Delta Force Selection Is Crazy, Shrouded In Secrecy
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2023
- Former Delta Force operator Brent Tucker speaks with David Hookstead about how random and crazy selection is, and how you never know who will make it.
Make sure to like, subscribe and watch the full interview here: • Delta Force Operator B...
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Make sure to like, subscribe and watch the full interview here: ua-cam.com/video/UOV5eRw1BKo/v-deo.html
That show The Unit was very very good to watch.
The "UNIT" TV show is one show that inspired me. Better than the SOF shows out now in my opinion.
I don't know how real or unrealistic The Unit was, but it was a good show
what did you get inspired to do?
It started out great until it became a soap opera more about the wives and their affairs . Just like “ Tour of Duty”- became an 8-5 job all with American girlfriends at the end of the day.
I loved the first season of SEAL TEAM, when they had training scenes before the real action.
There is one called Ultimate Force. Kinda like The Unit, but with the SAS.
Used to be in a unit out of camp dawson. The land nav out there is no joke.
The end of Said rd was our turn around for our 12 mile Ruck. Place is still mythical
Eric Haney book is awesome. Talks about his experience as one of the founding members
I remember seeing and talking to some of the Delta guys at Bragg when they would train at MOUNT CITY range where I was an instructor! But when they would train we would leave the range to them! Some very nice dudes! That was back in 86-87!
The mind will always give up before the body .
Charlie Beckwith published a book in 1983 called "Delta Force". How does someone in the "community" not know about it?
Good book, he was the founder of Delta
@@SleepyJoesDiaper And his daughter married Paul Howe, and their daughter worked in the 160th choppas, I'm told.
Because you can't really pull the whole "We frown on people who talk about Delta" thing on the guy who founded the Unit and unofficially outed
it back in 1983. If you compare Beckwith's "Delta Force" to Haney's "Inside Delta Force" they both pretty much lay out the basic organization,and training pipeline of the Unit.
That includes the Selection Course,OIC, and the weapons training involved.
The main difference is that "Inside Delta Force" came out over 10 years after Dick Marcinko exposed the inside workings of SEAL Team Six
which opened the door to other former ST6 members as well as people from the wider NSW community to put out books through the 90's and
into the GWOT era.
Delta could stand on it's "We are the true professionals" soap box and point out the SEALs as having big mouths. Haney's book was treated as
an exception to the rule. And his receiving the cold shoulder from Delta was both a warning and a signal to the public that Delta doesn't talk.
That doesn't work when the father of Delta, and JSOC for that matter, didn't feel it was any big deal to expose the Unit.
Beckwith had based Delta's organization and training methods on the SAS,which was publically acknowledged by the British government
after the Iranian Embassy seige in 1980. If the British government could acknowledge the SAS, and allow the public to know about it's
organization and training methods,up to and including cooperating in the making of an action film (The Final Countdown in 1983) that used
actual members of the 22nd SAS Regiment recreating the Iranian Embassy assault in a fictional story. Then why couldn't Beckwith show off
the Unit he had worked so hard for, to the American public and taxpayers?
He was shunned from the military
Listen to the interview. He may have heard the myths, but that’s what the army wants, they have yet to officially admit that they exist. It’s called secrecy…. That’s what is lacking today, just look at the SEAL teams.
That was a great show. The unit imo is better than seal team. They should make an episode with the cast from the unit with the new show on seal team. That would be so awesome.
The show Seal Team is tactically directed by a former unit member.
@@michaelscott33 I mean one of the guys on the show was a former operator. Hollywood is funny like that. If you seen sacario, those delta guys were really navy seals. I don’t know why Hollywood does that but it works to them i guess?
What’s your grounds for saying CAG is better than Dev
Delta operators are hands down better then seals. It's not a debate. Even seals can become delta if they get the chance.
@@jacobmorris7055 that’s such a dumb argument..what makes them better? You don’t have an exact answer
“Selection is just something you do t talk about.” Insert any Shawn Ryan or combat stories interview here.
This 1 is humble...
I was told be someone “in the know” that the “best” candidate isn’t always the “right” candidate as far as being selected for CAG.
Nobody told you anything. That's a quote from a former operator on a delta force documentary
@@Barnes-ml9wg Ok, nerd. I still live in the area and have many friends in SOF. So like I said, I was told by someone in the know…..
@mtnman1 yeah dude! Fight em on the interwebs! Badass
The write man for the job isn't always the right man in grammar.
Pass selection, debrief and the psych eval you stand a good chance of moving on to operator training. But passing is the key word here. 😅
Only the selection SGT Major knows the exact time standards (which are always different, even day to day because of the weather). There’s a certain mathematical formula they have where they add the times all up, and that’s how you make it, or your a Tango Sierra (time standard). The exact criteria is the biggest secret in the entire Unit, only one man knows it, the selection SGT. Major (and one other person who verifies and double checks he didn’t make a mistake).
When selection cadre say they don’t know, they are not lying to you, they really don’t know. Some people smoke selection and fail the board. There are guys who pass both but quit OTC because it’s too much for them. If your joining the Army with the sole intention of being a Delta Force operator, don’t. I can’t say it’s a 100% chance you won’t make it, but is pretty damned close. Just be thankful they exist and do what they do.
BTW, I was never in the military, just a regular guy, who learned this information from former Unit members. I only know it because I, like so many other regular guys are fascinated & curious as to why they are the best and how they choose their members. That’s all. Innocent curiosity. One last thing, for those of you guys who want to join Delta (because it’s so “badass” be careful, research the Unit, because you might get more than you bargained for). Yeah they are the best, but they also fight the worst, most evil monsters on earth. Just know what your getting into. I’m biased because the military treated my family like subhuman shit when they retired, despite giving everything they had for this country.
Here's a clue. Think about it. Such a variable time standard (whether it's "mathematical" or not) is essentially arbitrary. Think about a hypothetical weather factor - do they account for every minute of 36 hour movement as weather conditions change? In the mountains, 1km can mean the difference of ten degrees and soaking wet or just damp during a weather pattern. And why would the time standard for any one individual on any one movement be held secret from every other cadre member? (Ex - Candidate Snuffy failed by 32 mins vs 4h 29 mins on an 19 hr 40m time standard.
That's because there really is no time standard. I mean, there is, but here is the other clue that has often been dropped by Unit senior leaders and Unit guys - how often have you heard some variation of, "Almost every candidate at Selection is physically capable of passing Selection."
Well, if everyone is physically capable of making the cut, but most fail to meet this weird, arbitrary secret time standard that only one person plus an integrity check seems to know, then by inference, one comes to the conclusion that the time standard/movement that is supposedly objective of the test is just a cover - they're testing for something else entirely during the movement and the time standard is just a scientific sounding excuse applied to a GO/NOGO on whether or not you passed true objective the exercise.
Here's another clue - Unit operators rarely ever talk about Selection but on the occasion they have, they'll tell you that the biggest challenge is comes in dealing with the unknown. Well, what's supposedly just a scaled up portion of the last bit of SFAS with unknown time standards to bunch of professional soldiers coming out of SOF and top infantry/LRSU units, that's really not that big of a deal. Basic grunt mode mentality is doing X task with a percentage of maximum intensity yntil directed to stop, whether than be 30 seconds, 30 minutes or 30 hours. Conclusion - the unknown (and unexpected) they're talking about is not the simple unknown of meeting an unknown time standard.
Clue - unit operator's individual selection stories, on the rare occasion they tell them, ALWAYS involve something unexpected and challenging that happened to them, which almost always some sort of moral and ethical choice/challenge, which makes their ability to even finish the movement doubtful, much less meet the time standard. Yet even under these challenging circumstances, they still meet the time standard (which are supposedly so tight that almost everyone in the best of circumstances are failing to meet them anyway.)
Example - Pete Blaber talks about how on one movement, he lost his map and compass and light at night, during a mad scramble after a chance encounter with what he thought was a bear, Think about what this implies. After a panic movement off his initial bearing and terrain features (he falls down a ravine during the scramble, IIRC) and without any navigational guides, he STILL makes a time standard that is so punishingly hard and difficult to meet, collectively, the standards will eliminate 90-95% of the most capable men in the entire Department of Defense. The way I see it, there are two likeliest explanations for this are A.) Pete Blaber is just that fucking good or B.) there is no time standard. The objective of that particular movement was how well candidate dealt with a close encounter with a "bear" (IDK if losing the map was a part of the scenario, maybe it was or maybe it was a serendipitous bonus.)
Do you go to the aide of a fellow "candidate" who is seemingly genuinely in need of assistance? The rules say not to but does it make a difference if it's a mental breakdown vs a guy who is seemingly in genuine physical trouble or will be in 2=3 hours if you leave him in this condition? The rules say you cannot aid fellow soldiers who are candidates, but personally, I'll be damned if I'd leave fellow soldier physically stuck in a situation where he is helpless, regardless of any personal animosity, for ex. That said, I think it's likely they monitor/track/watch candidates candidates like a hawk and there's not a moment when they don't know where you are and exactly what you're doing. I don't know how much danger anyone would really be in during Selection. After all, no one has died during Selection, right?
Crossing paths with fellow candidates. How do you know they are fellow candidates? Because they're present during in-processing and student quarters between events and say they're SSG Smitty from 19th GRP or 24 DIV LRSU/etc? Then you run into him when your paths intersect on a movement and he asks to take a look at your map sheets. Then after you split, you realize he walked off with your maps. Or you realize or catch that you made some sort of navigational error and now you're miles off where you're supposed to be. Weird, you were sure before and you never make hese kind of mistakes. And now it is certain you will never make time standard. Except by cheating. And oddly enough, you have one or more cheating options available to you, like an abandoned mountain bike you saw next to a campfire and trail 400m back.... Then, comes part 2 - do you come clean about it later?
You're an idiot if you think Unit selection is simply a series of events of movements to meet harsh, but unknown time standards.
Think about it this way - Delta is a much larger organization with many more operators than DEVGRU/ST6. In just the last 20 years, the publicly known stories of DEV's misdeeds, malfeasances, wrongdoings, crimes and incredible WTF moments (ex: TSG J Chapman and Chief Slabinski) is literally enough to flll a book. In fact, a bestselling book. CAG's misdeeds are so unheard of there is maybe one scandalous article about one Unit operator. The DOD places an enormous amount of trust on these men, especially when they operate in very small teams, down to two man teams, occasionally single-soldier, solo missions (which we were told for the longest time were the province of pure fiction until guys started talking about them.) They often handle enormous amounts of cash, have the authority and trust to make on the spot decisions that could cause what we used to call "international incidents" including armed incursions and fire missions into the geographical territory of nations with which we are not at war (this one is a crazy one when you think about a couple senior NCOs actually did do this - normally, most Colonels don't have that type of authority. That's a flag rank/general officer power, if that. On the other hand, Delta E-8 can make that shore to ship call out of the fucking blue to a passing US Navy destroyer and that 5-inch naval gun is gonna go boom and is sending it. That's insane.
Yet abuse of authority is almost unheard of. And they're going to find this body of men whose universal characteristic common to every Unit operator(which is seemingly actually moral and ethical integrity to answer the question that everyone is always asking - "What are they looking for?") by the metric of meeting an unknown time standard? If you believe that.....
@@ryhk3293 ua-cam.com/video/-wDcQqiOpqQ/v-deo.htmlsi=D-TcSNFLgWXdcJBv
I don’t know if they are the best. To my understanding there are two tier 1 units in the United States military. Those are Delta Force and ST6. I have listened to men from both units answer that question and they of course picked the unit they were with. So, that is great news that we have two groups of big cans of whoop ass. I don’t know how you resolve this question other than having a favorite. That is fine with me.
@@jimpowell2296 - That AF has a tier one unit as well. The 24.th Special Tactics Squadron.
The ,Bradley I was gunning on broke down in front of the compound late 90s, the dude in the white truck came through the gate to see if we needed anything.
There is a “dude with a white truck” at the compound?
@@michaelscott33 That was 26 years ago, don't know what color truck security sits in now .
I GOT ON DELTA WITH EASE. I WENT TO THE COUNTER, PURCHASED TICKETS FROM AMERICA TO IRELAND. TRIP WENT GREAT.😊
Painfully unfunny
where is the dam Do Not recommend channel button when I need it????
How's it shrouded in secrecy? The selection is based almost entirely on 22 SAS selection. It consists of individually rucking over rugged terrain everyday for 3-4 weeks with increasing weight and distances. The selection staff give no encouragement or discouragement and the time standards for the marches are not known either. The process ends with a 40 mile March set to an unknown time but it's believed to be in the range of 18-24 hours. There's such a high attrition rate because ppl either give up on themselves, get injured or are pulled due to not meeting a time, its a clever process to weed out the weak from the stronger members of the course. In reality, it's designed to see who has the physical robustness and mental toughness to keep going through extreme hardship. Then the 'real' selection starts as in OTC for Delta and the Jungle Phase for 22 SAS
The “secrecy” is the time standard and “point” system. If you listen to former unit members they ALL consistently say that only 1-2 guys ever know the actual standards for selection at any given time. They are also on record on the SRS saying how when they were Cadre for unit selection, they would listen to the radios and write down the times of each candidate and try to guess if they would go to the barracks or be sent off home and they never could figure out the qualification time. They also reference a “points system” where one guy may have been crushing the course and they receive orders over the radio to send him packing, while another dude may have been just barely passing each course, but is passed to the next phase. Yes, everyone is aware that there is a 40-mile ruck and everything else you mentioned, but just like my profession in medicine where we have boards, the part that makes it most difficult is the time standards. Of which, no one in Delta is aware.
@@michaelscott33 yeah I know man, I did mention the time standards aren't known, and it does add that extra level of pressure and uncertainty. Yeah the points system sorta falls in to the no encouragement/discouragement category because like you said someone could seem to be doing really well and end up getting binned whereas another who seemed to underperform ended up passing. As is known, the saying of 'it's not always the best guy, but the right guy' fits perfect for these units, a rare few have 'it' whereas most don't. It's an extremely clever and effective system that those maniacs from Hereford created many moons ago
You are correct.
@@Ry43deckIt seems there is also a personality/mentality barrier to passing, and this is definitely true with devgru as DJ Shipley roughly described it (it’s actually true with regular SEALs also, Don Shipley Sr said it’s why Dan Bilzarian was cut). If you don’t fit in with their way of thinking, the level of intellect they want and their preferred behavior, they’ll cut you, even if you’re physically the best guy. Don Shipley called it a “catch all” phase.
That’s it? 4 weeks and a 24 hour culmination?
Marine boot camp is harder than that.
BUDs first phase alone is 8 weeks long with a week where you get almost zero sleep.
Then 8 more weeks of combat diving. Then 8 more weeks of basic combat. All with very little sleep.
Then 6 months of advanced training.
Yeah, we definitely must not be getting anywhere near the full story on Delta selection. Because 4 weeks of fast hard long rucks is a joke. That can’t be all it is.
‘But, but, the cadre don’t encourage you!’
Lol, BUDs instructors make fun of you as you’re drowning or dying of hypothermia.
At least tell the boys about scuba road so they don’t stick out. Lol
I saw a delta dude running , he was by himself, miles past Sicily DZ , long hair, beard, and built like a bodybuilder, tattoos , sweating his ass off. He had no shirt black shorts , probably 5 Percent body fat, huge arms, Huge legs , like a mini hulk. Apparently they do their own fitness training. I was stationed at Bragg 4 years, went by their building every week. They have their own vehicles for any situation. Ice cream truck, delivery truck, etc, whatever they need they have it. Dune buggies with mini guns on the row bars like in the movies. Thry even have their own road and gate into Pope air force base , with no air force security needed. You cannot cross the red line without air force security escorts , they will shoot you . Delta gets a pass. We sat for hours waiting to get on a bird , they roll right on and take off . Wtf ...
Only two types of lethal professionals that own their own ice cream trucks...Delta Force and Mafia hitmen
I think you’ve watched too much television and consumed rather a lot of sugar.
@@mikewinston8709😂
This story is the ultimate urban legend for anyone ever stationed at Bragg 😂 I’ve heard this same story many times. We used to run past the Delta compound and you can’t see anything but the front of the compound from Longstreet, but it always made me think “what’s going on in there?”. I was in A Co 1/505. You?
@@Beholder505 The bullshit really is quite fabulous……🤣🤣
Similar to the SAS selection, I think
Based on it for sure.
The one thing that separates CAG selection from others is the lack of harrassment. You are already a seasoned soldier, so there is no screaming at you ear all day long. The cadre will give you clear instructions for hard stuff to do, you are a bg boy, so go do it in time.
Its the same with the SAS. You only get cursed at in at interrogation phase.
Not really. 3 weeks long finish with a 40 miler that they probably have to complete in circa 20 hours.
The “secrecy” is the time standard and “point” system. If you listen to former unit members they ALL consistently say that only 1-2 guys ever know the actual standards for selection at any given time. They are also on record on the SRS saying how when they were Cadre for unit selection, they would listen to the radios and write down the times of each candidate and try to guess if they would go to the barracks or be sent off home and they never could figure out the qualification time. They also reference a “points system” where one guy may have been crushing the course and they receive orders over the radio to send him packing, while another dude may have been just barely passing each course, but is passed to the next phase. Yes, everyone is aware that there is a 40-mile ruck and everything else you mentioned, but just like my profession in medicine where we have boards, the part that makes it most difficult is the time standards. Of which, no one in Delta is aware
@@michaelscott33 What if I told you there is no time and its about effort and output.
Jesus is Lord
Jesus Saves!
If yer worrying about timings you aren't what they are looking for,just get between the points the DS give you as quick as you can,its not rocket science.
So I guess the 1986 movie, the title of which was literally “Delta Force” staring some major Hollywood actors wasn’t shown anywhere but the movie theater in my city. I guess I was just lucky. The real problem is how the “Secret Society” has been turned over to a bunch of Chatty Cathy’s.
I’m convinced that the criteria for being selected for Delta is one’s ability to grow a badass beard. 🧔♂️
Change my mind.
Gotta have the tactical homeless look.
This isn't Reddit
I learned nothing from this video.
Join delta and then go to prison for possessing a machine gun. 😮 Merca
U mean fort victory 😊
Liberty…
@@ravila77 omg which one is for victory now so confusing
Bragg
Hmm, it is kind of strange (but not really) that not many members of "The Unit" or DevGru are people of color or shall I say of "African American Heritage." There are AAH folks that are in the SOF communities. Though it's a known fact that some don't like having "The Brothers" in the Tier One elements.
Well there's Ed Bugarin, but he's not AA. I was at an interview with a government agency, and I did get the feeling that race was a variable, even though it may not be overtly admitted. There's cultural fit, representation, identity, and loyalty that all comes into question when you're different from everyone else. In my case, I'm of Chinese descent, though naturally born American, and we all know about the adversity between US and China.
Here's a thought: why is anyone from the community confirming or denying this DB's question and in turn further eroding the safety and security of current unit members and their families? Look at the comments below - they are promulgated by idiots like this.
unit dudes are being pretty loud lately.
Yeah, not a big fan of that
Yeah they're starting to sound like seals.
does it hurt you?
@@gtellez1990 are you speaking from experience when you are talking about being a power bottom ? Honestly guy unlike you i wouldn't know.
@@solidsnake2021 let me guess didn’t serve or failed anything you attempted while you were in? It’s funny you referenced a homosexual act. Is that that what makes you feel comfortable? Or a trauma response from a friend or family member abusing you or simply just using you?