But as has already been said, a lot of SEAL training is taken from the SAS training...Shiftysnowdog said:
OT: Has to be SAS, I'm biased being a Brit but some of the stuff they have done is simply incredible, massive respect.
Poll: Who do YOU think has the most elite military unit in the world?
- Thread starter Jacco
- Start date
OT: Has to be SAS, I'm biased being a Brit but some of the stuff they have done is simply incredible, massive respect.
I only chose the SAS because they're the only people I know. My neighbor is ex-SAS, he then went onto the armed response unit for the police, then to airport security and now he's retired.
Also, the Gurkhas are apparently some of the funniest guys you'll ever meet.
Also, the Gurkhas are apparently some of the funniest guys you'll ever meet.
We'll never know until they fight each other. But...
I select British SAS. Although I think the SBS need a bit of acknowledgement too.
They are "The" elite military unit.
Hell, Delta Force's training regime is practically the SAS system, but then again Delta's founder Charles Beckwith served as an exchange student-officer with them in the 1960's. Delta Force's structure is similar to the British 22 Special Air Service Regiment, the unit which inspired Delta's creator.
Also they've been on many operations since their re-founding in 1946 (countless counter-insurgency missions, Korea, Suez, Oman, Malaya, Borneo, Northern Ireland, The Falklands, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Iraq again... )
I select British SAS. Although I think the SBS need a bit of acknowledgement too.
They are "The" elite military unit.
Hell, Delta Force's training regime is practically the SAS system, but then again Delta's founder Charles Beckwith served as an exchange student-officer with them in the 1960's. Delta Force's structure is similar to the British 22 Special Air Service Regiment, the unit which inspired Delta's creator.
Also they've been on many operations since their re-founding in 1946 (countless counter-insurgency missions, Korea, Suez, Oman, Malaya, Borneo, Northern Ireland, The Falklands, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Iraq again... )
The British and Indian army Gurkhas are about as close as you can get to the Spartans thesedays.
Having served in the 14th, I can tell you that American Special forces recieve a lot of training from the SAS. One regiment you forgot to include are the Gurkha's, those guys are insane. When it comes down to it, its a case of experience, which in this case, the SAS has the most of. I don't recommend screwing with any Special forces ha ha.
well OP although the SASR (special Air Service Regiment {Australia and New Zealand}) is not in it I think you come close when it comes to you mentioning the British SAS.Jacco said:
But I still do believe that although the others are good. The SASR is better as they were first in to Iraq so there would be no American casualties. And there were NO Australian casualties. So rather than cannon fodder on the allies side. We win..
Until i remembered the SPETNAZ.
Casualties within basic training are common...CaptainTrilby said:
Effectiveness is FAR higher than any other Special operations force that I know of.
So as it was before edit that I remembered them...
I am going to say spetnaz
Add to that the fact that the Spetznaz probably number somewhere around 20-40,000 soldiers and do their survival training in siberia in the winter and you've got a special operations force that is downright scary.ivansnick said:
But it also has to do with the old Soviet doctrine of Deep Operations. Apart from the massed mechanized and armoured units, the Deep Operations Doctrine put a big emphasis on special forces groups performing sabotage, disruption and delay operations deep behind enemy lines. In the event of the cold war going hot, Spetznaz were supposed to pretty much cripple the entire western european infrastructure before the Soviet invasion began.
On top of that is the fact that the Soviet Union got plenty of experience with guerilla operations during world war II and drew heavily on that experience when shaping their future Spetznaz forces.
I voted spetznaz, if only because the russians have an almost unhealthy fascination with making their special forces as ridiculously effective and brutal as possible.
you forgot the opklaringsbataljonen their whole job consists of going on suicide missions on short notice, because of this most of our casualties come from this division.CFriis87 said:
on a side note the frogmen dont even compare to the SEALs or the SAS. they have little or no recognizance training at all, and have never been used in proper military operations. ill grant you that their training is difficult and demanding, but they are hardly an elite force comparable with the even our own huntsman corps(jægerkorpset) which BTW are truly badass, and have trained with the SAS and the SEALs, as well as having been deployed in numerous engagements and spec ops.
OT i am going to give it to the SAS... because of modern warfare
I have to go with the French Foreign Legion, followed by the commandos of Israel (I can't remember the official name).
Honestly at this level of badass it comes down to normally irrelevant things. Think of American football (objectively -_- ) Are the Raiders as good as they are because they are the Raiders? Or are they as good as they are because they traded and scouted for some of the best players in the world? Special forces do the same, they take the finest specimens of human being, and then train them to the peak of their biological capabilities. I'm sure if you got 10 of each with comparable experience, gave them the same resources, prep time and an even playing field, on the whole they would all be about equal.
In the end their actual records are more driven by government policy, and resources such as tech and intelligence.
Of course doctrine differences take effect as well. While the Russian GRU spetznaz may have higher kill counts, that is because they are honed to be perfect killers. Equivalent to US Marines (who are technically a special force by the international definition) and have a serious reputation because they do not stop for their wounded. The American Green Berets are trained up to be perfect killers as well, but then that training takes second chair to advanced academic courses that allow them to infiltrate and turn the enemy civilians against their leaders. Strategically a different goal. And the SEALs who I believe are primarily trained to deal with SCUBA and shipborne CQB operations. Of course of late the US is kind of low on soldiers who can do CQB to the level of SEALs, and Green berets, so they have them cross train and use them interchangeably for super secret strike missions right there. And while there are probably many soldiers who could do just as well in a CQB strike mission, SPEC OPS guys already have top secret clearances and more training than you could possibly believe.
In the end their actual records are more driven by government policy, and resources such as tech and intelligence.
Of course doctrine differences take effect as well. While the Russian GRU spetznaz may have higher kill counts, that is because they are honed to be perfect killers. Equivalent to US Marines (who are technically a special force by the international definition) and have a serious reputation because they do not stop for their wounded. The American Green Berets are trained up to be perfect killers as well, but then that training takes second chair to advanced academic courses that allow them to infiltrate and turn the enemy civilians against their leaders. Strategically a different goal. And the SEALs who I believe are primarily trained to deal with SCUBA and shipborne CQB operations. Of course of late the US is kind of low on soldiers who can do CQB to the level of SEALs, and Green berets, so they have them cross train and use them interchangeably for super secret strike missions right there. And while there are probably many soldiers who could do just as well in a CQB strike mission, SPEC OPS guys already have top secret clearances and more training than you could possibly believe.