Preparing for Selection

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 3, Day 7

Back in the gym this morning for some shoulders and back training before heading out for a run. We’ll break up the routine next week with some more speed interval running, that will help in building up your short area quickness and speed. And we’ll do some swimming which is also very important.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 10 Pullups

3 x 12 Seated Rows (go as heavy as possible)

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, front

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Seated Bent-Over Delt Raise

3 x 10 Dumbbell Shoulder Press

3 x 10 Arnold Dumbbell Press

4-mile run

Stretch well after completion

Land Navigation Tips: Do’s and Don’ts For Passing Selection

We’ve been going hard at Land Navigation for the past week or so with a refresher 101-type, of course, to get everyone on the same level playing field. We started we a basic map reading piece and moved on to the necessary basic skills every candidate should be familiar with before arriving.

The key to getting selected in one of the Special Operations Forces’ courses is to be properly prepared and keep a cool head during times of stress. It is certainly so with Land Navigation. Many of the students who fail to pass the Land Nav test did so because they didn’t prepare properly or didn’t think things thru. Occasionally both.

Like most of the challenges you’ll find in Selection, they are more mental than physical despite what you’ll hear from candidates who have gone thru the course.

So as a final primer for our Land Navigation refresher, we’ll put out some final reminders to all the candidates as a not-so-gentle reminder of what to do and just as importantly NOT to do on the navigation course. Some of these you’ve already heard in our earlier posts (foot stomp), they’re important which is why we’ll repeat them again and again.

So, here are our tips for getting a go at Land Navigation in Selection:

Soak up everything that the cadre put out in classes and briefings. They are out there all the time and know the area like the back of their hand. They won’t be trying to make it easy on you, but they won’t tell you anything to lead you astray either. And, (believe it or not, I’ve heard this one before), they will never try to tell you anything to make you fail. The cadre out there are professionals. They want people to pass. The right people,… good people.
Take advantage of all the Land Nav practice sessions out there. Some candidates are afraid of burning themselves out during the practice navigation sessions, that they purposely underachieve to “save it” for the test. Big mistake. Use every second of every practice to learn as much as you can about the course. Because you’ll run the same area for the test. Not the same lanes but you’ll be running on the same map sheet area. If you go to sleep during a practice night navigation. You’re going to get caught and you’ll be a very unhappy camper after the cadre find you.
Find the motivated candidates from the class and talk AFTER the day’s events are over. Don’t get caught talking during practice or the exam because you’ll get bounced. But discuss what you found, and share your experiences and any helpful tips where you can disseminate any possible trouble areas as well. That is allowable and encouraged, as long as it is after the event is over for the day.
Red lens flashlights only. Remember, you’re always being evaluated and the cadre WILL be out there and if you violate any of the rules, they WILL catch you
When you find yourself in one of those rare moments of non-restrictive terrain where the walking is easier, take advantage of it! Use your compass, pick out a spot as far in the distance as you can and move out quickly.
Avoid crossing the draws if you can, especially at night. But if you must cross one using a combination of speed and care. Check your compass every 20-25 paces as it is easy to get turned around in those things. Don’t just blunder thru it like a bull in a china shop. Remember, there have been a ton of students out there if you see a well-worn path that cuts across a draw, it probably means that the students before you have found the path of least resistance across the draw and I’d take advantage of that. Sometimes taking an extra minute or two to properly recon the area will save you tenfold or more the time.
During Selection, an SFAS cadre member will be at the points to check you in and give you the next point on the course, but occasionally you’ll come upon those green Engineer stakes with a tag on them. They’re land navigation points for the SFQC. Take the time, stop, and use the eight-digit grid on them to help you pinpoint your location. That is just like having a built-in GPS on the course. Those are placed in exactly where they’re supposed to be and they’re a great tool to use. Especially if you’re getting close to your point, if you come across one within 200-300m from your point, you now have a perfect attack point.
As we mentioned, use a page from your notebook or an index card to make notes on without writing too much on your map sheet. Make any notations afterward just in case you return on a later date.
Embrace the darkness and night navigation. The majority of your work will be at night, don’t let it get to you and become a master at moving at night.
Trust your map, pace count, and your azimuth as you move out on the course. And never let doubt creep into your mind. Your map and compass aren’t going to lie to you on the course.
Your training and keeping a cool head will get you thru this. Thousands of SOF guys before you have done this and you can too. You will get tired and beat up on the course. That is what it was designed to do. Rise above it and keep driving on.
Don’t forget to use handrails and corridors such as roads and such while moving out. Just don’t get too close to them. If you hit one, then you know you’ve veered too far and need to backtrack.
Plan multiple checkpoints en route to your points. The more the better to validate your location at all times.

And finally, here are some of the names of places on the map, some are named, some given their names from the cadre or candidates. You will know all of these by the time you’re done out there.

Five Points

Puppy Palace

Lake Baggett

Bones Fork Creek

3 Wire Road

Jurassic Park

Scuba Road

Dagobah (The north area…brilliant.)

One last thing, ensure everything is tied down and before you leave any stop, point or checkpoint, that you double check that you have all of your kit and equipment. Don’t ever quit and avoid “Ned the Navigator”, every class has one.

Good luck…and hopefully the day after Land Navigation is done, you’ll be standing in formation with your entire class intact. DOL

Photo: DOD

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 3, Day 6

Friday is always a good day for Leg Day at the gym, we’ll go for the lighter weight in the squats but higher reps help with endurance. Weighted sled push builds up some explosion and strength. The leg work will bode well for you in Selection and in SOF units in your future if you are successful in your quest to get Selected.

Continue to prep for the UBRR.

Training:

3 x Pullups 10 reps

3 x Squat 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

3 x Deadlifts 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

4 x Sled push (heavier weight) or Fireman’s Carry

3 x 12 Lying Leg Curls

3 x 20 Leg Extensions

4 x 12 Standing Calf Raises. 4 sets, 12 reps.

3 x 20 Shoulder touch planks

3-mile run

Stretch well after completion

Night Land Navigation During Selection: “Hello Darkness My Old Friend”

Land Navigation in Selection is a very big obstacle to overcome. To help prepare the candidates for our Special Operations Forces we’ve gotten back to the basics and gone over the various skills that start at square one and gone from there. Now that we’re all on the same sheet of music, so to speak, it is time to take on everything you’ve learned and put it to the test. And the best, most difficult test will be navigating during the hours of darkness.

Some of the questions and/or comments we’ve gotten have to do with night land navigation. And navigating at night is by far the most difficult aspect of navigation. Be prepared to be tested to the max during the night as everything intensifies. Your range of vision will be extremely limited so you’ll have to rely on everything you’ve learned up to this point.

So, we’ll touch on a few highlighted skills that we’ve gone over previously that each candidate will have to know to get over the hump in night navigation. Much of what I’ll mention here has to do with the course in Hoffman, NC at SFAS but the location is secondary. These tips are geared for any Land Navigation course that you’ll attend.

As we’ve said here many, many times, this isn’t something that is impossible to pass. Thousands of Special Operations troops before you have done so and many more thousands will pass after you. Speaking from experience, I passed the Star Course as a candidate and had to do it again before working as a cadre member at SFAS and went thru a class with the candidates as a fully qualified Special Forces soldier. And occasionally between classes, our cadre would reevaluate some of the different lanes that students would run and during the course and conduct the courses again.

So, with that in mind, here are some night navigation tips, many of which are just as apt for the day navigation course.

Route Planning: We wrote a piece about doing proper route planning while navigating. Route planning during selection is probably more important at night as opposed to during the daylight as many of the terrain features are much more difficult to identify. Trying to use dead reckoning for 5-6 clicks in the dark is not a preferred method.

So plan a series of shorter legs and movements and set checkpoints along the way. It is a much easier way to tackle the course and your movement between points. This way, you can check your progress, pace count as well as constantly confirming your location along the way.

Set your checkpoints and handrails on large or linear terrain features such as ridgelines or streams that you can terrain associate with and move out quickly while using your pace count. Use dead reckoning once you get to your attack point. That way if you get turned around, you have a known point you can go back to try it again.

Plot your points using the smallest possible mark on your map sheet and then write down any and all pertinent information on either a small index card or tear a sheet off your notebook and place this inside the map case for quick reference.

Pace Count: We covered our pace counts in an earlier piece as well. Knowing your pace is very important, and even more so in the dark, since terrain association is generally much harder in the dark. How different is your pace count with all of your kit, to include your rucksack on? As we said earlier, your pace count will vary between day and night and it will increase as you tire. And depending on the type of terrain that you are operating in.

In time, you’ll become a seasoned pro at this and will know just by the conditions that you are dealing with what your pace count will be. And it will change over time. My pace with just web gear on flat terrain was 62 back in the days of Phase 1 at Camp Mackall.

But with a rucksack and a heavy load, it went up to 73. But I noticed after I had been in Special Forces for a few years, where rucking becomes like second nature, my pace counted lessened to between 68-69 depending on conditions. You’ll find that you will have similar results.

Keep a good pace count and using those checkpoints along your route, you’ll have immediate feedback on how accurate your pace is. Occasionally, you will lose track of your pace count. It happens. We’ve all done it. Don’t sweat it. If it happens to you, take a good guess at how far you’ve gone and try to keep an accurate pace from there forward.

Secure Your Gear: I know, this sounds ridiculous, but better a red face than a dead face right? Lose your map, protractor, compass or heaven forbid, your weapon and you’ll quickly find yourself on the truck ride from hell.

But remove all chance of this unfortunate (and very common) occurrence from happening to you. Every class that I was a cadre member of in SFAS had at least one candidate losing either a map, protractor or a compass. We had a saying that the draws in Hoffman feed off of land navigation students gear. And I doubt seriously that much has changed there.

Get a good smaller map case, preferably one with a lanyard and tie it or snap link it to your gear and then stuff it into your shirt, where it is easily accessible. You don’t need one of those huge map cases that the mech guys used to be so fond of inside of their vehicles. Fold up your map so that the terrain you’re walking in is the only part showing. It makes it much easier to find where you are.

So, this would seem like an apt place for a FOG anecdote, you know what FOG stands for …right? One morning, we were revalidating some of the land nav lanes in SFAS between classes. Down in the Bones Fork Creek area (you’ll get intimately familiar with), I came to the edge of a perfectly oval depression about 20-25 meters across. And it was only 100-200 meters from the point we were looking for. The bottom of the depression had very little vegetation and the sides were only 2-3 feet high so crossing it seemed like a snap.

Once inside, I stopped for a second and thought to double check my map sheet to see if it was marked on the map (it wasn’t) and to make a note of it for future reference. I pulled out my map case to take a look. At that moment, at my feet, I noticed 5-6 snakes (the poisonous variety) were almost underfoot.

“Jesus H. F***ing Christ!” I leaped over the assorted no shouldered reptilians that would have made an Olympic broad jumper proud. At that point, I cleared the depression faster than Lance Armstrong on all of his PEDs ever dreamed of going,…downhill on a 30-degree slope on his bicycle at the Tour de France.

I didn’t slow down for a good 50 meters and had my map case, compass and whatever else hadn’t been tied down, they’d have been gone. I got to the point in short order and my bud Doug P. was already there. “I heard you yell, you fall down”, he asked? When I relayed the story, he laughed. “I love my f***ing job! Best one I’ve ever had,” he said.

Tie your shit down…you’ll thank me later.

Move Quickly: One of the things that you’ll have to get good at and quickly is being able to move out in the darkness and cover some ground. Special Operations Forces own the night and the only way to get really good at it is to practice. And you’ll get plenty of it during practice night land navigation.

And the most useful feature of your compass at night is the bezel ring. If you’re following a basic azimuth, rotate your bezel ring so that your North seeking arrow aligns with the luminous bubble. So, say if you are traveling on an azimuth of 65 degrees, your North seeking arrow will be in the approximate 10 o’clock position, rotate the bezel ring so the bubble aligns with the North seeking arrow and it is a quick way to keep on your azimuth, especially in the dark.

Also, remember that each click in the bezel ring is three degrees. Keeping your compass at waist level now will allow you to move out quicker. Once the luminous dot and the North seeking arrow are aligned you are moving in the right direction.

If the terrain and conditions allow it, then shoot a point in the distance and move to it. But as we said above, you don’t want to be doing dead reckoning for long distances in the dark. Once you get better at it, terrain association is faster, easier and will allow you to find your way without getting lost. Your pace count then becomes just another way to check your progress and reference where you are on your map checks.

Just a few reminders, your visual range estimation is likely to be well off during the darkness. And your pace count, depending on the terrain is likely to vary a bit. And finally, your natural drift will likely be intensified in the dark, you’ll quickly find this out as you find yourself on the course. Natural drift is the way people walk. While you may believe you’re walking a straight line, most people, over time will drift either left or right. One way to combat this and I’ve heard this works for many navigators is to change hands holding your compass frequently.

Working and operating in the dark is a Special Operations specialty. It will come in time. And of course you’ll have NVGs then but not in Selection. Don’t let anything get in the way of your preparation and planning. Give it your all and you’ll pass.

Photo: DOD

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 3, Day 5

All the workout can be done outside this morning, no gym time today. We are going to max out on pushups, sit-ups, and crunches today before we head back out on the rucking trails. There is no time limit on any of the exercises, obviously, the goal is to get them done as quickly as you can.

With the heat wave blanketing the east coast right now, it would probably be a good idea to start a bit earlier than normal. Stretch well before and after and ensure you hydrate well during the ruck march.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

100 Pushups (no time limit)

100 Sit-ups (no time limit)

100 Crunches (no time limit)

Rucksack march: Go as hard and as fast as you can for 1 hour. Do this without running. See what your distance is and make a notation. This will give a goal to achieve in later training sessions.

Stretch well after completion

Finding Your Location by Resection, Land Nav 101

Our previous articles in the last week or so have centered upon getting back to the basics of land navigation. It is imperative that all of these skills and they are the basics of finding your way in the field, become second nature to all of the candidates who aspire to be in the Special Operations community.

The Land Navigation course for SFAS also known as the Star Course in Hoffman, NC outside of Camp Mackall is the toughest individual land navigation course you will find in the U.S. military. You’ll be traveling several kilometers between points and the terrain is filled with thickets, swamps and low-level terrain where a hilltop on the map may look more like an anthill on the ground.

That’s why it is imperative for all of the candidates to learn the basics of land navigation to the point where you could teach a class on any of it, keep a cool head and prepare. As we’ve said here many times, land navigation requires as much prep and practice as any other perishable skill.

But also remember, that you’ll be only asked to pass the same course that thousands of other candidates have passed before you. Although difficult, it is far from impossible. Don’t let the countless stories, usually perpetuated by those who failed the course, fill your heads with needless worry. Ignore the noise. Especially from those who didn’t get selected. Prepare to succeed, and you will.

So, today we’ll tackle a common issue for many candidates that find themselves on the land navigation course. This is the way of finding your exact location if you are unsure of your exact map placement.

The military definition of Resection for finding your exact location on a map by determining the grid azimuth to at two or more well-defined locations that can be pinpointed on the map. For greater accuracy, the desired method of resection would be to use three or more well-defined locations.

In layman’s terms, if you aren’t sure exactly where you are at and need to pinpoint your location and can see two or more distant points that are recognizable on your map sheet, you can shoot an azimuth to them and determine the back azimuth from those points to pinpoint your location.

For the purposes of doing it correctly you’ll need at least two known points but obviously, three or more is ideal. There are three methods of using resection, using the map and compass method, the straightedge method and the modified method. In a perfect world, the map and compass method is the way to go. But in reality, you’ll often in the real world use the modified Resection method, as often times, you may not have the luxury of having multiple points visible.

Map and Compass Method

Orient the map using your compass and terrain association
Identify two or three known distant locations on the ground and mark them on the map accordingly.
Measure the magnetic azimuth to the first of the known positions from your location using a compass.
Convert the magnetic azimuth to a grid azimuth using the declination diagram.
Convert the grid azimuth to a back azimuth. If the magnetic azimuth is less than 180 degrees add 180. If the azimuth is more than 180 degrees subtract 180.
Using a protractor, draw a line for the back azimuth on the map from the known position back toward your unknown position.
Repeat the same steps for a second position and a third position, if practical.

Where all of the lines intersect on your map is your location. Next, using your protractor, determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy, an eight-digit grid being the preferred accuracy for our purposes. You’ve found your location. Easy, peasy…right?

Straightedge Method:

This method is a little bit differently but can still accurately find your position. To do so the successful navigator must follow these steps:

Orient his map using his compass and/or terrain association
Locate at least two known distant locations or prominent features on the ground and mark them on the map accordingly.
Lay a straightedge on the map, in this case using the edge of the compass and a known position as a pivot point.
Rotate the straightedge until the known position on the map is aligned with the known position on the ground.
Draw a line along the straightedge away from the known position on the ground toward your position.
Repeat the same process using a second known position that you can see from your location.

This one sounds more difficult than what it truly is. However, where the intersection of the lines meet on the map is your location. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy. You then should be able to get an eight-digit grid coordinate and find your way to your point.

Modified Resection Method:

The modified method is the least preferred and the least accurate method but is useful in certain situations. If you’re not certain of your exact location but are located on a linear terrain feature such as a road, creek or along a similar body of water, this can pinpoint your position.

Orient the map using a compass and/or by terrain association.
Locate a point in the distance that can be easily identified on the ground and on the map.
Determine the magnetic azimuth from your location to the distant known point.
Convert the magnetic azimuth to a grid azimuth.
Convert the grid azimuth to a back azimuth, using the add or subtract 180 accordingly depending on the degrees.
Using a protractor, draw a line for the back azimuth on the map from the known position back toward your unknown position.

Your location is where the line on the map crosses the linear feature. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy, for our purposes an eight-digit grid coordinate. In a practical application, if you have to cross a thick draw or swampy area and are closing in on your point but aren’t sure of where you are after negotiating the thicket, do the steps outlined above. After identifying a far point, this will closely put you to where you are and then you can finalize your attack point and find your way.

You’ll find this little exercise a very helpful method anytime you are navigating your way in the field and aren’t entirely sure of where you are. Remember, any of these exercises that you aren’t entirely sure of conducting properly can be done with any map, compass, and protractor. Practice makes perfect. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

Photos courtesy of Army Study Guide, author, DOD

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 3, Day 4

Shoulder work in the gym is the order of the day along with some speed work. The sprints will help with your overall cardio fitness, build explosion in your legs and will serve you well with your endurance. It is also a functional part of your job in Special Operations.

There will be plenty of times where you’ll have to sprint short distances with your gear on. It will test you in a different manner than a distance run. This is a system that some NFL teams use to increase their speed.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, behind the neck (go as heavy as possible)

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, front

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Front Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Shoulder Press

3 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

40-Meter Sprint, walk back to the starting point

50-Meter Sprint, walk back to the starting point

60-Meter Sprint, walk back to the starting point

70-Meter Sprint, walk back to the starting point

80-Meter Sprint, walk back to the starting point

90-Meter Sprint, walk back to the starting point

100-Meter Sprint, walk back to the starting point

Stretch well after completion

Locating an Unknown Point by Intersection: Land Nav 101

In our ongoing refresher series of articles dealing with Land Navigation, we’ll move on to another basic skill that all Special Operations candidates should know how to conduct. And they should know this before they attend one of the Selection courses for the different units.

We’re starting with the basics of land navigation, a 101 starter course to refresh the more experienced candidates and give the newer or less experienced troops a starting point to learn the finer points of map reading and land navigation.

It is a good idea for everyone to brush up on all of these skills. As we’ve often said on these pages, the two biggest failure areas for Special Operations candidates are the physical tasks and land navigation. Especially in the Special Forces (SFAS) course. Which leads us to today’s topic.

The Army’s study guide lists the definition of Intersection as the location of an unknown point by successively occupying at least two (preferably three) known positions on the ground and then map sighting on the unknown location. While this may not be a particularly common factor in Selection, it is a skill that every Special Operations trooper should know.

It can be used to locate distant or inaccessible points or objects such as enemy targets, danger areas or new structures that are not on the map sheets. There are two methods of intersection: the map and compass method and the straightedge method.

The Map and Compass method:

Orient the map using the compass as we discussed in an earlier post
Locate and mark your position on the map (Always double check)
Determine the magnetic azimuth to the unknown position using the compass
Convert the magnetic azimuth to grid azimuth using the declination diagram
Draw a line on the map (grid azimuth) from your position to the unknown one
Move to a second and third known point and repeat steps 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
The location of the unknown position is where the lines cross on the map.
Determine the grid coordinates to the point, preferably an eight-digit grid coordinate

This is the best, most efficient way to get it done. In a tactical situation, you can move to multiple points and get all of the required information to locate and pinpoint the unknown position. This is the much-preferred method than the following one.

The Straight Edge Method:

The straight edge method is used when a compass is not available. For a Special Operations candidate, this method should be used only as a training event. Because a candidate should never be without his compass. If you’re on the course without your compass, woe to you. But for the purposes of our training…

This is how it is conducted –

Orient the map on a flat surface by the terrain association method, as we’ve discussed here in the previous post
Locate and mark your position on the map (Always Double check)
Lay a straight edge on the map with one end at the user’s position (A) as a pivot point; then, rotate the straightedge until the unknown point is sighted along the edge.
Draw a line along the straight edge
Repeat the above steps at position (B) and check for accuracy.
The intersection of the lines on the map is the location of the unknown point (C).
Determine the grid coordinates to the point, preferably an eight-digit grid coordinate

Obviously, this method isn’t as accurate as the one with the compass but can be used in a pinch. Remember, ensure all of these skills are like second nature to yourself during Selection and you should be in a much better position to succeed. The failure to prepare is the biggest failure for the course and the land navigation course is the least forgiving of all of the courses that you’ll come across.

In our follow-on land navigation pieces, we’ll touch on some of the other skills you may need to brush up on. Until then, if you have any questions, feel free to email me [email protected] or Tweet them to me (@SteveB7SFG) and I’ll be happy to answer them. Either privately or in a post such as this, but without mentioning anyone’s name of course.

Photo: Army Study Guide, US Army

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 3, Day 3

Continue to prep for the UBRR. Leg Day at the gym, our favorite with squats, the sled push, and some lunges. We’ll follow that with a three-mile run at a good pace, faster than the standard. Remember to stretch well before and after the run and to hydrate.

UBRR Training:

3 x Pullups 10 reps

3 x Squat 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

3 x Goblet Squats 20-15-12 reps (lighter dumbbell)

3 x 10 Deadlifts

3 x 10 Sled push or Fireman’s Carry

3 x 10 reps Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 20 Sit-ups

3 x 25 Crunches

3-mile run (24 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

How OSS Operatives Were Assessed and Selected

Back in World War II, the United States was woefully prepared to enter the war, especially in the field of intelligence operations where they didn’t have a national, professional intelligence service. But that would change very quickly.

After President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed General William “Wild Bill” Donovan to head up the fledgling Office of Strategic Services (OSS), he quickly used his British contacts with getting the Americans the training and experience they would need in the coming months.

After OSS grew from their original COI (Coordinator of Information) roots, the U.S. copied the British program of psychological/psychiatric assessment similar to that in the English War Office Selection Boards (WOSBs).

OSS was searching for what personal makeup would be for assessing the perfect applicant for paramilitary operations (Guerrilla warfare, sabotage, assassination), intelligence operations (espionage), propaganda operations and select skills such as radio operators. They were starting from scratch. No one really knew what would make a perfect candidate for any of those.

So Donovan and his staff assembled a team of psychologists headed up by Dr. Henry Murray, a Harvard-trained psychologist who was a pioneer in personality assessment. He would head up the Assessment and Selection committee. They would screen nearly 5400 candidates to weed out the unfit for the dangerous job of being involved in the U.S.’ first foray into the intelligence and Special Operations business.

The candidates, military and civilian, men and women would be brought to Station S. (Schools and Training) at the prior Willard Estate in Fairfax, Virginia. The initial problem that arose was that there were no job descriptions for the candidates and therefore the psychologists had a difficult time in assessing candidates because they didn’t know what they were actually assessing for.

But what the Training School cadre of doctors came up with is a basic tool that is still used today, not only in Selection and Assessment for Special Operations Forces but in the civilian world in assessing managers.

Candidates would be required to build and maintain as completely as possible a cover
story for himself, claiming to have been born somewhere he wasn’t, to have gone to to school and educated in an institution other than those he had attended, to have been engaged in work or profession different to his own, and to live now in a place that was not his true residence. The cover story was to be maintained with staff and students alike at all times except under when speaking to cadre members for the purposes of assessment. The candidates could reveal anything about themselves except their names and true identities.

During the assessment cycle, this was the first test of what would become the real world test of living undercover abroad in a foreign country that may be under enemy control. The candidates were rated on several key factors which included:
Motivation, Practical Intelligence, Emotional, Stability, Social Relations, Leadership, Physical Ability, Observation and Reporting, Propaganda Skills, and Maintaining Cover.

Each factor was rated on a six-point scale: Very Inferior, Inferior, Low Average, High Average, Superior, Very Superior.

In addition, candidat were assessed in other factors as well:

Motivation: energy, effort, initiative, morale,
Practical Intelligence: speed and accuracy of judgment, resourcefulness in solving problems
Emotional Stability: emotional control and maturity, the absence of neurotic symptoms
Social Relations: social awareness, goodwill, teamwork, tact, the absence of annoying traits
Leadership: social initiative, organizing ability, ability to evoke cooperation
Physical Ability: agility, daring, ruggedness, stamina
Observation and Reporting: ability to search, question, observe and recall,
Infer, report
Propaganda Skills: the ability to affect others through acts, words, or displays
Maintaining Cover: caution, ability to remain inconspicuous, bluff, mislead, keep a secret

One of the more intriguing tasks given to the candidates was the Map Memory Test. in this test, the candidate had to assume that he is an operative in the field and that he has just made a secret face-to-face meeting with a courier who has a map of the territory that the agent will be operating in.

After a few minutes the courier must leave with the map and since it would be dangerous for the agent to have it, he must memorize it. After eight minutes to examine the map, it is taken away and the candidate answers a set of multiple-choice statements about the terrain shown on the map.

Back when I was a cadre in Selection, we came across this and several of the cadre members as well as candidates took the test in one of our first Selection courses in SFAS.

Other tests given to OSS candidates included:

The Brook Situation: This is similar to many of the tasks that SFAS candidates face in today’s course during what is now termed “Team Week”. This leaderless situation is now more apt to current Selection tasks than when the courses first began in the 1980s.

There a group of candidates were asked to cross a 15 foot wide stream, that the candidates were told to be a canyon. The are given a log which is said to be a delicate piece of equipment that they must carry over the canyon and return with a rock. The rock was to be considered to be explosives. The must carry log across, return with rock and all members of the group.

They were not permitted to jump but were asked to solve the problem as a group. They were given 10 minutes to generate a plan. No one was named the leader so there was the opportunity to take leadership and interact as a member of a team.

The candidates were assessed on the following criteria:

number of different suggestions offered
working as a member of a team
volunteering for unpleasant tasks
insight into the problems
evaluation of proposed suggestions
tact in responding to suggestions by other team members
sense of humor
guiding of others to a solution
organizing the workers into a team
combining ideas from others

The Wall Situation:

This was another leaderless evaluation candidates were led to a wall 10′ high,15′ long. Behind the wall which the candidates could see was another wall of the same height
and length, parallel to it, the two walls being 8′ apart. On the candidates’ side of the wall
there were a heavy log, an old board a few inches longer than the log, and a couple of
two-by-fours, two feet and three feet in length.

The candidates were told this wall was a barrier they could not go around or see around. Furthermore, behind this wall was a canyon and on the other side was another wall. The situation is that they were trying to escape from Japanese soldiers and must figure out how to get the entire team to the other side, carrying their bazooka which was an oversized log.. Any item or person that fell between the walls was lost. Solving the problem required getting quickly to the top of the wall to assess the situation and determining a way to measure the gap with the tools that were available in order to decide what could be used to cross it.

Smart leaders quickly realized the best wall climbers had to go first and last to assist the other team members up and across the wall and any apparatus built. The Wall was assessed the same as the Brook.

The Construction Situation: This was a test of emotional stability as well as a test of working with others, outside of the team. In this scenario, a candidate was given the task of constructing a basic wooden structure within ten minutes. The candidate was to serve as the leader and given two “helpers” who were anything but. This was also known as the “Behind the Barn” test.

One was lazy and wanted to do as little as possible the other was more aggressive and criticized everything the leader did. The task was to measure how a candidate handled stress and working with less than ideal “others” who were assigned. The candidate had to explain the task and give specific instructions to each of the “helpers” while maintaining a cool composure and keeping the helpers on task, without resorting to doing it himself.

The Stress Interview: This assessment was one of the most important of all of their tests. OSS operatives faced the danger of being arrested and interrogated by members of the Gestapo in occupied Europe. This small, short test was designed to see who could possibly withstand the emotional and intellectual strain of being interrogated.

Candidates were given 12 minutes to develop a cover story for why the candidate was found going through secret papers in a government office building. They would have no identification papers and could not pretend to be an employee. They were not permitted to answer either”I don’t know” or “I am not permitted to disclose” and had to answer every question. They had to avoid revealing prior personal occupations, residence, etc.

The stress interview lasted only 10 minutes and had the candidate sitting in a hard, uncomfortable chair in a dark room with a light shining in his eyes. The candidate would be subjected to multiple interrogators shouting rapid fire questions at him

At the end of this specific assessment, the cadre would whisper among themselves that the candidate failed the test to watch for any telltale signs. He or she would then be led out of the room and a cadre member would in a relaxed tone try to pry any more information out of him.

The cadre performed other assessments as well and then asked candidates to run an obstacle course at the end of the 2nd day to test their physical attributes. The cadre were looking for an ideal candidate who was a “PHd. who can win a bar fight.” Before they could sharpen the assessment program, the war ended and OSS was disbanded.

However, the same people who founded CIA and the US Army Special Forces dusted off their assessment programs for OSS and used many of the same assessment programs that continue to this day in different forms but essentially still looking for the ideal candidates to continue the mission of the unit and weed out the unsuitable.

So, how would you fare in the Selection and Assessment of OSS back in World War II?

Photos: US Archives