
Israeli
ok, by badass do you mean most ruthless and corrupt?
bump this fucker.....
The most lethal killing machine.
"lethal killing"...redundancy would like a word with you
Training is one thing and actual experience another entirely. Ultimately, what's going to make the most lethal soldier is a combination of natural athletic and mental predisposition, extensive, specialized training, and, finally, EXPERIENCE.
Either way, this "most badass" ranking is akin to the typical "which bank is most prestigious?" thread. These guys are all trained killers who we wouldn't stand a chance against. I've seen relatively young SEALs in action in a bar fight and it wasn't pretty for the other guys. Not that it's a great comparison, but still... not people I'd ever want to mess with.
Seals are the best trained. Spetznas are probably the most ruthless.
US marine force recon for most unknown and bad ass.
I read an article a while back about a 12 man team of SAS guys in Afghanistan who came under attack from 300+ insurgents and defended their position without even a wound. Trying to find it now
SEALs aren't even the best trained guys in the Navy ANT. Silly rabbit
SBS is by far more secretive and elite than the SAS. The SBS teams chose from the SAS pool.
special boat service?
^yes
to OP:
I asked this to an ex NZ SAS guy and he mentioned that there was a brawl at a networking event after dinner at a global special forces conference in the 1990s. delta, SAS, devgru, mosad etc etc beat the shit out of each other and SAS looked like they were winning. but somewhere in the middle of the fight someone punched a gurkha who were minding their own business. they proceeded to destroy everyone else except those that realised what was happening and backed to the sides of the room.
according to him: "[those gurkhas are crazy little motherfuckers, the problem is that they hit hard are too fucking fast]"
^ That
I have a buddy who was a former green beret, former sniper, and almost finished ranger school, but he broke his leg towards the end of training. He is pretty badass not to mention a little psychotic.
So......your buddy was a green beret and a sniper, and then decided to go to ranger school right?
Sorry, I didn't put the correct timeline. He was a sniper, went to ranger school and broke his leg, then was a green beret.
That's pretty impressive, considering Ranger school comes before you'd even be considered for Green Berets.
Honestly, not to disparage them, but being a Ranger is not up there with being a D-boy, SAS, NCS SAD. One of my buddies passed Ranger school a few months ago, and is now going on to EOD training, which is significantly harder. He's hardly psychotic or what you picture when you think of a spec ops operator; he's pretty laid back, very religious, and a general nice guy.
The SEALs have fucked up pretty badly several times in Afghanistan. Spetsnaz might be in to beating each other up, but they're not very good when it counts; look at their record in hostage extraction situations. NCS has publicly embarrassed themselves in Germany, Italy, and most recently Pakistan. Despite that, Delta, NCS SAD (technically not special forces, but they do direct action so I figure they can be included), and the top SAS and Israeli units (whose names are classified) probably belong at the top of the list.
More importantly, it matters what capability you're looking at. SEALs are probably the best at aquatic assault. AF CCT is among the best at what they do. SAS and Green Berets are good at direct action. SAS Recon and Marine Task Force Recon are among the best at extended operations. Delta and specific Israeli units are among the best at hostage extraction and targeted action. CIA NCS and other countries' equivalents are good at human rendition. It doesn't matter how "badass" a specops unit is any more than it matters how "prestigious" a bank is; what matters is whether they get the job done efficiently.
Stick to what you know.
Sorry, sometimes I'm semi-retarded. Please read my above timeline correction.
reading Lone Survivor will make you put the SEALs pretty damn high...though Delta is clearly the most elite as their existence is not even formally acknowledged and they take the best of the other special forces...record is a tad spotty though...and by spotty I mean they fck every thing they've ever done (at least that we know about).
What about Task Force 20?
Delta = SEAL Team Six = British/Aussie SAS > everything else
The French equivalent to the SAS: the GIGN http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gendarmerie_Intervention_Group
and probably the most badass: the French foreign legion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion
[quote=Scratchy]The French equivalent to the SAS: the GIGN http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gendarmerie_Intervention_Group
and probably the most badass: the French foreign legion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion[/quote]
did you really just list a french force in this discussion?
ebay listing: "like new condition french ww2 rifle for sale. never fired, only dropped once!"
http://www.strategypage.com/humor/articles/military_humor_complete_list…
[quote=bankbank][quote=Scratchy]The French equivalent to the SAS: the GIGN http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gendarmerie_Intervention_Group
and probably the most badass: the French foreign legion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion[/quote]
did you really just list a french force in this discussion?
ebay listing: "like new condition french ww2 rifle for sale. never fired, only dropped once!"
http://www.strategypage.com/humor/articles/military_humor_complete_list…]
Yeah I did, and guess what, if you read English properly, you'll see that it's called Foreign Legion which basically means that these guys are not French ;) but joined the French army for different reasons (because it's a good one may be one of these )
Btw, this one's wrong: Also some sickening but true information came my way about the French. In French text books the U.S. in WWII is only 1 paragraph of information and worst of all D-day isn't mentioned at all!!!
Schools usually take their students on a trip to visit the famous beaches and other places of the D Day.
This one is funny "Do you know it only took Germany three days to conquer France in WWII? And that's because it was raining."
[quote=bankbank][quote=Scratchy]The French equivalent to the SAS: the GIGN http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gendarmerie_Intervention_Group
and probably the most badass: the French foreign legion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion[/quote]
did you really just list a french force in this discussion?
ebay listing: "like new condition french ww2 rifle for sale. never fired, only dropped once!"
http://www.strategypage.com/humor/articles/military_humor_complete_list…]
This is the French equivalent to Seals: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_commandos_(France)
GIGN is more related to special situations and counter terrorism on the French territory. Despite all angry comments on the thread they are both pretty "badass"
http://www.spike.com/full-episodes/chhzvb/deadliest-warrior-green-beret…
spetsnaz all the way. Those guys are creepy as fuck.
Anyone who gets information from Spike doesn't deserve the oxygen he consumes.
I think the real question is which special forces offers the best exit ops into IB and PE!!!!! LOL
Mossad (Israeli) Not even a question
Operation Wrath of God Operation Entebbe All of their Nazi hunts plus all the covert shit they're doing to slow down Iran while the rest of the world does nothing
These guys are baller
Q: What do women who are snipers in the French military use as camouflage? A: Their armpits.
my mind is forever scarred.
Lol, this is silly. You are all mixing military special forces with intelligence agencies. Also, the most badass are obviously the ones not listed because you don't know they exist.
chuck norris
PwC corporate finance
Not the most badass, but certainly the most punishing training (assuming its not pure propaganda) http://askakorean.blogspot.com/2011/03/ask-korean-news-north-korean-spe…
Quite frankly there has never been a situation the A-Team cant handle.
As someone mentioned above, the various special forces units aren't worth their spit if their government doesn't have the balls to let the dogs off the leash. With that said I would have to go with Shayetet 13. It seems like they (both the government and the operators) are the most likely to do whatever it takes to get the job done...which is paramount.
As far as training is concerned...like Happy mentioned, it just depends on the need. Force Recon is no joke if you need/want their specific skills, the same with the SEAL Teams, specifically DEVGRU/ST6 (I have a buddy on ST6).
Regards
ST6 = DEVGRU
Yes, I know this. I was merely clarifying for those that don't know they are one in the same.
Regards
Prior to deploying to Iraq, my unit was doing mout training at 29 palms and there was 2 Delta operaters who had just come back from Ramadi literally within a few days. They were training us on the most current tactics. One of them was a former Ranger and the other was a former Seal, in other words Delta takes the best from other units which means they are the most badass as far as American SF goes.
And GS SSG
Hahaha.
Shin Bet, they were able to do the most important intelligence coup of the Cold War, getting Kruschev's speech denouncing Stalin. Still, Mossad is the best.
Israeli SFs Indonesian Kopasus
Dutch KCT anyone?
I did Jiu Jitsu for a while and my advanced class was filled with every single american special ops group, everyone agreed 100% that seals ruled the coup....One guy was a former chemical engineer from UT who got bored with it, joined the Navy, tried out for seals and broke his femur in hell week. Not that good at JJ but strong as a mother fucker, and only like 5'6".
Check out videos of a Mark 19 then talk to me about bullet sizes.
I'm well aware of the badassery of the gun, but wouldn't really call MK19 grenades bullets. If you really want big bullets, go with the .950 JDJ.
http://blog.robballen.com/2009/09/30/p3759-why-because-they-could.post
the scouts... they beat up the stig after all
Yeah but I'm pretty sure that alone won't get you into the actual training... and if it does then whoever does the bare minimum has a great chance of not making it through the whole thing
I'm sick of people thinking that the SEALS are the undisputed best SOF in the US... like others have said, it's about the job
Special Forces - I've been told that recently they are used primarily for going into a territory and teaching others how to fight
SEALS - obviously better in the water
Force Recon - go waaaaay behind enemy lines
USMC SOB - Marines other Special Operations Forces so they are under the order of SOCOM... a lot of people in the Marines don't like the idea because they want the best of the Marines to be under control of the Marines (Force Recon)
Air Force PJs - these may actually be the most intensively trained non delta/devgru sof. I've been told that there's usually at least one of them with every SEAL team because they're great at navigating through areas. (they are primarily para-rescue jumpers... your plane gets shot down way behind enemy lines, chances are these guys are coming for you. I guess it's not hard to make friends with people in other branches of the military if you're a pj either considering if they get screwed, you're gonna be trying to save them)
Delta - takes the best from any group... CIA, FBI, USMC SOB, SEALS, Green Beret, etc
DEVGRU - I'm guessing they only take the best of the best from the SEALS. They were also said to be present when the SEALS puh-POWd those pirates at the same time (they probably did it which shows just how great these guys are... 3 kill shots by 3 different guys at the same time from one boat to another? my god. seriously...)
In the US I'd say it's between Delta/DEVGRU
out of all countries I'd say it's between Delta/DEVGRU, SAS/SBS, and Israeli Special Forces
I've also heard that SBS is even more selective than SAS... can anybody confirm?
disclaimer: mad props to anybody in the military... I don't care if you're a grunt or General Patton. I only decided to add to this discussion because it was something I was researching for a while because I was sooo close to joining the Marines.
Not sure about this.....I never heard of anybody going from the CIA to Delta, not that any of us would actually. I can say something that I do know though. A lot of SF guys work for contractors doing the same work for more money.
It's annoying when people talk about something as if they've done it before
If that's regarding me then no, I haven't done it before but the closest you're going to get to somebody who can comment on this stuff having done it before is going to be a guy that is probably in Delta or at least in 2 of the SOFs... You're not gonna find anybody who can give you a clear understanding of all of the SOFs from first hand experience but I'd like to think that I've done a lot of decent research.
If I said anything that's false let me know.
I've read from a couple sources that people from the private sector can be given invitations to try out for Delta. But like you said, there's no way to confirm it... if anything it seems like the CIA's crazy secret groups would recruit from Delta but I'm sure it's not impossible for a CIA agent to get into Delta if he's shown that he has what it takes.
I've heard of signs announcing tryouts for Delta put up across army bases before. Of course they didn't say Delta, they're official name is thought to be 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (it pretty much is but nobody can confirm).
And yeah, mercenaries make some good money... I'm sure you've heard of Blackwater?
I'd rather be an economic hitman.
^^^^^ sick book.
Now Xe so they can remain in Iraq
I think the events of the past few days have put this debate to rest.
SEALS.
Next question.
It's with no disrespect to the SAS. I think my patriotism clouds my judgment. Oh well.
Haha, I was thinking of bringing this thread back too. ST6 is so badass. Definitely shares the top with any other group.
This will definitely go down in history as one of the most successful special operations missions of all time. Made my week hearing about it.
I wasn't expecting it to be ST6... I was thinking Delta Force if anything. They do the Somali Pirates then kill Osama... It seems like they're the go-to group for this type of stuff now.
I was a little surprised at ST6 also. The CIA is getting a ton of credit for compiling all of the intelligence in order to put this operation together. You would think they would have used their Special Activities Division and keep everything in-house. The only thing I can think of is that SEALs do a ton of oil platform training, and the layout of this compound was pretty similar to that of a platform. Who knows, they may have just been the most convenient SF group at the time. In all honesty, they said there were two dozen guys sent, none of them were injured (meaning they must have killed any opposing forces present), and they only took 6 lives. This isn't something that two Marine Corps infantry squads couldn't have done.
I'd agree just looking at the end result, but I doubt anybody in charge would have wanted to risk this mission by putting it in the hands of Marine Infantry squads. If it was.....you bet there would be pictures circulating the internet with Marines posing and smiling next to Osama's dead body!
Yeah... I wonder how many SAD operatives were there.
You never know though, maybe two Marine Corps infantry squads could have done that... I thought they only killed Bin Laden and ~3 other guys that were actually dangers to our troops. I'm not trying to belittle what the SEALs/CIA did because no Americans being harmed are great, but it actually doesn't seem like there were many people in the compound to begin with. Obviously some Marine squads could have definitely went in there and killed Osama, no American injuries may be a little iffy but I don't think it's something that you can flat out deny from being possible.
Actually, I looked up how many people are considered to be in an infantry squad and I'm getting 9(?)... in that case, the team that actually went in there and did it had more people than two Marine Corps infantry squads would.
In a Marine Corps infantry squad you have 3 fireteams consisting of 4 men each, plus a squad leader. That would be 26 for two, but pretty close either way. I got a body count of 5 from the corrective statement the WH released today. They said it was OBL, the courier and his brother, OBL's son, and a woman who wasn't his wife. His wife was injured, but left there apparently. Either way, I'm sure the mentality was that it's better to use special forces just to be sure.
Yeah makes sense. That's pretty cool that Delta/DEVGRU split things up according to location. I honestly thought Delta would be the top top ones considering they have never actually been confirmed to exist. ST6 is a lil higher up than I thought. I could only imagine being badass enough to be on DEVGRU/Delta and to be able to go on these types of missions.
i read somewhere that ST6 and Delta split afghanistan into operational areas and they operate out of separate bases and this mission was more conveniently located for ST6 to handle.
seems like ST6 and delta do more or less the same thing in areas like iraq and afghanistan (unless it somehow involves the water, in which case SEALs used more). they also operate together in teams for some JSOC missions.
don't think oil platform training has anything to do with it. these guys fight and die anywhere.
True, but they do take into account specialized preparation when carrying out operations. I'm not saying that it was the definitive reason they went with ST6, but it may have contributed.
badass song if you guys have never heard it. sounds a bit folky, but the lyrics are rad.
All of this talk is great and how badass this group is or that group is purely academic. The thing that makes these guys as good as they are is the whole team. From the skinny little 30 lbs brain intel analyst that break down the intercepted phone calls and budget analysts that follow the money. All of these guys that you never hear about that do massive amounts of work for little to no money, miss holidays and eat crappy food. The guy in the tac van that controls the predator, the aerial refuel-er, the pilots in the helos and the tac-air cats sitting off the boarder waiting just in case "Murphy" raises his little head. Including the T-hawk ship driver that is the back up if everything is crap and the bad guy might be out by tomorrow. Its a team thing and anyone on the "teams" will tell you that's what its about. Because the moment someone tells you you're going down range and there are no air services except insertion and extraction it might take three people to remove the cushion you were sitting on from your asshole.
It was a team effort. And yes "Fortune does favor the bold"!
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of All Who Threaten It! Go Navy!
Obviously the support is essential, but some of this this is kind of like me saying the reason my PE fund is as good as it is is because of our fund accountants filling out our tax returns and structuring our fund's corporate structure.
Everybody contributes but the operators are clearly contributing more.
Not more just a key part. This is why in the SPECOPS community we hate the key player mentality. Violence of action may be a small percentage of direct action. 95% is the background. I used to think the operators were the nexus of all things as a young Ensign. Now I know better. I was also more effective when I got the point.
CIA Special Activities Division. They take the best from Delta/SEAL/75th Regiment
Not true anyone with a former military background can get in. Mike Spann was a USMC artillery officer. They are separated into maritime, ground and air branches.
No it is true. They recruit the best from special forces. Some civilians make it too (Albeit very smart or with very specific skills
They do take the best from those, but I have a feeling that they don't do the same types of jobs as Delta/SEALs/Rangers/Force Recon/etc... all depends on the job.
I'd say there isn't much of a difference between the capabilities of DEVGRU and Delta.
I didn't have the time/patience to go through all the other responses, but....... Seal Team 6. My God. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/world/middleeast/05seals.html?hp
I can't believe this debate exists.
The most badass until of all is not even featured on that list. It is called Sayeret Matkal. It is considered the most elite and selective special forces unit in the Israeli army. There is something called Yom Sayert in Israeli before unit selection. It is mean something along the lines of 'day of special forces'. On this day people are selected to go to the final trial for special forces where these elite soldiers units will be chosen. On the Yom Sayeret day soldiers list their choice of unit. The most popular and exclusive is always Matkal, after that it is the Shayetet 13 which is ranked 2nd in OP posted list of most badass forces. This unit is so secretive and selected there is literally nothing know about it. One thing I can tell you is that nearly every Prime Minister in the history of Israel has been in this unit. Although Sayeret Matkal has its own insignia, it is also one of the few units in the IDF whose soldiers are not allowed to wear it in public due to its classified nature. Case closed !
What family connection do you have to Israel?
Nobody can be better than ST6/Delta.
imfuture, stop it. you're just as clueless as the rest of us are when it comes to who really is the best special operations force in the world. though I'm sure the fact that the Israelis are always fighting doesn't hurt them.
there's no clear "winner" and I doubt there ever will be. saying that force A is flat out the best force in the world does nothing but tell most people to stop listening to you
haha relax wolverine, I'm just giving Matkal a deserved mention. Calm down sir.
again, how would you know that Mr. Hetfield?.... they're all still human
there's also CIA SAD (CIA agents were also present during the raid that killed Osama), Gray Fox, Torn Victor, etc. that are less known that ST6/Delta, but nobody on this site will know what they've actually done.... I never understood why Obama had to mention that ST6 killed Osama
what I do know is that I just want to see a glimpse of what these sof guys actually do... more specifically the missions they're put on, the weapons they're using (silencers used to kill Osama, probably badass)... I really want to see their targets after a day out on the range ha
it's weird that this thread go resurrected, I just started reading about sof forces again, it's been about two years since the last time I've done that
You all just need to shut the fuck up.
great contribution bro
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