My bad gents, 160th is obviously Army, not Airforce. Brain was thinking aircraft and said Airforce. I meant they are the best AVIATION unit I’ve ever worked with. Had the privledge of flying into multiple combat operations with them in Afghanistan.
I was a Marine and due to our mission I worked with a few different spec ops units in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nothing crazy, mostly just sharing battle space or supporting missions. I was always impressed by the SF units, bunch of good dudes both humble and capable. One of my Marines ended up getting out and joining the Army, eventually becoming SF. Years later a bunch of us went to Ft. Bragg for his funeral, afterwards they had us over to their establishment out in town and we had a few beers with his unit, once again just a good bunch of guys. Of note was the huge wall of pictures dedicated to Green Berets that lost lost their lives on operations. Very humbling, but I was also very proud as an American of these guys. Top notch.
As a former Force Recon turned MARSOC guy I agree with what you said. Rankings and the figuring out what they want to be. We started with 2 platoons of Force dudes supported by a platoon of Marine grunts. That changed quickly. It was supposed to model a squadron. The selling point of MARSOC was conducting Company ops which they rarely do. A Marine general after telling us recon marines that we had no right to be there, said he wanted us to do 1st class SR, he didn’t know what that was or what it looked like but that’s what he wanted. That changed. The main point he said was that we would do everything including windows. The big problem with MARSOC is its Higher Leadership. Ex. Kyle Morgan having Raiders being called and told not to support the hotel hostage rescue. Because they would compromise their mission in country at that time. This was while they were clearing rooms. Also in the beginning of MARSOC formation 3rd MRB was filled with just grunts. Caused big problems and they gained rank and leadership positions. But in the eyes of people in charge that Never took selection, “A Marine can do anything. Because we are All Marines! Something something you’re not special something Marine!” I’ve been out of it for a decade now so it’s probably better.
I will put Green Berets on top of Raiders. When it comes to fighting I believe Raiders may be a little more Aggressive. Now this is definitely biased! I never had a bad time serving and fighting alongside Green Berets. Outstanding professionalism! Great F’ing Dudes. Especially 7th Group.
I believe they're shifting towards modeling after the A-Teams now, I've heard of a few SF dudes at the schoolhouse,the structure is like A-Teams but 14, it's a good idea I think,if you want work 24/7
@@Frank-uw5xq SF dudes helped write the beginning curriculum sop for ITC. Especially for UW. They were instrumental in helping turn MARSOC into what it is today. The one thing we have over SF in initial training is our CQB course which includes breaching with basic explosive charges. This was something that came from us Force Recon guys. Everyone can, “Push the Fight!”
Former PSYOP here, I started as an 18x (ended up being a non-select at the end… yes make your jokes, I’m a failure 😝) and went PSYOP because it was either that, Rigger or go to RASP. I realized I just did not want to be in the SF community as bad as I thought. Nothing against SF, I think they are exceptional at what they do. No excuses. I chose Psyop because I wasn’t going to be a rigger. I didn’t go to Rasp because I knew a lot about the culture at Ranger Regiment and I quite frankly just did not want to be in that unit and realized I was not door kicker material. Just calling it how it is 🤷♂️. Unbiased opinion.. I agree completely that PSYOP and CA definitely do NOT fall under the Operator category and the PSYOPers that do are just trying to make themselves feel better. I never was one to try to compete with other SOF forces or prove my worth on the tactical side of things because quite frankly it’s just two completely different things. It’s like trying to compare apples to oranges. Having said that, PSYOP falls under the SOF umbrella for the reason being that in the ARSOF core tasks (I.e Special recon, FID etc…) one of the core tasks is MISO (military information support ops). With the type of black psyop that is done on deployments and operations (influence without someone knowing) there needs to be a much higher level of compartmentalization (I.e you need a TS clearance). That is why Psyop falls under the SOF umbrella. I think Psyop gets a bad rap because a lot of the force tries to say they belong in the stack with the GBs and Rangers when in reality they absolutely do NOT 😂. Not trying to be something I’m not or justify my existence on the tactical side of things, but I do believe Psyop has its role in the SOF community. Especially where the world is headed with limited DA conflicts and more Information warfare oriented things. Ironically enough all the TS clearance schools such as Touchstone is FILLED with GBs now as SF is starting to see the lethality and legitimacy of it. I hear what you’re saying when you were working with PSYOP and they offered nothing to you guys. Unfortunately you probably just worked with crappy dudes. There are some legit PSYOPers in the regiments that actually know how to support the mission and am ODA effectively. Having deployed on a CFT with all the ARSOF branches, the biggest issue they got in the way of actually getting work done was massive Egos on ALL sides. I believe that there would be a lot more efficiency in the force if the PSYOP dudes stopped trying to run the in the lanes of the GBs and Rangers, and the GBs and Rangers gave a little more space for the capabilities of what MISO can offer on the battlefield. Basically In short everyone needs to get their egos in check.. but anyone that has spent time in any SOF field knows that Special Operations is a breeding ground for massive egos 😂🙏. Not singling out anyone, it’s just a fact.
Much appreciate the recognition and respect put out on the CCT community. I worked with ODA 391 my last deployment in 2004. Bar far the most professional group of operators I worked with. Stone cold killers and ground hammers. They did EVERYTHING right. Priorities of work, work ethic, leadership, tactically sound as it gets. The medic "Mike" was a freaking magical in saving dudes. NEVER seen such calm and confidence while in the fire. For what it's worth: "CCT prefers to work with ODA over SEAL's any and every day of the week." God bless, JB
thanks a lot bro your info gave me a bunch of insight, i was aspiring to become a seal but after watching this i did a little more research and decided to go marsoc.
Get ahold of Jake Zweig he'll give the PDF to train, he's former Seal , he'll advise you to go Army SF, which you definitely need to reconsider, go SF bro
I’ve talked with Jake Zweig. Just email him and get the PDF, don’t even bother talking with him if you didn’t hit semi-passed to good scores on that PDF with data collected. And if you can go to college just do that. I really wanted to enlist as a Pararescue years ago (I was able to perform everything above the minimum standard except my pushups was stuck at 65 in 2 mins) and he immediately shot me down calling me a bookworm 😂 this is when I was rejected by all the universities I applied to. I had completely given up on life. He motivated me to try another year, but this time do it like I mean it, and lo and behold I got into UC Berkeley as physics major while doing Pre-Med. he’s intimidating at first but he got a big heart, great guy.
@@Frank-uw5xqJake Zweigs training is a absolute joke and unethical. Running 50-60 miles a week is not actually building your body, but making it worse. 7-12 miles a week is all you really need.
you forgot the ranger regimental reconnaissance company and the Intelligence support activity(who go on recon, SSE and surveillance missions for intel on certain missions that Delta and Devgru go on) and the 24th Special tactics squadrons(Mainly flies the tier 1 units and provides, PJs for medical expertise, CCTs, TACPs and JTACs trained at the tier 1 level) you also have JMAU, or the elite covert surgical unit meant to covertly operate on operators who've been injured and Cas-vac isn't possibly.
I was in a precursor unit to SFAB in '08. We were called Military Transition Teams (MiTT). MiTTs were modeled to "mimick" the indig mission of the ODAs - 11 man team, each with a MOS specialty (I was the Commo Chief). Obviously, we were in no way "operators". At one point, the Army was debating giving us a "Combat Advisor" tab🤣. I spent a year living with an Iraqi Infantry Battalion - what a shitshow!! We did, however, spend that year living on our own away from conventional forces, and that was actually pretty awesome. Spent some time on COP Cobra w/ a team from 1st Group. By late '08, Army was requiring coalition forces to conduct all missions with Iraqi Forces involved, so the ODA had us bring the Iraqi jundis out on a couple partner missions. That was mostly cool. We pretty much just had to babysit the Iraqis and make sure they didn't get blown up...but they always managed to find a way! Anyway, looking back, even though that deployment was a total dumpster fire, I sometimes feel that was the best time I had in the Army.
Actually, Delta actively recruits out of Special Forces as well as Rangers, sat in on one of their presentations in Okinawa. Regards, Denis Berte' SFC 1st Group 18E (84-95)
@@denisberte778 Yeah, a lot of Delta guys started in SF but SF guys have a tendency to stay in SF whereas Rangers get to and move from the Regiment at faster rate resulting in less former SF guys in other units
1:22 I think the best evidence of Delta being #1 is the fact that we literally NEVER hear about Delta compared to numerous "Seal Team 6" missions disclosed (not long after they happened, for that matter). I think the whole "Seal Team 6 is the top unit" thing is like those times when the Mafia had a fake boss as a "lightning rod" and only insiders knew who was really running things.
I’d have add a few to the Tier 1 department, like ISA and the 124th STS from the AFSOC side of the house. RRD as well, those dudes are total studs. But I think you nailed it otherwise 🤙🏻
I'm an currently preparing for BUD/s because my father and grandfather were in the Navy. I couldn't see myself going anywhere else due to family tradition, hopefully I can make it through and the next generation can fix the reputation. My buddy was a PJ and that's something I would love to do, but I chose Navy.
Nate. Love the channel. Reading the comments 160th S.O.A.R. is most definitely ARMY. 24th S.T.n O.S. Air Force. Just curious since you coverd just about everybody in U.S.S.F.C. you didn't mention the 528th S.B. 112th sof signal Bn. Or 389th M.I. Bn. Any comments Also any dealings with the AFSOC C.W.C.T. Now I think strategic reconn. ? Loved the " group personality " and the 18 A. My Son is a T.L. with the " Legion" @ CAMPBELL. Again great channel Thank you
Great material, finally I found someone who can say what experience he has with a particular unit and which one seems better to him and not like most others "it doesn't compare" BS.
Awesome video! I'm a big fan. I have four questions. I'm not sure if you have complete insight on these, but if you do, I'd love to know. I understand that your expertise is on the SF side so I understand if you don't. 1. Have you worked with DevGru personally? Do you think they have better leadership that perhaps maintains a balance of respect for the Navy side? 2. Where would you rank Force Recon in comparison to the SEAL teams and Ranger Battalion? 3. What are the differences between Ranger Battalion and other infantry units? 4. Despite the common perception that Marines are underfunded, based on your experience working with MARSOC, are they adequately equipped and trained for successful missions? Also, I've never understood why Marines are considered underfunded, especially since they're often referred to as the first to fight.
Hey man I think you would benefit from checking out Jake Zweig. ex seal. he always reccomends btw when it comes to tier 1 units... its gonna take you a long time to get there. so dont even think about it until you go into their sub units.... if youre talking about DEVGRU, youre gonna have to be a seal for atleast 5-6 years... it seems like thats not what you wanna do
Exactly! Air Force SR has an attrition rate of 93% apparently and they learn a lot of different trades like CCT's. I think the Air Force SFU's don't get enough recognition, but again that's my opinion 🤷🏼♂
A million years ago when I was in the Navy I was a SARC with recon, a lot of people thought we were SOF, I responded 'kinda but not really.' Pre-MARSOC. Thanks for explaining 'tiers', people don't understand that.
I was an Army Ranger and can agree with his assessment of Rangers..I was in the 2/75th Ranger Bn in 1980-1981..I enlisted to be a Ranger,and at that time it took me 5 months from my first day in the army till I step foot into what was at that time RIP..Rangers are young,motivated,smart,crazy fucks..Advanced infantry is right..When you need more than a "TEAM" on the ground yesterday,Rangers get the call..At the time I was in,the next logical step for any Ranger was SF..One of the NCO's in my platoon actual made into DELTA,and from what I was told was one of the few casualties in the Grenada invasion
I guess I am in the minority here *Former Marine). I have respect for each of our branches. But there is one in particular that needs a reboot in the worst way. We all know who they are. But the criticism on Marsoc can only be vetted by other Marsoc CSO's and people who have worked with them. It does get old to see the big army constantly looking down on the Marine Corps. It is the Ford Vs Ferrari analogy. I remember judging a super squad competition and being blown away at how well those young Marines performed. In the Okinawan hot sun no less. They genuinely impressed me. I can't imagine what Recon and Marsoc are capable of because Marsoc did not exist when I was in, and I was barely around the Recon Bubba's. I was a part of CIF in the pacific in the 90's. SF where the allstars and we were their cordon force. Their Sgt Major treated us well and gave us high praise. I can remember the ODA's laughing at us and asking why we were so hard on our guys (making them push when they dropped their weapon, ect ect). It was a totally different culture for them, but I do not remember any bad blood. We were happy to work with them. I cannot say the same for other branches and units. We were told to be lords of discipline when we cross polenated with them, but the "stupid Marine" comments got old, and I could only do so much to hold my guys back at that point. We have to understand everyone's role in this game and respect what we can and cannot do for each other. Yes, there are some units that need a complete leadership overhaul and to have their ego's checked, but at the end of the day, I will always let another soldier, sailor, airman and Marine drink from canteen any day, as long as they get in the fight.
ISR I’ve worked with, not allowed to talk about, the other two I didn’t include because I have very little information on, haven’t worked with them personally.
The 24th STS are JSOC but are still enablers to the tier 1 teams very similar qualifications and standards to the guys the above. They don’t operate autonomously atleast publicly. A cool mention would have been AFSOC fixed wing pilots doing dirty work in contested environments those dudes a psychos much like 160th
They make up a fraction that goes into Delta from what I’ve heard, he must’ve forgot to rank them just under Green Berets. I’m just glad CCTs got some love
People don't realize SF has Dive capability, my Dad's A-Team locked out a submarine into Grenada the night before, they were supposed to link with Seal Team 4 element that Helo casted into a sudden storm but they don't make the rendezvous, so my Pop's ODA split into two & proceeded the Op, which is a crazy story & night..a few Seals drowned & never found..R.I.P to all warrior's lost 🫡
@@AMZ19252maybe in your world but not everyone lives in your world. I come across a lot of people who don’t know that even in the army you’d definitely be surprised
@@thedragon356 yes we are myopic at times. The Army has working divers also, 12D. I’m sure the mission capabilities are more expansive, SF divers use dive missions as a vehicle. Rather than performing dive focussed missions. Brent Tucker speaks about it during his interviews
Also Ranger RRC and the Activity ISA. Also possibly SOG CIA. I'd put them a close 2nd. Maybe very least at 3rd.or maybe 1st. SOG CIA we never hear of a screw up or with the activity. I also agree with SF green Berets 3rd. They always seem to get the mission done. With little mess ups. And totally professional and most are silent about it.
Outside of Special Operations, Military Intelligence is another closely related yet distinct group. While Tier 1 units likely have their own highly specialized intelligence resources, the intelligence support available to conventional military units has often been suboptimal. The information provided was frequently outdated or inaccurate, and some of my most challenging experiences have involved working with lower-level interrogators. For instance, even in cases where we uncovered significant threats, such as VBIED or suicide vest production sites, suspects were often released after brief detention or questioning. Key individuals sometimes faced only minimal consequences, returning to hostile activities shortly thereafter, which undermined the effectiveness of these intelligence operations.
As a commo guy, can you give your take on SOT-As you have worked with? It would make a unique vid to just give a cursory overview and your experience with them down range? Love the channel.
SOT-A and the 18E really don’t have anything to do with each other outside of being technical jobs. I have worked with them probably more than any other enabling MOS though so I could do a video on that potentially.
i knew a cpl who finished the pipeline for Raiders 2 years ago (he's now a sgt) the identity crisis is true however from what he told me, the mission sets and what they are as a unit is very similar to green beret due to leadership changes they made recently. Raider battalions tried to be like the 75th Ranger regiment along with the mindset of recon marines but i think they stopped that since 2018. Marines in general tries to have that mindset of "one mind, any weapon", every marine is a leader, and we're special type of dudes (not really).
Maybe but I’m pretty sure that if a group exists that is part of the US military industrial complex then they would be publicly known, what they do might not be but we’d know that they exist. Gov agencies though especially the CIA are shrouded in secrecy so the possibility that such a secret unit exists would probably be from the cia
ISA cough cough 🤧 ... there are often "task forces" or programs funded by DoD sources 🗃 . I recall 1 military SOF officer who wrote how he wore formal dress uniforms, military uniforms only 2x in 36mo. The 2nd was at a big 🏅 event, when he left.
I realize SFAB isn't SOF, but still think it has its place. Mainly because if you don't have SFAB, and you don't have GBs doing that mission, then you just go back to us yokels randomly thrown back into it with NO training whatsoever for it. When I was a PFC just out of fort sill, as FDC, with no knowledge whatsoever on advising anybody, I was lined up, separated from most of my other battery, and just told I would be doing an advising mission in Africa. Then we didn't even learn any advising skills. We just did battle drills to prepare for it. I'm sure this made sense to somebody somewhere. SFAB might not be GB level, but they HAVE to be better than I was as a private with NO relevant training. Hell NCOs with no relevant training would be better than a bunch of PFCs and SPC. I would hope SFAB have been more proficient lately after getting their legs under them. In Africa I once saw three CA guys in civilian clothes ride camels to some place out in the desert in Ethiopia. I thought that was kinda cool. It was literally not high speed, but it was different.
@@ValhallaVFThow does FID differ from the SFAB mission set? Must the customer nation already have a SOF team the GB are going to train there? What of training an insurgency who don’t even necessarily have skills that the regular army folk in that country already have? Should they be better suited candidates to train than bare bone folks off the streets that are used to build an insurgent force?
@@1anre It was Africa in the early 2010s. Where we were at nothing much was going on. Lemonier in DJ and other places were kind of just jumping off points for more serious things. Both active and reserve CA/PSYOPS were pretty active there though. It seemed like maybe that is where they could be a main effort. Doing all the periphery stuff in an area this isn't exactly hostile, but not exactly friendly either. They would organize medcaps, emplace wells, build schools, do animal medcaps (sorry not sure what the term is here), etc. It was like a way to show the populace that the US isn't dicks. Maybe not as well received by the governments as China's belt and road programs (those guys were everywhere in Africa) but while the governments liked China better, the winning the hearts and minds of the local populace was a clear W, for the USA. I realize this isn't SF stuff, but it's better than what the average Joe is doing. Just being treated like an adult is a huge upgrade over most combat arms. Might not be case now, but it seemed like a sweet gig back then.
Not to be a know it all because I respect you and this list, 24th STS is the Air Force’s tier 1 component with guys attaching to Delta and DEVGRU. 160th is Army SOF pilots and aircrew/aircraft.
Good video your content is a different take. You did forget our Dirty Boat Guys SWCC are SOF since the fall under NSW and then NAVY EOD are Naval Special Operations under NECC. I’m in the NAVY and I know it’s for budget reason but still don’t understand why we split Navy SOF units 🤷🏻♂️
What about MSRT? Or does that not count because that’s department of homeland security? They work with Navy’s seals and SF as well as FBI and CIA and also Rangers, all for training purposes and sometimes missions. MSRT is literally just everywhere it seems and have a good reputation form what I heard. I met a Green Beret who worked with them and he said they were an extremely solid group. I was wanting to go that route
Im a guy from Spain, Im currently waiting for the green card. By the time I get the green card, then the naturalization, secret clearance and all that I estimate I could go to RASP (I would like to try for the 75th Ranger Regiment) I’ll have like 28 years. I’m quite concerned about my age. What do you guys think about it? Any recommendations? Blessings to the US from Spain 🇪🇸❤🇺🇸
Ranger battalion is a young man’s org typically, still doable at that age though. SF is more age appropriate but do whatever route you want bro it’s your journey.
Just know rasp is the easy part. As a private you will get hazed and literally made to fight other new guys every day until you get tabbed and prove yourself. If you’re not a savage then ranger infantry is not for you.
I’m sure it was a mistake but 160th SOAR is not Air Force. He did say for the most part, but there have been soldiers who go from SF to the 75th. From what I can tell it seems to be mostly commissioned officers. He hit on a good point that some units are considered special operations by virtue that they fall under a special operations command. Further even if in a special operations unit, doesn’t make someone an operator or even a door kicker. The 75th is compromised of soldiers from every MOS that is vital to the formation of an infantry battalion. There are many AF PJs that are assigned to conventional formations and only select TACPs serve alongside special operations roles.
@@ValhallaVFT either I missed it or it was posted afterwards. On cell phone screens a lot of the content is compressed and only shows if you expand it. Great video and information!
I agree with you with just about the whole order. I had a cct attached to are group in Afghanistan. I actually thought they were the jack of all trades,especially 24sts,because you can have a cct go out on 1 mission with Delta,then there next mission could be Devgru. What group were you in, I was trying to look at the wall behind you,one of your photos looks like a 1st group flash, and on the other pic,looks like 7th group. And I went to Ranger school, but not RIP,so I only know so much about the Ranger reg. But I thought that the Ranger RRC were part of tier 1,and the battalions were tier 2. I had friends who went to the reg,but I did my military time a different way. And you said 160th were Air Force, they are Army knight Stalkers, did alot of training with them. But you are right,they are the greatest pilots in the world.
Technically Force Recon is not part of special operations command Technically. They do though a special operations capable mission and have similarly to members of spec ops. They dont get used alot though these days.
Thank you for creating this video. I definitely wanted to see your perspective, as I am highly interested in signing up and I can tell that you are very real and no bs. I'm aware that SF has the 18X-ray program, but I've heard they prefer candidates with experience. In your personal opinion, what would you recommend as the best starting point if I intend to try out for SF later?
I was an 18x. I had zero military experience and was a college dropout shithead when I went in. I made it through the entire course first try. It’s all up to you as an individual as to whether you’ll make it or not.
@@ValhallaVFTI know seals are the most glorified and famous due to Hollywood/series etc, but for me it’s the Green berets,they are really the Quiet Professionals and can’t forget (De Oppressor Liber) Badass!
Hey man, it'd mean alot if you briefly talked about your time working with Conventional infantry units, pros and cons... we'd like to know where we stand. Your perspective on how the infantry needs to improve etc.. we dont get to work with alot of spec ops by design however we do look up to GBs and Rangers
Correct me if I’m wrong but don’t most Rangers only go to Ranger Bat instead of SF because you have to be at least 20 to even go to selection in SF and Ranger Bat is mainly made up of privates, and specialists.
Regiment is the only pipline for young men. You have to have time in service to get a chance for sf selection. At least at one time you had to be an E-4 promotable. And yes guys to go from sf back to regiment. Just not many. And if you've been in either you know why. Regiment rank structure and culture is setup for the younger men. As you progess thru ranks the job positions become scarce. One can't stay in regiment forever. Very few have gone from private to sargent major. The teams are comprised completely different. Dudes can except for their first enlistment make a career of sf. Might have to leave to get sm csm but one can easily spend twenty years in the teams and that is very rare in regiment.
@@jasonmcclure9571the 20th CSM of the Regiment just left to 10th mountain Division. One would’ve thought that’s where his career would end. So you might have a point that opportunities or positions are limited. I’ve also heard of a 46yr old making it to regiment Brian marx or so is his name, but I’ve never heard of a GB dropping his beret, to go back to don the Tan beret
@@Ash12428 I guarantee if you had to be 21 to join both, there would be very little who would rather go to Ranger Bat. They are badass dudes but I’m pretty sure there’s a reason most guys don’t go SF to Ranger Bat and go the other way around
Could you answer a couple of questions for me/us? What is the difference between a CRF and CTAC team? Are they DA teams? Do Guard SF have these teams? Also doesn’t SF have a AFO element that you can’t talk about? I love the info and content you do man! 🤙🏽
So the CRF is designed to be a quick reaction force that can rapidly deploy to a crisis. Think Benghazi and how that should have been handled. For 1st and 10th group the CRF teams are in Okinawa and Germany respectively. They have technically been disbanded, or really renamed I guess, they’re still doing a lot of what they used to do.
There is a vid short that highlights why it's always a good thing for Allies to have an American CCT in your unit or in a bad situation to hear an American voice over the comm because they always responded "we are on the way..."
I feel like CCT’s and PJ’s are the only special operators who do things that Green Berets aren’t trained to do. But even then, if the Army and really wanted too, they could extend the training and train 18E to do what CCT’s do and they could also train 18D to do what PJ’s do, they already got all the medical knowledge if not more, they just don’t train to do rescues like PJ’s, from my knowledge at least.
We do a bit of it, I was. JTAC as an 18E, most our 18D can do a lot of PJ type stuff. But we are wayyyy less trained than they are in those specific tasks.
I would’ve either gone in as GB or CCT. The force multiplier effect they bring to theater just excited me. They’re like the mature daddies of the battlefield
The OP has talked about his experience with attending SOTACC. PJs medical training is as a paramedic, but their specialty is on the rescue, specifically the high angle methods. An 18Ds unique skill set is going to be keeping person alive while before reaching the next level care. This is a generalizes statement but think of PJs as the EMTs and the 18D as the trauma care/emergency room care portion.
Could you go into detail on the SF schools? Are they only open to GBs, has there ever been a AFSOC guy in a SFARTAETC class? How does the Army's vs Navy's sniper course stack up? (I read Webb's whole book on it lol)
I don’t even know anything about them, also like the only unit I mentioned I don’t know people personally in. Easier to talk about units like delta because I know a dozen dudes there.
@@ValhallaVFT yea makes sense. I worked with them on a very wierd deployment up in Mez with them in Afghanistan and have a few buddies there now. Awesome dudes. They’re pretty much number one at any sort of recon mission, especially urban recon and deep cover type stuff in countries we’re not at war with. The training they receive after making it through the pipeline is also incredibly unique, they are wizards at photography, topography, and setting in urban hides, etc… I believe they are JSOC’s smallest unit as well Mike Edwards on UA-cam I believe is the only RRC guy I’ve ever real seen talk about the unit
As a martial arts enthusiast i have a question, since you work alot with Korean and Japanese sof units can you tell us how much combative “exchange” between US and those units? ? ?
Nate : I Myself started watching Your Channel , because of the Videos on Women in Special Forces ,and, Foreign SOF Units that You Yourself worked with as a Special Forces NCO, and I Myself assume that, this Video on US Special Operations Forces and Special Missions Units ( US SOF and SMUs) , are based on the Gun Guys that You and Your ODA worked with , respecting OPSEC Protocol.
Most I have worked with on operations or training exercises over the years. Devgru is the only one I personally haven’t worked with, but know enough about to rank them so high
You made a video regarding the “dark side of special forces.” While 75th Ranger regiment is not special forces, would you group them in with all the negatives about losing your family etc?
Some of it applies, however not the qualification course portion as Rasp is 8 weeks vs SF being 2~ years. They also don’t deploy as frequently as SF does, but the injuries, family life, mental health issues all pertain there as well.
I hated NAP flights in Korea! Outside of the obvious, most of you all know Korea is generally the first duty station for helo pilots on the UH60 (IE ROOKIE and NP don't mix) Now, I was a nobody in the Army (11B) the only thing I have ever been involved in that including "Special" somewhere in the title was (Special Ed ...IE riding the short bus wearing a helmet and licking the back window) Speaking of Special, I seriously got my buddy to go into Light Infantry with me (11B) telling him it's like leg Infantry but we don't have to carry a ruck. Lastly, 160th SOAR is Army not Air Force
Could you rank infantry units/divisions? Like the different types of infantry and which units of them are the best airborne, air assault, light, marines, mech, striker, guard, marine reserves?
Seals seem to be super ultra specialized in a specific job.... but then volunteer/demand jobs that ain't it. Like trying to coordinate 48 Seals to take a airfield in Panama, a job that probably should have gone to the Rangers.
I think what you said is spot on but I’ve got some thoughts I’d like you to weigh in on. It seems like SF, because of their main mission set in Afghanistan, did a lot more day time operating and therefore a lot more of the “responding to long range enemy attacks” type thing. It seems Ranger regiment did more of the delta-ish night raid deals exclusively and therefore ended up in more close range engagements. Am I way off on that?
I did like 20+ night time raids in one deployment so… yea no. We operate whenever it makes sense tactically to do so. I also have valor awards for being in near ambushes at distances as close as 10 meters so, ya.
Probably the best all time U S Military SOF was MACV SOG in the Vietnam War. There has been no Unit since that has done anything close to what they did in Vietnam. The SOF’s today are not even allowed to do what MACV SOG did back then. Many books today are written by the very operators who ran the missions. If you don’t know who they were read about them, sworn to secrecy for over 20+ years they can now talk and write about their exploits. If you read their books, you won’t put them down.
My dad was a green beret in Vietnam, my dad’s best friend was in MAC-V, so ya I am well versed. And you are 💯 right about that. Men more impressive than me no doubt.
All of the special forces units in the military are highly trained and efficient at what they do. So it is completely subjective to rank different special forces in the military. It's not a sport. It's natural to compare stuff but it isn't a competition. The only SF groups that compare each other are the Army and the Navy's SF group's because they are kind of rivals, but in a friendly respective manner.
@@ValhallaVFT most people don't read descriptions man. If you would have annotated that during the editing of the video, I wouldve known to look. My bad, didn't mean to make your booty hurt.
I’ve argued that Delta was the best since the 1980’s. I was never impressed with run of the mill SEALs. I was impressed with SEAL Team 6. Furthermore, I think the Rangers are an incredible unit. But what do I know I was just a regular Marine Infantryman who was lucky enough to see first hand how the above units operated. I never saw Delta though. It as the 80’s and they were a mystery. I just knew they recruited from Rangers an SF primarily and they are great units.
Read Rogue Warrior by Richard NMI Marcinko, O-5 Cdr ret. He started & ran SEAL 6 later called Dev Gru. SEALs have nearly doubled 2X from 2000 to 2020. They added SWCC too.
@@JoshuaFlashman-oc3wmindeed. Your right. Rangers better at assaults and ambushes too. Most SEALs have never served in an infantry position before seal training.
My bad gents, 160th is obviously Army, not Airforce. Brain was thinking aircraft and said Airforce. I meant they are the best AVIATION unit I’ve ever worked with. Had the privledge of flying into multiple combat operations with them in Afghanistan.
In The Company of Heroes is a great non fiction book about SOAR. 🚁
Ohhhh i was about to getcha... i do that shit all the time. Cool video, big fan. DOL!
@@dusty715lol ya it happens, doing 1 take long form content has those risks.
I was just about to question the Nightstalkers 😂 why no mention of task force orange or other tier one units?
I wasn’t even going to comment it. We knew what you meant lol
I was a Marine and due to our mission I worked with a few different spec ops units in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nothing crazy, mostly just sharing battle space or supporting missions. I was always impressed by the SF units, bunch of good dudes both humble and capable. One of my Marines ended up getting out and joining the Army, eventually becoming SF. Years later a bunch of us went to Ft. Bragg for his funeral, afterwards they had us over to their establishment out in town and we had a few beers with his unit, once again just a good bunch of guys. Of note was the huge wall of pictures dedicated to Green Berets that lost lost their lives on operations. Very humbling, but I was also very proud as an American of these guys. Top notch.
As a former Force Recon turned MARSOC guy I agree with what you said. Rankings and the figuring out what they want to be. We started with 2 platoons of Force dudes supported by a platoon of Marine grunts. That changed quickly. It was supposed to model a squadron.
The selling point of MARSOC was conducting Company ops which they rarely do. A Marine general after telling us recon marines that we had no right to be there, said he wanted us to do 1st class SR, he didn’t know what that was or what it looked like but that’s what he wanted. That changed. The main point he said was that we would do everything including windows.
The big problem with MARSOC is its Higher Leadership. Ex. Kyle Morgan having Raiders being called and told not to support the hotel hostage rescue. Because they would compromise their mission in country at that time. This was while they were clearing rooms. Also in the beginning of MARSOC formation 3rd MRB was filled with just grunts. Caused big problems and they gained rank and leadership positions. But in the eyes of people in charge that Never took selection, “A Marine can do anything. Because we are All Marines! Something something you’re not special something Marine!”
I’ve been out of it for a decade now so it’s probably better.
I will put Green Berets on top of Raiders. When it comes to fighting I believe Raiders may be a little more Aggressive. Now this is definitely biased! I never had a bad time serving and fighting alongside Green Berets. Outstanding professionalism! Great F’ing Dudes. Especially 7th Group.
Thank you for protecting our freedoms.
I believe they're shifting towards modeling after the A-Teams now, I've heard of a few SF dudes at the schoolhouse,the structure is like A-Teams but 14, it's a good idea I think,if you want work 24/7
@@Frank-uw5xq SF dudes helped write the beginning curriculum sop for ITC. Especially for UW. They were instrumental in helping turn MARSOC into what it is today.
The one thing we have over SF in initial training is our CQB course which includes breaching with basic explosive charges. This was something that came from us Force Recon guys. Everyone can, “Push the Fight!”
@@apexsentinel4926 I appreciate you. Vote for maximum Freedom!
Former PSYOP here,
I started as an 18x (ended up being a non-select at the end… yes make your jokes, I’m a failure 😝) and went PSYOP because it was either that, Rigger or go to RASP. I realized I just did not want to be in the SF community as bad as I thought. Nothing against SF, I think they are exceptional at what they do. No excuses. I chose Psyop because I wasn’t going to be a rigger. I didn’t go to Rasp because I knew a lot about the culture at Ranger Regiment and I quite frankly just did not want to be in that unit and realized I was not door kicker material. Just calling it how it is 🤷♂️.
Unbiased opinion.. I agree completely that PSYOP and CA definitely do NOT fall under the Operator category and the PSYOPers that do are just trying to make themselves feel better. I never was one to try to compete with other SOF forces or prove my worth on the tactical side of things because quite frankly it’s just two completely different things. It’s like trying to compare apples to oranges.
Having said that, PSYOP falls under the SOF umbrella for the reason being that in the ARSOF core tasks (I.e Special recon, FID etc…) one of the core tasks is MISO (military information support ops). With the type of black psyop that is done on deployments and operations (influence without someone knowing) there needs to be a much higher level of compartmentalization (I.e you need a TS clearance). That is why Psyop falls under the SOF umbrella.
I think Psyop gets a bad rap because a lot of the force tries to say they belong in the stack with the GBs and Rangers when in reality they absolutely do NOT 😂.
Not trying to be something I’m not or justify my existence on the tactical side of things, but I do believe Psyop has its role in the SOF community. Especially where the world is headed with limited DA conflicts and more Information warfare oriented things.
Ironically enough all the TS clearance schools such as Touchstone is FILLED with GBs now as SF is starting to see the lethality and legitimacy of it.
I hear what you’re saying when you were working with PSYOP and they offered nothing to you guys. Unfortunately you probably just worked with crappy dudes. There are some legit PSYOPers in the regiments that actually know how to support the mission and am ODA effectively.
Having deployed on a CFT with all the ARSOF branches, the biggest issue they got in the way of actually getting work done was massive Egos on ALL sides.
I believe that there would be a lot more efficiency in the force if the PSYOP dudes stopped trying to run the in the lanes of the GBs and Rangers, and the GBs and Rangers gave a little more space for the capabilities of what MISO can offer on the battlefield. Basically In short everyone needs to get their egos in check.. but anyone that has spent time in any SOF field knows that Special Operations is a breeding ground for massive egos 😂🙏. Not singling out anyone, it’s just a fact.
Much appreciate the recognition and respect put out on the CCT community. I worked with ODA 391 my last deployment in 2004. Bar far the most professional group of operators I worked with. Stone cold killers and ground hammers. They did EVERYTHING right. Priorities of work, work ethic, leadership, tactically sound as it gets. The medic "Mike" was a freaking magical in saving dudes. NEVER seen such calm and confidence while in the fire. For what it's worth: "CCT prefers to work with ODA over SEAL's any and every day of the week." God bless, JB
Yep. Know two CCT’s. Said they dreaded getting assigned a seal team.
thanks a lot bro your info gave me a bunch of insight, i was aspiring to become a seal but after watching this i did a little more research and decided to go marsoc.
Get ahold of Jake Zweig he'll give the PDF to train, he's former Seal , he'll advise you to go Army SF, which you definitely need to reconsider, go SF bro
I’ve talked with Jake Zweig. Just email him and get the PDF, don’t even bother talking with him if you didn’t hit semi-passed to good scores on that PDF with data collected.
And if you can go to college just do that. I really wanted to enlist as a Pararescue years ago (I was able to perform everything above the minimum standard except my pushups was stuck at 65 in 2 mins) and he immediately shot me down calling me a bookworm 😂 this is when I was rejected by all the universities I applied to. I had completely given up on life. He motivated me to try another year, but this time do it like I mean it, and lo and behold I got into UC Berkeley as physics major while doing Pre-Med. he’s intimidating at first but he got a big heart, great guy.
Lmao who says “I did some research and reconsidered so now I wanna be a Marine” 🤣🤣
SF all the way. I’ll catch you there if you reconsider again.
Get that PDF it’s free!
@@Frank-uw5xqJake Zweigs training is a absolute joke and unethical. Running 50-60 miles a week is not actually building your body, but making it worse. 7-12 miles a week is all you really need.
you forgot the ranger regimental reconnaissance company and the Intelligence support activity(who go on recon, SSE and surveillance missions for intel on certain missions that Delta and Devgru go on) and the 24th Special tactics squadrons(Mainly flies the tier 1 units and provides, PJs for medical expertise, CCTs, TACPs and JTACs trained at the tier 1 level) you also have JMAU, or the elite covert surgical unit meant to covertly operate on operators who've been injured and Cas-vac isn't possibly.
Falls under rangers as a whole dude
I have a feeling you watch general discharge
He didn't forget he just kept saying Ranger Battalion instead of Regiment.
@@techno6467 yeah this guy might be braindead
I was in a precursor unit to SFAB in '08. We were called Military Transition Teams (MiTT). MiTTs were modeled to "mimick" the indig mission of the ODAs - 11 man team, each with a MOS specialty (I was the Commo Chief). Obviously, we were in no way "operators". At one point, the Army was debating giving us a "Combat Advisor" tab🤣.
I spent a year living with an Iraqi Infantry Battalion - what a shitshow!! We did, however, spend that year living on our own away from conventional forces, and that was actually pretty awesome. Spent some time on COP Cobra w/ a team from 1st Group.
By late '08, Army was requiring coalition forces to conduct all missions with Iraqi Forces involved, so the ODA had us bring the Iraqi jundis out on a couple partner missions. That was mostly cool. We pretty much just had to babysit the Iraqis and make sure they didn't get blown up...but they always managed to find a way!
Anyway, looking back, even though that deployment was a total dumpster fire, I sometimes feel that was the best time I had in the Army.
You’ve got some of the best videos on reality of sof out there, thanks for keeping it real
Hey thanks bro. Some people like that approach, some don’t. I just tell it like it is.
😂
about 75% of Delta is made up of former Rangers, I'm not quite sure where you got the idea that it's mostly SF guys.
Also call me crazy but didn't the Ranger Bats have the most continuous combat time/rotations ???
@@markmcdougald2596yes, rangers have intense but short time deployments
Actually, Delta actively recruits out of Special Forces as well as Rangers, sat in on one of their presentations in Okinawa. Regards, Denis Berte' SFC 1st Group 18E (84-95)
@denisberte778
You beat me to it. Thank you for your service as well sir!
@@denisberte778 Yeah, a lot of Delta guys started in SF but SF guys have a tendency to stay in SF whereas Rangers get to and move from the Regiment at faster rate resulting in less former SF guys in other units
As a former JTAC, I would choose to operate with Green Berets and Rangers any day of the week.
I jus want to apologize for only being able to hit the like button once. Keep on Keepin on Man! Thank you
Thanks brotha 🫡
Damn he roasted them. Jay Dorleus would laugh his head off seeing this ranking as he’s been roasting the SEALs lack of dealing with their bad eggs
Me and Jay talked about this exact thing actually. I went on his podcast a few weeks ago. Should be out soon.
1:22 I think the best evidence of Delta being #1 is the fact that we literally NEVER hear about Delta compared to numerous "Seal Team 6" missions disclosed (not long after they happened, for that matter). I think the whole "Seal Team 6 is the top unit" thing is like those times when the Mafia had a fake boss as a "lightning rod" and only insiders knew who was really running things.
Air Force 24th Special Tactics Squadron and Ranger Reconnaissance Battalion are also Tier 1
Apparently not "GUD NUFF".
Honestly, airforce special ops is badass because they're QUIET.
24th yes but ranger recon no. Ranger recon has no where near the funding and manpower of the other tier 1 units.
@@troopdog23how would you know that? Were you in the unit?
@@troopdog23 RRC is in fact a tier 1 unit
@@taylorpearce3710 it’s not even a part of jsoc lol and they have no where NEAR the funding and manpower of the other tier 1 units.
Worked with alot of the nightstalkers. Those guys were sharp and cool to work with
It’s all fun and games until those dudes land you literally on target and your first compound is 10 feet in front of your face. Those boys are wild.
@ValhallaVFT
They've been doing some training in my area recently... South Georgia, and I'm about 2hrs away from Ft. Benning.
I’d have add a few to the Tier 1 department, like ISA and the 124th STS from the AFSOC side of the house. RRD as well, those dudes are total studs. But I think you nailed it otherwise 🤙🏻
@@jamesboylan3262 Correct, apparently I fat fingered it. Thanks for pointing it out.
That's a great insight...I wonder how you feel about the big regular army, my understanding is that SF is sort of its own element inside of the army
Was an 18x. My entire career was in SF other than 4 months in basic training. So I don’t really have a great insight into anything conventional tbh.
I'm an currently preparing for BUD/s because my father and grandfather were in the Navy. I couldn't see myself going anywhere else due to family tradition, hopefully I can make it through and the next generation can fix the reputation. My buddy was a PJ and that's something I would love to do, but I chose Navy.
Hell yes brother! Stay healthy protect your mind and body, for your future too
Go to seal team 6 if you can. They are way better than the white seal teams and don’t have many of the negatives.
Nate. Love the channel. Reading the comments 160th S.O.A.R. is most definitely ARMY. 24th S.T.n O.S. Air Force. Just curious since you coverd just about everybody in U.S.S.F.C. you didn't mention the 528th S.B. 112th sof signal Bn. Or 389th M.I. Bn. Any comments Also any dealings with the AFSOC C.W.C.T. Now I think strategic reconn. ? Loved the " group personality " and the 18 A. My Son is a T.L. with the " Legion" @ CAMPBELL. Again great channel Thank you
Great material, finally I found someone who can say what experience he has with a particular unit and which one seems better to him and not like most others "it doesn't compare" BS.
the best video that came out!
Hey bro love the Air Force love and all but gottah give credit where credit is due. The 160th SOAR is actually army helo pilots.
Ya I know, I misspoke, meant best aviation unit, which is why I wrote that in the video description.
@@ValhallaVFT Rahj, keep up good content bro 🤙🙌
Keep making more videos.
Your videos are amazing 🎉
Thanks brother 🫡
Awesome video! I'm a big fan. I have four questions. I'm not sure if you have complete insight on these, but if you do, I'd love to know. I understand that your expertise is on the SF side so I understand if you don't.
1. Have you worked with DevGru personally? Do you think they have better leadership that perhaps maintains a balance of respect for the Navy side?
2. Where would you rank Force Recon in comparison to the SEAL teams and Ranger Battalion?
3. What are the differences between Ranger Battalion and other infantry units?
4. Despite the common perception that Marines are underfunded, based on your experience working with MARSOC, are they adequately equipped and trained for successful missions?
Also, I've never understood why Marines are considered underfunded, especially since they're often referred to as the first to fight.
Hey man I think you would benefit from checking out Jake Zweig. ex seal.
he always reccomends btw when it comes to tier 1 units... its gonna take you a long time to get there. so dont even think about it until you go into their sub units.... if youre talking about DEVGRU, youre gonna have to be a seal for atleast 5-6 years... it seems like thats not what you wanna do
Well, let's not overlook the Navy SARC and Air Force "Special Reconnaissance" units as vital parts of the Special Operation Command.
Exactly! Air Force SR has an attrition rate of 93% apparently and they learn a lot of different trades like CCT's. I think the Air Force SFU's don't get enough recognition, but again that's my opinion 🤷🏼♂
Have you worked with SWCC?
A million years ago when I was in the Navy I was a SARC with recon, a lot of people thought we were SOF, I responded 'kinda but not really.' Pre-MARSOC. Thanks for explaining 'tiers', people don't understand that.
I was an Army Ranger and can agree with his assessment of Rangers..I was in the 2/75th Ranger Bn in 1980-1981..I enlisted to be a Ranger,and at that time it took me 5 months from my first day in the army till I step foot into what was at that time RIP..Rangers are young,motivated,smart,crazy fucks..Advanced infantry is right..When you need more than a "TEAM" on the ground yesterday,Rangers get the call..At the time I was in,the next logical step for any Ranger was SF..One of the NCO's in my platoon actual made into DELTA,and from what I was told was one of the few casualties in the Grenada invasion
I guess I am in the minority here *Former Marine). I have respect for each of our branches. But there is one in particular that needs a reboot in the worst way. We all know who they are. But the criticism on Marsoc can only be vetted by other Marsoc CSO's and people who have worked with them. It does get old to see the big army constantly looking down on the Marine Corps. It is the Ford Vs Ferrari analogy. I remember judging a super squad competition and being blown away at how well those young Marines performed. In the Okinawan hot sun no less. They genuinely impressed me. I can't imagine what Recon and Marsoc are capable of because Marsoc did not exist when I was in, and I was barely around the Recon Bubba's. I was a part of CIF in the pacific in the 90's. SF where the allstars and we were their cordon force. Their Sgt Major treated us well and gave us high praise. I can remember the ODA's laughing at us and asking why we were so hard on our guys (making them push when they dropped their weapon, ect ect). It was a totally different culture for them, but I do not remember any bad blood. We were happy to work with them. I cannot say the same for other branches and units. We were told to be lords of discipline when we cross polenated with them, but the "stupid Marine" comments got old, and I could only do so much to hold my guys back at that point. We have to understand everyone's role in this game and respect what we can and cannot do for each other. Yes, there are some units that need a complete leadership overhaul and to have their ego's checked, but at the end of the day, I will always let another soldier, sailor, airman and Marine drink from canteen any day, as long as they get in the fight.
Thoughts about our other JSOC units? The Intelligence Support Activity? Regimental Reconnaissance Company? 24th STS?
ISR I’ve worked with, not allowed to talk about, the other two I didn’t include because I have very little information on, haven’t worked with them personally.
The 24th STS are JSOC but are still enablers to the tier 1 teams very similar qualifications and standards to the guys the above. They don’t operate autonomously atleast publicly. A cool mention would have been AFSOC fixed wing pilots doing dirty work in contested environments those dudes a psychos much like 160th
The Ranger Regiment has RRC though, so that brings up the average quite a bit.
That’s like saying seals have devgru
Doesn’t make the regular seals any better
What about the Ranger Recon Company? Did you ever work with those guys?
curious as well, not a lot is known about them publicly. Serious quiet professionals
They make up a fraction that goes into Delta from what I’ve heard, he must’ve forgot to rank them just under Green Berets.
I’m just glad CCTs got some love
They're a Tier 1 unit. They work alongside Delta, SEAL team 6 and DIA.
Very small unit that exclusively does deep reconnaissance, very good at it tho
Doubt he ever interacted with those guys considering their mission set but would be cool to here his opinion on them.
People don't realize SF has Dive capability, my Dad's A-Team locked out a submarine into Grenada the night before, they were supposed to link with Seal Team 4 element that Helo casted into a sudden storm but they don't make the rendezvous, so my Pop's ODA split into two & proceeded the Op, which is a crazy story & night..a few Seals drowned & never found..R.I.P to all warrior's lost 🫡
It’s pretty well known that SF has dive capabilities.
@@AMZ19252 you'd be surprised
@@AMZ19252maybe in your world but not everyone lives in your world. I come across a lot of people who don’t know that even in the army you’d definitely be surprised
@@thedragon356 yes we are myopic at times. The Army has working divers also, 12D.
I’m sure the mission capabilities are more expansive, SF divers use dive missions as a vehicle. Rather than performing dive focussed missions. Brent Tucker speaks about it during his interviews
@@AMZ19252 right,combat diving.. for infiltration
Also Ranger RRC and the Activity ISA. Also possibly SOG CIA. I'd put them a close 2nd. Maybe very least at 3rd.or maybe 1st. SOG CIA we never hear of a screw up or with the activity. I also agree with SF green Berets 3rd. They always seem to get the mission done. With little mess ups. And totally professional and most are silent about it.
Outside of Special Operations, Military Intelligence is another closely related yet distinct group. While Tier 1 units likely have their own highly specialized intelligence resources, the intelligence support available to conventional military units has often been suboptimal. The information provided was frequently outdated or inaccurate, and some of my most challenging experiences have involved working with lower-level interrogators. For instance, even in cases where we uncovered significant threats, such as VBIED or suicide vest production sites, suspects were often released after brief detention or questioning. Key individuals sometimes faced only minimal consequences, returning to hostile activities shortly thereafter, which undermined the effectiveness of these intelligence operations.
As a commo guy, can you give your take on SOT-As you have worked with? It would make a unique vid to just give a cursory overview and your experience with them down range? Love the channel.
SOT-A and the 18E really don’t have anything to do with each other outside of being technical jobs. I have worked with them probably more than any other enabling MOS though so I could do a video on that potentially.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on the Denmark frog man always heard those guys were pretty metal but never anything from someone of your experience
Ya the Dane's & the Dutch I've always heard good things
Great list!
i knew a cpl who finished the pipeline for Raiders 2 years ago (he's now a sgt) the identity crisis is true however from what he told me, the mission sets and what they are as a unit is very similar to green beret due to leadership changes they made recently. Raider battalions tried to be like the 75th Ranger regiment along with the mindset of recon marines but i think they stopped that since 2018. Marines in general tries to have that mindset of "one mind, any weapon", every marine is a leader, and we're special type of dudes (not really).
Probably the most elite, is something we don’t even know about probably more highly selective than Delta.
Maybe but I’m pretty sure that if a group exists that is part of the US military industrial complex then they would be publicly known, what they do might not be but we’d know that they exist. Gov agencies though especially the CIA are shrouded in secrecy so the possibility that such a secret unit exists would probably be from the cia
ISA cough cough 🤧 ... there are often "task forces" or programs funded by DoD sources 🗃 . I recall 1 military SOF officer who wrote how he wore formal dress uniforms, military uniforms only 2x in 36mo. The 2nd was at a big 🏅 event, when he left.
I realize SFAB isn't SOF, but still think it has its place. Mainly because if you don't have SFAB, and you don't have GBs doing that mission, then you just go back to us yokels randomly thrown back into it with NO training whatsoever for it.
When I was a PFC just out of fort sill, as FDC, with no knowledge whatsoever on advising anybody, I was lined up, separated from most of my other battery, and just told I would be doing an advising mission in Africa.
Then we didn't even learn any advising skills. We just did battle drills to prepare for it. I'm sure this made sense to somebody somewhere.
SFAB might not be GB level, but they HAVE to be better than I was as a private with NO relevant training. Hell NCOs with no relevant training would be better than a bunch of PFCs and SPC.
I would hope SFAB have been more proficient lately after getting their legs under them.
In Africa I once saw three CA guys in civilian clothes ride camels to some place out in the desert in Ethiopia. I thought that was kinda cool. It was literally not high speed, but it was different.
Like I said, I support the SVAB mission because I didn’t want to do it myself. It was the worst mission we had as GBs.
Riding camels with no GBs to protect them?
That’s wild
@@ValhallaVFThow does FID differ from the SFAB mission set?
Must the customer nation already have a SOF team the GB are going to train there?
What of training an insurgency who don’t even necessarily have skills that the regular army folk in that country already have? Should they be better suited candidates to train than bare bone folks off the streets that are used to build an insurgent force?
@@1anre It was Africa in the early 2010s. Where we were at nothing much was going on. Lemonier in DJ and other places were kind of just jumping off points for more serious things.
Both active and reserve CA/PSYOPS were pretty active there though. It seemed like maybe that is where they could be a main effort. Doing all the periphery stuff in an area this isn't exactly hostile, but not exactly friendly either. They would organize medcaps, emplace wells, build schools, do animal medcaps (sorry not sure what the term is here), etc.
It was like a way to show the populace that the US isn't dicks. Maybe not as well received by the governments as China's belt and road programs (those guys were everywhere in Africa) but while the governments liked China better, the winning the hearts and minds of the local populace was a clear W, for the USA.
I realize this isn't SF stuff, but it's better than what the average Joe is doing. Just being treated like an adult is a huge upgrade over most combat arms. Might not be case now, but it seemed like a sweet gig back then.
@@kimarhironso437 I understand you.
Did you go PsyOps?
Not to be a know it all because I respect you and this list, 24th STS is the Air Force’s tier 1 component with guys attaching to Delta and DEVGRU. 160th is Army SOF pilots and aircrew/aircraft.
Already has been addressed in the description.
@@ValhallaVFT no worries brotha. Just being a smart ass over here
Good video your content is a different take. You did forget our Dirty Boat Guys SWCC are SOF since the fall under NSW and then NAVY EOD are Naval Special Operations under NECC. I’m in the NAVY and I know it’s for budget reason but still don’t understand why we split Navy SOF units 🤷🏻♂️
What about MSRT? Or does that not count because that’s department of homeland security? They work with Navy’s seals and SF as well as FBI and CIA and also Rangers, all for training purposes and sometimes missions. MSRT is literally just everywhere it seems and have a good reputation form what I heard. I met a Green Beret who worked with them and he said they were an extremely solid group. I was wanting to go that route
Im a guy from Spain, Im currently waiting for the green card. By the time I get the green card, then the naturalization, secret clearance and all that I estimate I could go to RASP (I would like to try for the 75th Ranger Regiment) I’ll have like 28 years. I’m quite concerned about my age. What do you guys think about it? Any recommendations? Blessings to the US from Spain 🇪🇸❤🇺🇸
Ranger battalion is a young man’s org typically, still doable at that age though. SF is more age appropriate but do whatever route you want bro it’s your journey.
Just know rasp is the easy part. As a private you will get hazed and literally made to fight other new guys every day until you get tabbed and prove yourself. If you’re not a savage then ranger infantry is not for you.
I’m sure it was a mistake but 160th SOAR is not Air Force. He did say for the most part, but there have been soldiers who go from SF to the 75th. From what I can tell it seems to be mostly commissioned officers.
He hit on a good point that some units are considered special operations by virtue that they fall under a special operations command. Further even if in a special operations unit, doesn’t make someone an operator or even a door kicker. The 75th is compromised of soldiers from every MOS that is vital to the formation of an infantry battalion. There are many AF PJs that are assigned to conventional formations and only select TACPs serve alongside special operations roles.
Literally in the video description.
@@ValhallaVFT either I missed it or it was posted afterwards. On cell phone screens a lot of the content is compressed and only shows if you expand it.
Great video and information!
I agree with you with just about the whole order. I had a cct attached to are group in Afghanistan. I actually thought they were the jack of all trades,especially 24sts,because you can have a cct go out on 1 mission with Delta,then there next mission could be Devgru. What group were you in, I was trying to look at the wall behind you,one of your photos looks like a 1st group flash, and on the other pic,looks like 7th group. And I went to Ranger school, but not RIP,so I only know so much about the Ranger reg. But I thought that the Ranger RRC were part of tier 1,and the battalions were tier 2. I had friends who went to the reg,but I did my military time a different way. And you said 160th were Air Force, they are Army knight Stalkers, did alot of training with them. But you are right,they are the greatest pilots in the world.
1st group, and ya just misspoke about 160th. That’s why I pinned the first comment mentioning that.
Technically Force Recon is not part of special operations command Technically. They do though a special operations capable mission and have similarly to members of spec ops. They dont get used alot though these days.
Thank you for creating this video. I definitely wanted to see your perspective, as I am highly interested in signing up and I can tell that you are very real and no bs. I'm aware that SF has the 18X-ray program, but I've heard they prefer candidates with experience. In your personal opinion, what would you recommend as the best starting point if I intend to try out for SF later?
I was an 18x. I had zero military experience and was a college dropout shithead when I went in. I made it through the entire course first try. It’s all up to you as an individual as to whether you’ll make it or not.
@@ValhallaVFT thank you sir
@@ValhallaVFTI know seals are the most glorified and famous due to Hollywood/series etc, but for me it’s the Green berets,they are really the Quiet Professionals and can’t forget (De Oppressor Liber) Badass!
Hey man, it'd mean alot if you briefly talked about your time working with Conventional infantry units, pros and cons... we'd like to know where we stand. Your perspective on how the infantry needs to improve etc.. we dont get to work with alot of spec ops by design however we do look up to GBs and Rangers
I spent my whole career in SF, so I’m really not the person to provide valuable insight into anything conventional to be honest.
@@ValhallaVFT understood, ♠️🤙
Correct me if I’m wrong but don’t most Rangers only go to Ranger Bat instead of SF because you have to be at least 20 to even go to selection in SF and Ranger Bat is mainly made up of privates, and specialists.
I believe rasp contracts are 18 and yes you have to be 21 (changes here and there) to go to SFAS.
Regiment is the only pipline for young men. You have to have time in service to get a chance for sf selection. At least at one time you had to be an E-4 promotable. And yes guys to go from sf back to regiment. Just not many. And if you've been in either you know why. Regiment rank structure and culture is setup for the younger men. As you progess thru ranks the job positions become scarce. One can't stay in regiment forever. Very few have gone from private to sargent major. The teams are comprised completely different. Dudes can except for their first enlistment make a career of sf. Might have to leave to get sm csm but one can easily spend twenty years in the teams and that is very rare in regiment.
@@jasonmcclure9571the 20th CSM of the Regiment just left to 10th mountain Division.
One would’ve thought that’s where his career would end. So you might have a point that opportunities or positions are limited.
I’ve also heard of a 46yr old making it to regiment Brian marx or so is his name, but I’ve never heard of a GB dropping his beret, to go back to don the Tan beret
@@1anreI've only heard of it on leadership levels, so going there to be in the brass
@@Ash12428 I guarantee if you had to be 21 to join both, there would be very little who would rather go to Ranger Bat. They are badass dudes but I’m pretty sure there’s a reason most guys don’t go SF to Ranger Bat and go the other way around
Could you answer a couple of questions for me/us? What is the difference between a CRF and CTAC team? Are they DA teams? Do Guard SF have these teams? Also doesn’t SF have a AFO element that you can’t talk about? I love the info and content you do man! 🤙🏽
So the CRF is designed to be a quick reaction force that can rapidly deploy to a crisis. Think Benghazi and how that should have been handled. For 1st and 10th group the CRF teams are in Okinawa and Germany respectively. They have technically been disbanded, or really renamed I guess, they’re still doing a lot of what they used to do.
@@ValhallaVFT you might have mentioned it previous videos, but were you ever a part of 1st group’s crf?
There is a vid short that highlights why it's always a good thing for Allies to have an American CCT in your unit or in a bad situation to hear an American voice over the comm because they always responded "we are on the way..."
Sweet. Thanks for the video
I feel like CCT’s and PJ’s are the only special operators who do things that Green Berets aren’t trained to do. But even then, if the Army and really wanted too, they could extend the training and train 18E to do what CCT’s do and they could also train 18D to do what PJ’s do, they already got all the medical knowledge if not more, they just don’t train to do rescues like PJ’s, from my knowledge at least.
We do a bit of it, I was. JTAC as an 18E, most our 18D can do a lot of PJ type stuff. But we are wayyyy less trained than they are in those specific tasks.
I would’ve either gone in as GB or CCT.
The force multiplier effect they bring to theater just excited me.
They’re like the mature daddies of the battlefield
The OP has talked about his experience with attending SOTACC. PJs medical training is as a paramedic, but their specialty is on the rescue, specifically the high angle methods. An 18Ds unique skill set is going to be keeping person alive while before reaching the next level care. This is a generalizes statement but think of PJs as the EMTs and the 18D as the trauma care/emergency room care portion.
@@ValhallaVFTthere are zero 18D’s that can perform the PJ task anywhere near as precise and efficient as
Excellent overview dude…
I’m just a civilian but was wondering my what you thought of recon marines ? Are they even considered part of your community?
They’re a conventional unit.
The problem is that they are Marines they eat too many Crayons. You know it's true nothing but love Marines. NO ONE can break shit like you guys.
Could you go into detail on the SF schools? Are they only open to GBs, has there ever been a AFSOC guy in a SFARTAETC class? How does the Army's vs Navy's sniper course stack up? (I read Webb's whole book on it lol)
@@JoshuaFlashman-oc3wm interesting, do you have any sources or reading material on SOTIC?
RRC is greatly underrated, and VASTLY unknown, a Tier 1 unit as-well
I don’t even know anything about them, also like the only unit I mentioned I don’t know people personally in. Easier to talk about units like delta because I know a dozen dudes there.
@@ValhallaVFT yea makes sense. I worked with them on a very wierd deployment up in Mez with them in Afghanistan and have a few buddies there now. Awesome dudes. They’re pretty much number one at any sort of recon mission, especially urban recon and deep cover type stuff in countries we’re not at war with. The training they receive after making it through the pipeline is also incredibly unique, they are wizards at photography, topography, and setting in urban hides, etc… I believe they are JSOC’s smallest unit as well
Mike Edwards on UA-cam I believe is the only RRC guy I’ve ever real seen talk about the unit
As a martial arts enthusiast i have a question, since you work alot with Korean and Japanese sof units can you tell us how much combative “exchange” between US and those units? ? ?
None, don’t lose your weapon
This seems about right. I do wonder where you'd put ISA, though.
Nate : I Myself started watching Your Channel , because of the Videos on Women in Special Forces ,and, Foreign SOF Units that You Yourself worked with as a Special Forces NCO, and I Myself assume that, this Video on US Special Operations Forces and Special Missions Units ( US SOF and SMUs) , are based on the Gun Guys that You and Your ODA worked with , respecting OPSEC Protocol.
Most I have worked with on operations or training exercises over the years. Devgru is the only one I personally haven’t worked with, but know enough about to rank them so high
SWCC wasn't mentioned, but with SOAR around do they actually do anything anymore?
160th SOAR is Army Aviation. Also missed 24 STS.
What I say? Airforce? Meant aviation unit.
The CCT, TACP & PJ he grouped together all fall under 24 STS, he just didn’t mention the exact unit. But they’re Tier 1
You made a video regarding the “dark side of special forces.” While 75th Ranger regiment is not special forces, would you group them in with all the negatives about losing your family etc?
Some of it applies, however not the qualification course portion as Rasp is 8 weeks vs SF being 2~ years. They also don’t deploy as frequently as SF does, but the injuries, family life, mental health issues all pertain there as well.
I hated NAP flights in Korea! Outside of the obvious, most of you all know Korea is generally the first duty station for helo pilots on the UH60 (IE ROOKIE and NP don't mix)
Now, I was a nobody in the Army (11B) the only thing I have ever been involved in that including "Special" somewhere in the title was (Special Ed ...IE riding the short bus wearing a helmet and licking the back window) Speaking of Special, I seriously got my buddy to go into Light Infantry with me (11B) telling him it's like leg Infantry but we don't have to carry a ruck.
Lastly, 160th SOAR is Army not Air Force
Awe Geeze!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sorry I did not see that many have already spoke up about SOAR
All good brotha 🫡
Interesting. Good breakdown. I thought SEALs would be right up there with SF. Shows you what I know🤷♂️
They have a tier 1 unit they are very good lol.
Could you rank infantry units/divisions? Like the different types of infantry and which units of them are the best airborne, air assault, light, marines, mech, striker, guard, marine reserves?
if you’re in the shit- PJs is almost certainly who you’d pick to come help. The breadth of training is off the charts
Seals seem to be super ultra specialized in a specific job.... but then volunteer/demand jobs that ain't it.
Like trying to coordinate 48 Seals to take a airfield in Panama, a job that probably should have gone to the Rangers.
navy seal equals sailor that can jump out planes with a gun and do marine infantry stuff LOL... Just joking...not really
🤣🤣
Can you discuss a LSCO we’re all these units would work together just so we know who does what in a big team?
Are these just direct action types? There’s a few recon/intel groups that should be mentioned
Which is better, a screwdriver or a pair of pliers? Depends on the job.
I think what you said is spot on but I’ve got some thoughts I’d like you to weigh in on. It seems like SF, because of their main mission set in Afghanistan, did a lot more day time operating and therefore a lot more of the “responding to long range enemy attacks” type thing. It seems Ranger regiment did more of the delta-ish night raid deals exclusively and therefore ended up in more close range engagements. Am I way off on that?
I did like 20+ night time raids in one deployment so… yea no. We operate whenever it makes sense tactically to do so. I also have valor awards for being in near ambushes at distances as close as 10 meters so, ya.
Shocked to hear that SF was the highest ranked of Tier 2. 😂
I would love to hear your take on airforce pj's
160th is Army not air force.
A thousand DEVGRU fan boys just got butt hurt.
Out of curiosity where would you put Ranger Reconnaissance Company on here with them being a Tier 1?
I don’t wanna say the worst, but they don’t have the funding as the other tier 1 units.
Can you do video about GB Mountaineer Team ? ?
I’ll get around to explaining each of the oda types here soon.
How is SDAP for each of the units? think Marine Recon don’t get any. Only Marsoc.
Nice shirt! Can you do a video on what dive school was like?
lol thanks. I’ll get spring to that one eventually.
Have you ever worked with RRC or the ISA?
The ISA yes. I was read though so literally can’t say anything about it.
What's your opinion on the women's CSTs?
Are there other non special forces units that standout to you?
What about CIA “SAD Team” ? I know they aren’t a branch of the military but they seem pretty elite.
Are you referring to ground branch?
Probably the best all time U S Military SOF was MACV SOG in the Vietnam War.
There has been no Unit since that has done anything close to what they did in Vietnam.
The SOF’s today are not even allowed to do what MACV SOG did back then.
Many books today are written by the very operators who ran the missions.
If you don’t know who they were read about them, sworn to secrecy for over 20+ years they can now talk and write about their exploits.
If you read their books, you won’t put them down.
My dad was a green beret in Vietnam, my dad’s best friend was in MAC-V, so ya I am well versed. And you are 💯 right about that. Men more impressive than me no doubt.
I thought Special Tactics Squadron is Tier 1
All of the special forces units in the military are highly trained and efficient at what they do. So it is completely subjective to rank different special forces in the military.
It's not a sport. It's natural to compare stuff but it isn't a competition. The only SF groups that compare each other are the Army and the Navy's SF group's because they are kind of rivals, but in a friendly respective manner.
Could we please get some stories from you and your buddies of your time in the teams?
you do know 160th is army right
Did you mention RRC or do you kinda bunch them in with regiment?
I don’t know enough about them to really separate them out side of the rest of RR to be honest.
@@ValhallaVFT fair enough.
Does he not know that the 160th SOAR is actually a U.S. Army unit? Not an AirForce unit like he claimed.
No way really? It’s almost like I already mentioned that I meant aviation unit in the description.
@@ValhallaVFT most people don't read descriptions man. If you would have annotated that during the editing of the video, I wouldve known to look. My bad, didn't mean to make your booty hurt.
I’ve argued that Delta was the best since the 1980’s. I was never impressed with run of the mill SEALs. I was impressed with SEAL Team 6. Furthermore, I think the Rangers are an incredible unit. But what do I know I was just a regular Marine Infantryman who was lucky enough to see first hand how the above units operated. I never saw Delta though. It as the 80’s and they were a mystery. I just knew they recruited from Rangers an SF primarily and they are great units.
Read Rogue Warrior by Richard NMI Marcinko, O-5 Cdr ret. He started & ran SEAL 6 later called Dev Gru. SEALs have nearly doubled 2X from 2000 to 2020. They added SWCC too.
What do you rank a unit like MSRT or Force Recon even known they arent special ops
I would say SEALs would be ahead of rangers. Just because the pipeline is longer and harder for SEALs.
@@JoshuaFlashman-oc3wmindeed. Your right. Rangers better at assaults and ambushes too. Most SEALs have never served in an infantry position before seal training.
Also SEAls are the least secretive of them all.
for SF are correctional lenses a disqualifier? in the Marines and i want to figure out where i want my career to go
Not for SF. For Military free fall it is, but they’ll give you lasik for free so you can go.
Off topic, have any SF guys written their accounts from the GWOT? I’d be really interested to read them.
What do you mean? Like written books?
@@ValhallaVFT yeah like published?
Murphy’s Law by Jack Murphy?
@@marcdedecker3400 I’ll check it out, thank you
Tip of the spear... Ryan Hendrickson