Special Operations Forces

In Special Operations, Be a Self-Starter and A Team Player

We repeat these old adages constantly until they reach the point of almost being cliches at times but two of the most cardinal rules to follow if you’re looking at a career in Special Operations are being a self-starter and being a team player.

If you fail at either one of those either in Selection or a qualification course, you won’t last long in the Special Operations field. All of the units in SOCOM put a high premium on each of these traits and regardless of whether you aspire to be a Green Beret, Navy SEAL, Combat Controller or any other Special Operations professional in the U.S. military or one of our allies, you’d better be a shining example of both.

And for the purposes of this, I’ll give you some examples of both from both sides of the equation as both a student and as a cadre member. I recently had a conversation about what Special Operations were like and specifically what they weren’t with a civilian who had never served in the military. This person’s idea of what SOF troops were like and how they operated was not even close to being steeped in realism.

This person thought all SOF troops were blind automatons that were incapable of independent thought and would blindly follow the last orders given by a commander to the ends of the earth but were physically hard enough to keep blindly slamming their heads into a wall until told to stop.

Of course, this person was quite taken aback when I laughed at this suggestion and said that in fact, the exact opposite was true. “Oh…so what trait do they value above all else?” I was asked. I know that the answer he least expected was when I said,

“Intelligence. Specifically, the ability to think on one’s feet while under a very stressful situation. That and the ability to think and act independently.”

While leads us to “Old Guy Anecdote #1” while a student in the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC).

Many moons ago when the Army had just transitioned from smoothbore muskets, (okay maybe not that long ago), I was a student at the final Unconventional Warfare (UW) exercise known as Robin Sage in the mountains of North Carolina.

Our student detachment was a very sharp group of guys who worked hard and together and were ready to take the next step and move on to becoming full-fledged if, only basically trained Green Berets into the operational groups. Our team at Robin Sage had three officers instead of the normal two. Two of these guys were outstanding, team players who knew their stuff and were quick to jump in and lend a hand wherever it was needed. The third was the opposite. When the team infiltrated the area and linked up with the guerrilla band, he would butt heads with the guerrillas and especially the G-Chief at every turn.

It was quickly turning things sour and for no reason. A quick example of this was when the “Jefe” said, his men didn’t know anything about field sanitation and wanted a proper outdoor latrine built. He pointed to an area where at the far end of the base camp he wanted it placed. This one officer was trying to talk him out of it for a very minor reason and in reality, it was such a small thing, it wasn’t worth the trouble. While the officer and team sergeant (who was dragged into it) were talking with the G-Chief, (the Jefe as the G’s called him), our senior Medic grabbed two of us and three G’s and we just walked to where the Jefe wanted it done and we dug it out.

A couple of hours later, the latrine was done. Complete with even a wooden frame to perch oneself on. We dug it deep enough to last a while and cut down the trees to make the frame. Right about this time, after much deliberation, the officer finally relented and came back to tell the team to go construct it.

When our medic said it was already done, the G-Chief snapped he wanted to see it. We walked him over there and he was impressed with how it had been constructed. He turned and snapped at the medic, “Why did you do this on your own when your own officer was trying to tell me to put it somewhere else?”

This was one of those times where there is no right or wrong answer but lots of gray areas. “Well,” the medic said. “This IS where you wanted it done, but more importantly, from a medical standpoint, your men NEED a proper latrine or we’ll start getting people sick in here, and that doesn’t help you or us.”

The “Jefe” nodded, “This is a good latrine, maybe you should be in charge,” he said as he walked away with a sneer to our third officer. Later after graduation, when I was assigned to my first Special Forces A-Team, the “Jefe” was the Senior Engineer on the team. He was a great NCO and a super guy. He told me our entire detachment was in danger of getting kicked out of the G-Base for the stupid arguing of one man who could have undermined the rest of the team. But the actions of a few self-starters, not only diffused the situation but turned it into a positive.

Many years later I was assigned to the SFAS course where candidates were selected for the SFQC. When we first began it was called SFOT, which stood for Special Forces Orientation and Training, but the candidates called it “Special Form of Torture” which was brilliant.

Here is where not being a team player would directly cause a candidate who had excelled at everything else to be a non-select.

This one candidate was an NCO who showed up for Selection in phenomenal physical condition. He smoked the PT Test and Swim Test with ease. He scored the highest marks for every timed run and gated events as the ruck marches. This NCO literally flew thru the Obstacle Course, “Nasty Nick” with ease. Out at Land Navigation, he was finding his points during the practice sessions and smoked the Land Nav exercise, finishing with plenty of time to spare.

During Team Week, he was graded as a Team Leader twice and scored very high marks on each, one of which I was his lane grader for the day. So what was the snafu?

Other than the time when he was placed in charge of a specific event, all of the cadre NCOs noticed, he has virtually no interaction with his fellow candidates. He was a loner, who kept entirely to himself. During Land Nav when all of the candidates would finish their practice runs, he’d keep to himself and wouldn’t join in as the others compared notes which is encouraged.

We’d walk thru the barracks at night and weaving in between the huts, he had a rep among his fellow candidates as aloof, arrogant and gave the impression that they were all beneath him.

During Team Week, as soon as he was finished being a leader, he’d give no assistance to whoever was in charge. He’d pick up the heaviest item and carry it with no problem, but as to helping any candidates who were needing some support? He gave none. Some candidates are good with lashings and tying of ropes and such. Others are not, he was very good at it but never once volunteered to help out the following candidates who were under the gun and being rated as a team leader.

He was not selected as being a team member in a small unit environment and being a team player was not for him.

Don’t be that guy, be a self-starter and be a team player, the guys that you help and lift up today, will do the same for you tomorrow.

Photos: US Army

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 9, Day 5

Chest and Triceps workout at the gym today before a 5-mile run. Shoot for a time below the standard of 40 minutes. Remember to stretch well before and after and to stay hydrated. Mark your progress down in your workout log book.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Bench Press

3 x 10 Dumbbell Flies

3 x 10 Dumbbell Incline press

3 x 20 Pushups (alternate sets with wide, narrow and shoulder width)

3 x 10 Kip Ups

3 x 20 Sit ups

3 x 20 Cable Push Downs (rope)

3 x 20 Dips or until muscle failure

5-mile run (40-minute maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Decreasing Lower Back Pain, Workout More Effectively

Like many of us, I had issues with occasional lower back pain while in the military. Eventually, suffering a major injury that required surgery, that was in no way related to the normal workout routine that the Army conducts with soldiers doing PT.

However, it wasn’t until many years later, I was doing some physical therapy for knee woes (arthritis, torn meniscus, cartilage wear) when I met a fantastic physical therapist who was far better at his job than anyone I’ve ever met before…and I have seen quite a few.

We spoke at length about the daily fitness routine and he was asking questions about how the Army worked out and how Special Forces did physical training and fitness during my time. Of course much has changed since then but his answers to me were pretty telling when it came to why there were so many soldiers with back issues, especially lower back pain.

He said that the way the military was working out was the main reason that there were so many troops with back issues or leg pain in the military. He added that the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) was the main culprit. It was essentially working the sit-ups alone for the lower body or fo core exercises. And in speaking with him, he said the core muscles get overall weak and out of whack …(his term was imbalanced) because of how and what muscles were being trained.

With the Army focusing on soldiers passing the APFT, the two main muscles involved in this exercise, rectus abdominis and hip flexors are the only ones being worked. But the more important core muscles that help keep the spine aligned during movement, the transversus abdominis were left untrained which creates a big imbalance.

This puts a ton of stress on soldiers lower back and discs which create all kinds problems down the road, which we’ve all heard about and seen first-hand. This can lead to a bulging but not fat abdomen and excessive pelvic tilt.

Exercises to Build the Entire Core:

Some of the best exercises to work the entire core include but are not limited to, Squats, Deadlifts, Reverse Crunches, RKC Planks, Leg Crossings, Woodchopper Squats with a Dumbbell and Standing Cable Pull-throughs.

According to my notes, deadlifts should be done without the tendency to over-extending their pelvic tilt or over-arching their back which is dangerous as well. The key to these as well as squats and compound presses to what is called, “spread the floor” and “drive-thru the heels” while building up the core muscles. Viewed from the side, the candidate’s bar should be traveling in a vertical line over the middle of the foot. Then the spine should be in proper alignment.

The head and neck should be in a neutral position and not looking at the sky as what used to be taught. The candidate should also squeeze his glutes during the exercise.

Reverse crunches are done by rounding your lower back as you bring your knees towards your chin, while your head stays on the floor. Keep your ankles crossed to make the legs less unwieldy and keep your knees wide so your hips don’t pinch. Fifteen repetitions per set is a good place to start with 3-4 sets. .

Legs Crossings works the lower abdominals as well as the transversus abdominis. You begin this exercise on your back with knees bent and both feet flat on the floor. Raise your right knee to your chest, bringing it as close to the right armpit as possible. Then while this leg is returning towards the floor, you lift your left leg, so the legs literally pass or cross in mid-air.

Do not straighten either leg, as in the bicycling action, as this is a huge strain on the lower back. Rather, keep the legs fully bent at all times. Always start off by pulling your tummy in hard to lift the leg and don’t ever let the lower back lift away from the floor. On your way down, each foot should just brush the floor, touching with the heel rather than the big toe, before the return journey. As with the ‘reverse crunches, 15 reps for each leg with 3-4 sets is a good place to start.

The RKC Plank is an exercise that is better than the traditional plank although it looks very similar. But it does a better job of activating the deep core muscles over an extended period.

Your hands are together with your fingers interlocked and joined as opposed to arms straight out in parallel with the shoulders, creating more tension through the upper extremities into your shoulders. Your forearms are also positioned at a 45-degree angle to put your more force onto your shoulders.

By working your entire core muscles, you are not just working the front of your midsection, (the abs), but the backside as well. A good core workout will also include the erector spinae, which are the muscles that are along your back and spine, and also your glutes.

Having a strong, and most importantly, a balanced core muscle group, it will better support your spine, and improve everything about your performance. The core muscles are connected to your legs, and it will affect the way you stand, squat, sit. It will also ease the burden of supporting your body weight isn’t just placed on your bones. Your lower back will be supported much better and will much less susceptible to any injuries.

As you do your own preparation to attempt one of the Selection courses in the U.S. military, make sure that incorporate core strength and core exercises into your workout routines. It will definitely help you out in the long haul and your body will thank you for it later.

As someone who suffered a back injury, building up your core strength after a serious injury is much harder. Protect your back and spine and build up the core muscles. It is not just about the abs…

My former physical therapist is now going to work for one of the premier sports clinics in the United States and as soon as he gets settled, I plan on getting a total body workup from him.

Photo: DOD

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 9, Day 4

Time to head over to the gym for some shoulder and back work. As we mentioned in another post, these shoulder workouts help in rucking, especially once in Selection. Be sure to log the progress down in your workout log book.

And because Wednesday is one of our rucking days, strap on a 45-pound minimum weight ruck and conduct a 6-miler over varied terrain. Wear your second pair of boots to ensure that they’re well broken-in for the course as well. Strive to better the time that is the standard (90-minutes) and remember to hydrate throughout the march.

UBRR 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 Arnold Press

3 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

6-mile Rucksack march (45-pound minimum, 90-minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Can Special Forces Teach Everything?… Pretty Darned Near

As a member of a Special Operations unit, you can be tasked with damned near anything and probably will. The best indicator of having a skill is the fact that you can teach it to others.

As we wrote here some time ago, “Teaching is An Art in Special Forces”, and some of the best SF NCOs also happen to be the best instructors you’ll find anywhere. As a prospective Special Operations candidate, know that if you graduate, you’ll have to be prepared to teach almost anything to anyone while you’re deployed overseas.

And much of it can be MOS immaterial. Just because you are a Heavy Weapons man on a team, doesn’t mean that you can’t or won’t be assigned to teach about anything under the sun.

In Special Forces, we can and frequently do conduct operations that might not have much to do with your current operation but help United States government assets in fostering goodwill of the host nation thru a variety of subtasks that often center around civic action projects.

While teaching a 6-month counter-narcotics course in a jungle camp in Bolivia, our team was supposed to get a two-week break at Christmas, as the host nation forces would be given block leave to celebrate the holiday in the middle of our course. We were slotted to go back to Panama, enjoy some beach time and head back.

But the Ambassador came calling, he got roped into rebuilding a school that taught elementary students early in the morning, high school in the afternoon and adult education at night. It was completely falling in and the bathrooms were broken with raw sewage on the floors.

The US government thru USAID had about a quarter of the funds to rebuild. We were asked to help. No Christmas leave on the beach after all. The only way we could make it work was to get a ton of labor from the citizens who would volunteer their time. And each of the team guys became a construction foreman, teaching the locals how to do their own small piece of the pie. It got finished under the time limit and under budget. Most had no experience doing it but it got done and done well.

Another time, my partner and I got tasked with teaching basic combat shooting to the wives of the MILGP personnel. There were threats to U.S. personnel in-country and the women had asked for classes to teach them how to defend themselves in the event they were forced to use a weapon to defend themselves or their children.

The only two stipulations from the women were that we treat them like anyone other troops we’d train and that their husbands stay away. We borrowed the combat pistol range in the city and took them for a few days with a ton of range time. The ladies all that telltale callous on their right thumb from loading so many pistol magazines.

Despite their stipulation, we taught them quite differently than we would have our normal host nation troops but the women caught on extremely fast and their shot groups got tighter and tighter. We even had time to teach them double-tapping their targets. At the end of our training, the husbands from the MILGP and the Military Attache’s Offices came out to see the women show off a bit. They took great delight in double-tapping their targets. Thankfully, no one, in our time there, ever had to utilize the training we conducted.

One of the most fun (for us) of our pop-up training activities was teaching a door gunner course for the helicopter machine gunners. Most of them weren’t trained that well and they had little to no refresher training until the operations called for them to do it for real.

We were asked if we were familiar with this, and answered: “of course we are.” We studied up and got a bird and a couple of M-60s for our own train up prior to the class.

We practiced it and had a blast burning up copious amounts of ammo on our own until it came time to teach the class. It lasted all of one day when the host nation shut it down (temporarily) because they needed all hands on deck for a live operation. We’re still waiting for them to kick back in for the training class but we had a blast at least.

One of the most challenging was an all-classroom course. Our Bolivian counterparts had staff officers assigned to all of the top positions, but in reality, never functioned as a staff would in the United States. Our counterpart, a Major in the Bolivian military asked for our assistance in teaching a staff course.

The Army Attache stated (and correctly so) that they needed a CGSC (Command and General Staff Officers’ Course) graduate to teach it. We were firmly in agreement with him there. But the problem was, not many SF NCOs or Warrant Officers have been to CGSC. And of course, with just the two of us there, we were stuck. Would he like to teach it? Of course not.

So we got as much material from the old School of the Americas that we could and taught a senior staff course. They were even surprised at who was teaching it. So while I never attended CGSC…I can say I taught it…kind of.

Anyway, old anecdotes aside, you’ll find your career in Special Operations a very different type of experience from anything you’ll ever encounter anywhere else. Your duties and responsibilities will far outdistance your rank in the U.S. military. It is par for the course.

When hit with a subject that you don’t have much experience with, do the research, study and get it done. Your biggest asset is the ability to sell your expertise to our host nation forces and get them to trust that you’ll get it done.

Every day on nearly every mission can be a very different set of circumstances that can be a rewarding and challenging experience. So, back to the title, “Can Special Forces Teach Everything?”… The short answer is, ABSOLUTELY.

Photo: US Army

Ranger School Has Several Things Students Can Prepare For

And others you can’t

I recently was talking to a few old friends who had either been members of the Ranger Battalions of the 75th Ranger Regiment, or attended Ranger School as a member of the Special Operations community and we got into a discussion about the ways Ranger students can be prepared for the rigors of the Ranger course and others that they can’t.

We’ve been in contact with some of the potential Rangers who are in the pipeline and hopefully they can find this useful as they embark on their career with some of the best light infantry troops in the world.

To a man, the vets from the Ranger Regiment made it clear that any student coming from the Ranger Battalion to Ranger School is extremely well prepared for anything that comes their way. The Battalions won’t send any Ranger student that isn’t ready.

They did point out, however, that some of the tactics that the Battalions are using now in the GWOT differ slightly from how the patrols are graded in Ranger School. And that may be a post for another time as perhaps the school may be in line for some modifications if Rangers are actually conducting patrols a bit differently now.

So what are the biggest areas that a Ranger student should be well-versed in on Day 1.

Troop Leading Procedures:

Every Ranger student must become intimately familiar with understanding Troop Leading Procedures and the issuing of Warning Orders and Operations Orders (OPORD), as well as Fragmentary Orders (FRAGO).

There are eight steps in the Troop Leading Procedures (TLP) guide that Army leaders and Rangers are expected to know.

Step 1. Receive the Mission
Step 2. Issue a warning order
Step 3. Make a tentative plan
Step 4. Start necessary movement
Step 5. Reconnoiter
Step 6. Complete the plan
Step 7. Issue the complete order
Step 8. Supervise

The Ranger will receive the mission in the form of an OPORD or a FRAGO and will issue a Warning Order as quickly as possible given the information that he has at the time. He’ll analyze quickly the mission using METT (Mission, Enemy, Terrain, Troops, and Time) and begin his plan.

They’ll make a tentative plan, reconnoiter if time allows, complete his plan, issue the OPORD and then supervise his unit thru the mission completion. The leader will conduct rehearsals, inspections and cover several tasks which include:
Actions on the objective.
Assaulting a trench, bunker, or building.
Actions at the assault position.
Breaching obstacles (mine and wire).
Using special weapons or demolitions.
Actions on unexpected enemy contact.

Small Unit Tactics:

The bread and butter for Ranger school. The Ranger Instructors (RIs) will teach the students everything they’ll need to know and take it from the absolute bottom, the duties and responsibilities of a basic rifleman right up to planning operations that involve airborne operations or small boat insertions.

However, since the Ranger student will be tired, hungry and under stress, it is always advisable that the student be intimately familiar with all of these and make things as stress-free as possible.

Know the Ranger handbook especially the chapters 1-2 as well as 6-7-8. Which deals with movement, operations, patrols, and battle drills.

Rucking, Rucking, and More Rucking:

The big pain pill becomes an even bigger issue for some students who aren’t used to carrying it all the time. That issue will be fixed and quickly in Ranger School. While there won’t be the constant ruck PT of the SFQC or the many gates of ruck marches in Selection, Rangers will carry their ruck everywhere.

During each of the phases, (Benning, Mountain, Desert, Eglin) the students will have an approximate 10-12 day field phase with non-stop patrols ongoing in each. Students will be wearing a rucksack from 15-18 hours a day minimum, some days it could be as long as 20.

It is just one of the other added stressors that are built-in to the course. If students are not used to carrying a ruck before they get there….it won’t be a pleasant experience. And it isn’t even for well-versed troops.

PT Standards… Believe it or Not:

What? Nope, that isn’t a typo. Many of the students who fail out of or are pushed back in Ranger School never get passed the PT Test. The Rangers call it the Ranger Physical Assessment (RAP) and it consists of the normal Army 3-Event PT Test with pull-ups as well as a five-mile run in 40 minutes or less instead of the standard 2-miler included.

Believe it or not, more people fail the RAP than anything else. How can someone go to attend Ranger School and not pass the standards to even enter? It is a head scratcher but students should have no doubt as to what constitutes a proper push-up and pull-ups that have to be completed from a dead hang.

Also included in the RAP is a land navigation test that isn’t close to what you’ll encounter at SFAS but for students who aren’t well versed in it, it takes its share of failures nonetheless. Once again, preparation is the cure for all of it.

Two things that the Ranger students can’t prepare for per se are the sleep deprivation and hunger.

Sleep Deprivation:

We’ve all heard the countless stories of students sleepwalking and falling asleep standing up and losing contact during patrol movement because a Ranger student has “zoned out” during the course…they’re all true. Well, 99 percent are.

Students are guaranteed to have no more than four hours of sleep a night in Ranger School and when those students are being graded as a Patrol Leader, he will frequently get none.

There is no way to actually prepare for it, although if you’d had practice in this before, you can and should use small tricks of the trade that you’ve learned to help you through it. But there is zero preparation factor here.

Hunger:

The other tales we’ve all heard about Ranger School is the hunger. Each Ranger student gets two MREs a day to eat and together they add up to about 2500 calories per day. If taken into context at home on a “normal” day, it would be more than enough.

However, in Ranger School operating on little to no sleep carrying a heavy rucksack for 15 to 20 hours a day, it is far too little. It is common for Ranger students to lose 15-20 pounds by the end of the course at graduation.

One of our guys who attended Ranger School from the unit we’d send motivational letters with hamburger wrappers from McDonald’s. He told us later, it broke up the tension and he would get a big laugh from it, but he also added, he still licked the wrapper to see if there was any flavor left in there.

Hopefully, for the young troops heading to Ranger training/Ranger Regiment, you’ll find these tips to be useful. It is a tremendous small leader’s course, among the very best in the world.

Photos: DOD

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 9, Day 2

We’ll kick off our Monday and work week with a mini-UBRR test. Start off with the basics of pushups, sit-ups, and crunches, then to the bar for V-ups, pull-ups, and dips before a 5-mile run. The standard says 40-minutes but shoot for something below that.

Remember to stay hydrated and mark your progress in your workout log book.

UBRR Training:

More preparation for the UBRR

1 x 1-minute Pushups

1 x 1-minute Sit-ups

1 x 1-minute, Crunches

1 x 1-minute, V-ups

1 x Dips as many as possible to muscle failure (no time limit)

1 x Pullups as many as possible or to muscle failure (no time limit)

5-mile run (40-minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 9, Day 1

It is time for our Sunday morning Rucksack march. Do a quick warmup of pushups and sit-ups before heading out for an 8-mile rucksack march. Head out over varied terrain and try to go as fast as you can without running. The standard is 120 minutes. Aim to lower that

Stretch well both before and after the event. Remember to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated out there. Might be a little soggy one this morning…especially if you live on the East Coast, specifically the Southeast.

UBRR Training:

Warm up

2 x 20 Pushups

2 x 20 Sit-ups

8-mile Rucksack march over varied terrain with a 45-pound minimum in 120 minutes (2 hours) or less. And mark your times in your workout log book.

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 8, Day 7

Saturday morning in the gym for shoulders and back work. Towel pull-ups are for those with no access to ropes. The only way to get better at pull-ups and climbing ropes….is to practice doing them until they are a strength. Followed by a four-mile run in 32 minutes or less.

Log your numbers down in the workout notebook and remember to stretch well both before and after the workout.

UBRR Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 10 Lat Pulldowns, rear

3 x 10 Barbell Dead Lift

3 x 10 Wide Grip Pull-ups

3 x 10 Towel Pull-ups

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 (32 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Teamwork and Perseverance Pay Off In the Long Haul

One of the most common mantras you will hear in Special Operations is the absolute must of being known as a team player. The very essence of a successful special operation is with a team working together to accomplish their mission. With it, the missions don’t get accomplished and the units fail.

And yet the Hollywood myth of the Special Operations hero is always the laconic, lone wolf. The one who disdains to work with anyone else and utters the well-worn cliche, “I work better alone.”

That’s where the fiction begins and realism ends. Special operators must have the ability to work independently, but if they can’t work within the confines of the team concept, they won’t last very long. The Rambos, MacGyvers, Braddock et al. are all fiction and don’t represent true SOF personnel. If you are a lone wolf is SOF, you’ll quickly find yourself ex-SOF.

All special operators, regardless of which unit they’re in are all dependent upon one another to get the job done and be successful. And they persevere thru the tough times and won’t leave their teammates in a lurch. Ask any special operator what his biggest fear is and they’ll probably say letting down the team, long before they worry about their personal safety.

That’s why they can normally be outnumbered and fight their way thru any scenario. Look back at the Roman Empire and the power of the Legions. They were professional soldiers who knew the strength of their army in battle was in keeping their formations tight and working in conjunction with one another. Many of the places they conquered had warriors that many times outnumbered the Legions. But they fought as individuals, as a mob and would quickly be beaten into submission.

We expect all of our members of Special Operations to be leaders in their own right, and as result, everyone has a say in what goes into mission planning. But where the maturity and teamwork faction pays off is that once the leaders of the team make a decision, all team members have to go all in, 110 percent with the mission.

Sometimes being a successful team member is knowing when to speak up and knowing when to be quiet. Successful teams and team members have good communication up and down the chain of command. Sometimes that will be verbal and other times it doesn’t have to be.

On a Special Forces A-Team, after a while, most team members won’t have to ask a fellow team member is he needs assistance. They can tell by his body language that he needs help and will just pitch in. It is the same across the board.

The vast majority of special operators are the type to hate losing at anything and are as competitive as they come in any scenario. But while everything is a competition with them, and they’ll never fail to let another team member know in no uncertain terms when they out-do one another, they’ll never let their individual accomplishments or goals get in the way of team goals.

Everyone knows that even the most meticulous plan goes to hell once the rubber meets the road. It is the nature of the beast. Helmuth von Moltke, a 19th-century Prussian general once wrote, “No battle plan ever survives the first contact with the enemy.” But being an effective teammate means that the entire group is well trained enough and in tune with each other so that they will quickly formulate a contingency plan and then flawlessly execute it.

The Special Operations Command is looking for and training teams of leaders. Good leaders know how to give clear and concise guidance but leaving enough out to allow the operators to use their own initiative to get the job done.

This teamwork builds a culture of belonging to something bigger than themselves. Special operators are all talented and smart individuals who give part of that up to belong. To be challenged, mentally and physically and conduct meaningful operations.

And then there is what is affectionately termed, “Embracing the Suck” when things get bad. Everyone who has joined a Special Operations Forces unit has hit the wall at one time or another either in training or in an operation. But having a meltdown is not going to sit well with anyone on the team so that is where the injection of humor becomes of paramount importance.

The ability to laugh at one’s self is an art at times and very necessary one. Some guys have elevated it to an art form and know exactly when to break the tension. It is a huge team bonding experience when everyone can laugh at their problems and pulls everyone together, will break the tension immediately and put the entire team back on to the focus on accomplishing their mission.

So, within the SOF community what are the three things that a prospective Special Operations candidate can do to ensure that his team in training will follow the same basic tenets that the teams will already follow in the operational units?

Do Your Job and Understand Your Role: To be successful not only must all special operators know their own jobs extremely well, but they must understand how their job and their role impacts the success of the team. Everyone must be interdependent upon one another within the framework of the team.

Everyone on the team must share a common vision as to what they need to accomplish their goals. Doing your job and understanding your role within the team is necessary.

Embrace the Uniqueness of the Individuals Within the Team: Most times the military goes to great lengths to squash individuality. In basic training, the drill sergeants try to squash that out of the civilian recruits to get them to conform within the “Big Army”.

However, in Special Operations, we don’t discourage it, but foster and encourage, the individual’s uniqueness and to be politically correct, diverseness. Most teams in SOF are an eclectic bunch with very different personalities and backgrounds. That is what makes life interesting and makes SOF units so successful

The ability to learn from and incorporate ideas and strategies that may have been foreign to you before is a big positive in the units.

Buy In 110 percent: The biggest thing in fostering a successful team building atmosphere is that everyone has to be pulling in the same direction. It is always much better to have a great team than a team of greats, someone said once…

Everything personal has to become secondary to the team goals, and each one of us has to implicitly trust one another. If everyone is willing to make sacrifices for the greater good, the team will be much better off.

A final word about perseverance, things will get tough in your journey…they inevitably do. The best operators embrace it and show a true passion for what they do and never lose sight of what their goals are. If you can do that, then the career that you envisioned will become much more possible.

Photos: DOD