The war between Ukraine & Russia has led to calls from different angles for NATO & their Allies to send special forces to help Ukraine fight against Russia. Special Forces have always been known to intervene in special operations such as stopping insurgents, countering terrorism & other covert operations.
What are special forces ?
Special Forces are not your regular soldiers; they are the most highly disciplined, mission-capable, and formidable units among military forces in the world. The soldiers who become part of these teams are selected to be as intimidating as possible in order to carry out the world’s toughest, most complicated operations. NATO describes special forces as “military activities conducted by specially designated…forces, manned with selected personnel, using unconventional tactics…”
They go through rigorous selection processes and training in order to conduct unconventional warfare tasks that are beyond the means of standard military forces. They are special because they are sent into some of the toughest situations on the planet – literal life or death missions.
Below, we have compiled the 10 best trained special forces in the world based on their training, weapons, and achievements, in no particular order.
Delta Force- United States of America
Delta Force is the U.S. Army’s elite counter-terrorism unit, with Army Rangers and Green Berets among its numbers, but it also has operators from the Navy and Air Force. It’s been called many things — Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, the Combat Applications Group, and now the Army Compartmented Elements, but throughout its short history, it has maintained its superior ability to capture or kill high value targets, dismantle terrorist cells, and conduct covert missions in any area of operations.
It has operators from the Navy and Air Force. It’s been called many things, Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, the Combat Applications Group,
A leaked recruiting video gave a glimpse at different training methods for Delta Force, including tactical driving, vehicle takedowns, and assaulter team tactics. A testament to their precision, one of their final exams includes breaching operations with fellow team members playing the hostage as his brothers live fire against targets nearby. The operation builds trust within the team and provides the shooter a sober reminder not to hit the hostage.
British SAS – Great Britain
While special forces were introduced in the beginning of the 20th century, they didn’t become really prominent and widespread until World War II and the British SAS was one of the first Special Forces.
The British SAS (Special Air Service) was created in 1941 during World War II and started out as a regiment before becoming a corp. They became especially well-known in 1980 for rescuing hostages during the Iranian Embassy siege, which was televised. The respected special forces are still active today, working heavily in counter-terrorism.
They train and train and evolve and train some more. Their tactics are forever improving and unique leaving the enemy guessing. The mental and physical resilience of these guys are what stands out. The fact you are left out in the wilderness to eat worm omelettes and find dead sheep poisoning your water source for five days with 100 commandos with German shepherds that have your scent following you.
MARCOS – India
MARCOS is the short name for ‘Marine Commandos’ or MCF. It is the special forces unit of India operating under the Indian Navy. They are primarily trained along the pattern of the US Navy SEALs, with further training with the British SAS and compulsory training at CIJW in Vairengte. They can fight in water bodies with full-fledged weaponry. The overall dropout rate of MARCOS is reported to be around 98 percent, meaning only two out of a hundred candidates graduate its training.
Sayeret Matkal – Israel
Sayeret Matkal has gained a reputation for its deep reconnaissance capabilities and counter-terrorism and hostage recovery missions. Most of their missions are highly classified, but nonetheless, they are considered one of the best special forces in the world. They rely on secrecy, attacking in small numbers and in disguise, then fading away before the enemy realises what happened. One key event of Sayeret Matkal’s work is that of rescuing Israeli taxi driver Eliyahu Gurel in 2003 after he was kidnapped transporting 4 Palestinians.
Their motto is “as the bat emerges from the darkness, as the blade cuts through with silence, as the grenade smashes in rage” and they are as tough as can be.
Those who join the force have to stay on for at least four years and their training consists of Krav Maga, where they learn how to turn their bare hands into weapons! Their recruits endure hardcore training exercises under constant monitoring by doctors .
Navy SEALS – United States of America
One of the most feared and respected forces in the world, Navy SEALs, short for United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land Teams, were created in 1962 as a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command and the United States Special Operation Command. Although one can trace their roots from World War 2, the Vietnam war of 1961 saw the actual birth of the modern-day SEAL.
‘The Teams’ as they are nicknamed have their soldiers & recruits go through years of training and, especially after 9/11, endure an incredible operation tempo. Many foreign militaries base their special ops on the SEALs.
Special Services Group (SSG) – Pakistan
The Special Services Group or SSG Pak was formed in 1956 after combining two regiments of the Pakistani Army, namely the 17th Baloch and 19th Baloch Regiment. Previously, the 19th Baloch was raised as a special unit with the help of the United States Army to counter the Soviet Union’s growing military presence in Afghanistan and surrounding regions at that time.
The unit’s initial training methods and field tactics were influenced by the US Army Special Forces with whom they closely operated against the Soviets in the 1960s and 1970s.
Imagine marching 36 miles in twelve hours and running five miles in full gear in just fifty minutes. These are some of the tasks that Pakistan’s Special Forces undergo in their training regime.
National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN) – France
The GIGN is the elite police tactical unit of the French National Gendarmerie. Its missions include counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, surveillance of national threats, protection of government officials, as well as targeting organised crime.
They have the slickest training regime GIGN is known to hunt down any threat to the nation and its people. The unit gained reputation worldwide with its successful assault on a hijacked Air France flight at Marseille Marignane Airport in December 1994.
This 200-strong unit keeps a low profile and it’s even against French law to publish pictures of their faces.
Spetsnaz – Russia
Russia’s Spetsnaz is a feared special force; it dates back to the Red Bolshevik Guard, a paramilitary force organized during the height of the Russian Revolution in the early 20th century. Most of its members are comparable to U.S. Army Rangers, but an elite few train like Delta Force.
They had a traditional background of battlefield reconnaissance, shattering enemy chains of command and lines of supply, and targeting the enemy’s tactical weapons and advantages, but one thing that makes them different from U.S. operators, however, is their freedom to “mix and match” their weapons.
An arm of the well known and feared Spetsnaz is the alpha group. It is the fiercest in their group. They are known for their brutal vengeance and heartless taking down of the opponent.
Canadian Joint Task Force-2 (JTF2) – Canada
JTF-2 remains the only foreign special operation unit to be conducted into American Tier 1 ranking (Along with Delta and Seal Team 6). Furthermore, JTF-2 is a military unit specifically requested to perform operations that were seen as incapable for other special forces such as Seals, Green Berets, and Delta during operations in Afghanistan. They are experts trained to operate in the world’s deadliest terrains where they specifically train in frozen and mountainous environments. Information about JTF-2 members is deemed classified and members of the unit cannot inform family members of their involvement within the unit.
Canadian special forces training and Canadian Forces training has one of if not the most rigorous and efficient training on the planet and has for years upon years.
GROM – Poland
GROM is an acronym that loosely translates to the Group for Operational Manoeuvring Response. In its literal meaning, grom means “thunder” in Polish. It’s a unit that can trace its lineage to the exiled Polish paratroopers of World War II known as “the Silent Unseen.” An incredible 315 men — and one woman — trained for months in Great Britain before jumping into occupied Poland to oppose the Nazi hold there.
In the same league as the British SAS, this special force was created with the same principle. It is estimated to have between 270 and 300 soldiers, each has to pass a gruelling series of psychological and physical durability tests, as well as the “truth test”. They are one of the best hand to hand combat forces in the world.