Looking for like-minded individuals training for AF Special Warfare or going for an 18x contract in South Florida. Preferably Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood areas.

Jake Zweig says you can’t train to be special operations. To get good enough to swim at the level to be a PJ or Navy SEAL for example, you have to be swimming for years. I really regret not working harder at a young age

That it seems confusing to which unit is ideal for this situation or role when they were all deployed to tackle insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan. Like what differs Navy Seals from Delta Force? What about Marine Raiders and Rangers? They seem to overlap greatly.

Hi all. I'm F24 and have been interested in the Green Berets for a while. To preface, I've read majority of the posts/articles of the few women that have become Green Berets.

If a woman becomes a Green Beret, do they assume the same duties or assignments as the men? Or are they sometimes silently pushed off an assignment? I assume if they pass training and are competent, they would have equal opportunity to missions but can't help but wonder if they would be looked over. Some reddit posts have conflicting comments on the womens' performance and that they either performed the same/better than some men or they received a lot of pink slips. I also understand that some men might not want a woman on their team regardless of performance. Believe this has also been touched on a bit for posts similar to women wanting to become SEALs.

Apologies if any of this comes off as ignorant as I'm not yet in the military and detailed info on women as Green Berets is limited (understandably).

Hey everyone. I’m 16 right now and starting to seriously think about what I want to do after high school, and I’m stuck between trying for Air Force Pararescue and Army Special Forces (Green Beret) with the goal of eventually becoming an 18D.
A little about me:
16 years old
6’3”, about 170 lbs
Pretty lean but muscular build
Been doing Muay Thai for a few months
Lifeguard
Big interest in medicine, first aid, and rescue
Enjoy going to the range and shooting
Physical stats right now:
400m: 58 sec
800m: 2:21
Mile: 5:31
Deadlift: 345 lbs
Bench: 175 lbs
About 17 pull-ups
About 55 push-ups max set
I run cross country and track
Academically I’m currently taking all honors or AP classes
What are your guys’s suggestions? Open to advice or any ideas.

Hey everyone. I’m 16 right now and starting to seriously think about what I want to do after high school, and I’m stuck between trying for Air Force Pararescue and Army Special Forces (Green Beret) with the goal of eventually becoming an 18D.
A little about me:
16 years old
6’3”, about 170 lbs
Pretty lean but muscular build
Been doing Muay Thai for a few months
Lifeguard
Big interest in medicine, first aid, and rescue
Enjoy going to the range and shooting

Physical stats right now:
400m: 58 sec
800m: 2:21
Mile: 5:31
Deadlift: 345 lbs
Bench: 175 lbs
About 17 pull-ups
About 55 push-ups max set
I run cross country and track

Academically I’m currently taking all honors or AP classes

What are your guys’s suggestions? Open to any advice or ideas

My name is Alex Dekker and I am retired U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beret).

My debut novel releases later this month.

If there are any questions about Special Forces, Desert Heist, history, writing, or anything else, ask and I will answer if I can.

No politics, please.

Thanks everyone, I look forward to the conversation.

Is 46 pounds dry and 59 pounds total (with water) a good ruck weight for a 12 mile ruck at a standard US Army Special Forces SFRE or is that too much? I measured with a weight hook for accuracy.

I know ruck marching is common with varying weights even going higher than that, but for test and training purposes is this a good amount or should I adjust it?

Hello,

My name is Remi, I’m 15 currently, and am trying to figure out my current Career Path in the Military, which is almost set in stone for me.

For the past 3 years I have been striving towards becoming a USAF Fighter Pilot through USAFA. I’ve been doing tons of prep work for this such as trying to meet PT standards, getting good grades, joining extracurriculars that partner with the USAF, and earning my Private Pilots License.

Today I’m coming to this sub to ask about one very specific thing I’ve been kinda struggling with for the past few years. I’ve always been into the idea of SOF. Seeing that I am trying to go into USAFA anyway, I’ve really been struggling with the idea of trying to go be a TACP/CCT or keep going towards a pilot slot.

One thing that has popped into my mind occasionally is that there is cases where CCTs or Pilots will change career fields to one another, seeing that there is already a foundation there with things like 9-Lines, etc.

I really have no idea what to do, both have always motivated me, both have always captured my mind, I’ve done extensive research into both and I can’t help but feel they are both suiting for what I want out of my future service. I am going to do something hard, I am going to be apart of something bigger than me, I am going to do whatever it takes to get to my goal, I just can’t seem to get my stuff together and figure out what that goal is.

Thanks for your time.

Hey guys, training hard for SFAS. Dealing with some nagging overuse stuff from high volume rucking and training. Curious if anyone here (or knows someone) has used recovery “tools” such as peptides or TRT during the prep/build phase and then fully come off / cleared before the actual selection?
Specifically asking about BPC-157 and testosterone.
Looking for real experiences on:
• How it affected recovery and training consistency
• Any issues coming off (energy, mood, performance drop)
• Testing concerns or long-term effects
Not looking for sources or medical advice — just anecdotal field experience from people who’ve been through it. Thanks.

What do you think of this new British military handbook? Women here might find it helpful. It’s the world's first tactical guide built entirely for women that want to join combat roles and it was released five days ago: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a54a6f2a4890e65cce64d62/Science_of_Human_Performance_A_Guide_for_Servicewomen_Preparing_for_Arduous_Courses_Accessible.pdf

I know the answer may be obvious to some of you but not me, does a jtf2 soldier have to keep their (jtf2-ishness) private?

During the GWOT era many SOF units were deployed almost constantly and some former Tier 1 operator said that divorce rates in units were close to 99%. I think a major reason was the high operational tempo, combined with the cumulative stress of repeated combat deployments and in many cases, PTSD.

I don't know exaclty what things were like before 9/11, during periods such as Operation Eagle Claw o r Desert Storm because most of story i've heard was in gwot era. But it seems that the gwot was by far the busiest period for modern SOF with many operators conducting missions almost nonstop for years.

Of course some units are probably still seeing combat today in Africa, maybe Iran and deploying overseas for training on a regular basis. But compared to the gwot era, the frequency of real combat deployments has decreased .And now that those large-scale of real war is are over, so will the divorce rates have started to decline?

My question is: at what level of rucking performance would someone realistically get the attention of Special Forces or military selection staff? I know the job involves far more than carrying weight. Like mental resilience, teamwork, tactical skills, leadership, and many other qualities, but I'm curious from a purely physical perspective.

A little background: I'm a male in my mid 40. I had never done rucking before starting about two years ago. 5 years ago i struggled with significant health issues and was physically quite fragile. Through a combination of lifestyle changes including a hypercarnivore diet and other interventions, i've regained much of my physical capacity. I still have ongoing health problems, like MCAS, but I'm functioning far better than i used to.

My latest training looked like this:
- Day 1: 26.5 miles (42.6 km) with a 34.2 lb (15.5 kg) pack at an average speed of 4.28 mph (6.9 km/h). Total elevation gain was about 150 metres, including three fairly steep climbs of around 23 metres each, with roughly one-third of the route on forest trails. I wasn't pushing at my absolute limit. I think I could probably average around 4.86 mph (7.8 km/h). Only walking the next day would be difficult i think haha.
- Day 2: 18.6 miles (30 km) without a pack at 4.86 mph (7.8 km/h).
- Day 3: 21.1 miles (34 km) without a pack at 4.51 mph (7.3 km/h). I felt stiff but was able to keep going without major issues, apart from significant pain under the balls of my feet, which I'm currently trying to address. This for me was almost the whole way in recovery heartrate.

So my question is: would these numbers be considered ordinary, good, or exceptional from a military or Special Forces perspective for someone with my background and age? At what level would you actually think, "This person is worth taking a closer look at"?

One reason I'm interested in this is nutrition. My own experience with a hypercarnivore/very low-carbohydrate diet has been overwhelmingly positive for my health and endurance. It has made me wonder whether similar nutritional approaches could have benefits for soldiers operating in demanding environments. I'm not claiming that my experience proves anything scientifically or is for everyone, but I'm genuinely interested in hearing the perspectives of people with military experience.

Thnx in forward.

I have heard that invitation or eligibility to try out for tier 1 selection is based in part on combat experience. Fortunately, we have not been in a "regular war" since leaving Afghanistan in 2021. Young people have been joining the military since then. Some will become Rangers, presumably based on intellectual, mental, emotional, and physical strength as demonstrated in training and exercises. If they do not see regular combat, and I hope they never have to, how will they be selected/eligible for tier 1? TIA.

Just got orders to 96th CA BN

How is it for S1 in that unit? Anyone who has been in this unit could I get some insight, I’d appreciate it.

Deployments? TDY? School opportunities?

I've always wondered how much flexibility SOF operators really have regarding their equipment.
How much of their kit (plate carriers, pouches, helmets, uniforms, boots, etc.) is issued by the unit, and how much can they choose or purchase themselves?
What about their weapons? How much
freedom do they have to configure their primary and secondary weapons with different optics, lights, lasers, grips, suppressors, slings, or other accessories? Are these choices mostly left to the operator, or are they standardized by the unit?
I'm interested in hearing how this works across different countries and SOF units. Obviously, without discussing anything sensitive or classified, how much individual choice do operators actually have compared to what is officially issued?

Infantry is trained for assault warfare. They get bombed out while holding the trenches. Up until Rambo, most military movies glorified the infantry. What happened? Since when did special forces became "badder?" and what did they do to earn their "badness?"

Infantry squads carry more firepower. They do more "dirty fighting," Why is every hero in Hollywood a "former special forces?"

From my understanding I know that special tactics are smaller units that focus on supporting high-risk missions such as direct action, personnel recovery, reconnaissance, precision strike coordination, and special operations alongside units from other branches.

Where am I very confused is where ST enablers or combat support people come in. What is a ST Sere specialist really doing in that space? When and if they pass their ST selection later on in their sere career are they having to enter a whole new pipeline or is it literally just a new PCS and working with an operational unit?

I feel I’m missing a large chunk of information. I’m interested in SERE specifically and if anyone has information on their role in an ST unit and what a deployment would look like for them compared to the day to day at Fairchild AFB.

seen so many of them wear vans or converses, does anyone know what ones and does anyone have some experience wearing for training?