TRAINING
THE ROAD TO BECOMING A GREEN BERET
The journey to becoming a Special Forces Soldier will not be easy. Special Forces training is rigorous and highly selective, but the courage and strength you will gain as a candidate will stay with you your entire life.
In addition to Basic Combat Training, Soldiers must have completed Advanced Individual Training and U.S. Army Airborne School to be eligible for Special Forces training. To learn more about training requirements, visit the qualifications page.
Special Forces Preparation Course (SFPC)
This six-week course, held at Fort Bragg, N.C., prepares prospective Green Berets for Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS). This course focuses heavily on physical fitness, but candidates are also expected to demonstrate a proficiency in land navigation, one of the most important skills of a Special Forces Soldier.
Special Forces Assessment And Selection (SFAS)
Special Forces Assessment and Selection is designed to test your survival skills, and places an even stronger emphasis on intense physical and mental training. This is considered the first proper phase of Special Forces training which continues onto the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC).
Check out the SFAS Physical Training Handbook which was created to assist prospective candidates to attain and maintain the high state of physical fitness needed before attending the Special Forces Assessment and Selection.
Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC)
Qualification consists of six phases (I-VI), lasting approximately 53 weeks. Each phase is designed to foster an expertise in the following areas: small unit tactics, Combat Marksmanship (CMMS), advanced Special Forces tactics, Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) training, language and cultural training, unconventional warfare, and Military Free fall (MFF).
Special Forces Orientation Course (SFOC)
The first phase of the SFQC is the Special Forces Orientation Course (SFOC), a one-week introduction to Special Forces which establishes a foundational understanding of Special Forces missions and doctrine, Mission Command, Introduction to Unconventional Warfare, SF History and USASOC Strategy 2035.
MOS Training and SERE School
During phase II, Special Forces trainees will receive training for their newly assigned Special Forces Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). Training for this phase lasts 13 weeks and covers Special Forces common tasks, Advanced Special Operations Techniques (ASOT) and interagency operations. Soldiers will also take part in Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) exercises.
TACTICAL SKILLS
The tactics phase (Phase III), which lasts 7 weeks, drills candidates in advanced marksmanship, counterinsurgency, urban operations, live fire maneuvers sensitive site exploitation and other Special Forces skills
Collective Training (Robin Sage)
Robin Sage (Phase IV) is the training phase that serves as the litmus test for Soldiers hoping to earn the Green Beret. Candidates are organized into squads and inserted into a fictional country, known as Pineland, which is made up of several counties spanning North Carolina. Pineland is rife with political turmoil, and candidates must navigate the region and complete a specified mission.
Regimental First Formation
Phase V, known as the Regimental First Formation marks the transition from field work into a classroom environment. More importantly, it emphasizes the singular ceremony where Special Forces trainees will don the coveted Green Beret and Special Forces Tab for the first time.
Language and culture
During this 25-week phase (Phase V), candidates will fine-tune their skills in the language to which they have been assigned. Languages include French, Indonesian-Bahasa, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese-Mandarin, Korean, Persian-Farsi, Russian, Tagalog, Thai, Levantine, and Arabic (Egyptian)
Graduation
All of the major work and training is completed by phase VI, the graduation phase, which involves a week of out-processing. Candidates will finally don their Green Berets as Special Forces Soldiers.
