Special Forces - who's the best?

I'm not gonna say who the best is, because like people have said before, you can't really do that. I will however, say who I like the best, and who I personally think is at or near the top SF group in the world.

U.S. Navy DEVGRU (SEALs)

Formerly known as "SEAL Team Six" they are the elite Navy SEALs version of Delta Force. They are a counter terror unit that combines the abilities of units such as the SAS, SBS, and 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force).

The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group, commonly known as DEVGRU or SEAL Team Six (ST6) by civilians, is the United States Naval Special Warfare Command's tier-one special missions and counter-terrorism unit. It is located at Dam Neck, Virginia. DEVGRU operators are selected from the current United States Navy SEAL Teams. DEVGRU it is the evolutionary descendent of super-secret SEAL Team Six which was created as part of the Joint Special Operations Command in 1980.[1]

The Development Group is active in both the Global War on Terror and the Iraq War. DEVGRU has worked closely with Delta Force and civilian government agencies in special task forces (TF) to kill or capture the leaders of terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and insurgent groups in Iraq and Afghanistan.[11][12] One such task force known as TF 145, TF 6-26 and TF 121 have conducted controversial operations in Iraq that led to the capture of the late Saddam Hussein and the death of the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.[12][13][14]

I also think that the CIA's paramilitary groups are amoung the top as well.

The Special Activities Division (SAD)[1] is a division of the Central Intelligence Agency's former Directorate of Operations, now the National Clandestine Service, responsible for covert paramilitary operations, effected when the U.S. Government does not wish to be overtly associated with such activities[2]. As such, members of the unit, when on missions, normally do not carry any objects or clothing (e.g., military uniforms) that would associate them with the United States. SAD has been changed to Special Services Office in recent years.

Even after creation of the National Clandestine Service, there remains tension between the NCS and the Department of Defense, over roles and missions in direct action such as raids, sabotage and assassinations, unconventional warfare (i.e., training and leading guerillas), Foreign internal defense[3] (i.e., training and sometimes leading counterguerilla forces) and deniable psychological operations, the latter also known as black propaganda. Special reconnaissance is another area that can be under either military or intelligence, as well as certain counterintelligence operations.

SAD officers are trained at Camp Peary (also known as "The Farm") in Virginia, and at privately owned training centers around the United States. According to a Time Magazine article "America's Secret Army", within the international intelligence community the SAD is considered to be one of the most skilled Special Operations forces in the world.

SAD officers have operated covertly since the mid 1970s in places such as Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Libya, Iraq, El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Chile, Bosnia, Serbia, Somalia, Kosovo and Afghanistan.

Look I will tell you all here and now and I might get terminated for this.
But the best Special Forces Military Detachment unit in the World is.......

wait for it.... just warming up now....is...is



The one that you would never know about
Think about it. Most often than not they are expendable Soldiers who are in the thick of all the crap in the world and as a whole they are expendable as far as the Governments are concerned. Because ultimately they are doing the Governments dirty work yeah?
So obviously the true highly trained elite ones in Mind, Body and Spirit you would actually never know about

Hey, lets not forget about Canada's JTF2 team: www.jtf2.forces.gc.ca...
Not alot about them, and certainly not as popular as SEALS, SAS, GIGN, or SPETNAZ, but apparently world class. Heck, they are so top secret most people in the world don't even know Canada has a spec ops team.

As for the best? I don't know nearly enough about all of them, but if I were to just through my opinion out there, I would go with SAS just because they have a long time and popular history, but that's just me being ignorant.

reply to post by Johnny Sasaki


If they're so good, why do the US use so many foreign special forces to save their asses in Iraq/Afghanistan?

Seriously - the SAS have the longest operational history of any special forces in the world. They've been active in every continent, against every kind of opponent. The US lot has nowhere near that amount of experience, plus their training pretty much amounts to giving them a "Special Forces" tattoo, a pamphlet entitled "How to kill folks", and a free t-shirt. The US military types like to use the term "special forces" to refer to pretty much anyone they feel like. Look at Mogadishu - those delta force guys got their asses handed to them. Classy.

reply to post by Dave 420 [/url] If they're so good, why do the US use so many foreign special forces to save their asses in Iraq/Afghanistan?

WOA Sonny, I said WOA! Little bit behind the times aren't you boy?

The MOD has just announced - allbeit within the MODs own website, that a complete SAS Sabre Squadron and elements of the SBS are to work closely with the US Marines in Afghanistan by conducting recce, op and ambush patrols in what has been described as 'a major push against the Taliban and Al-Queda in the northwest of Afghanistan'.

Guess by foreign you mean British.



[edit on 20-8-2008 by fritz]

The best special forces are the clandestine ones that you never hear about.

reply to post by funlovincriminal


US ARMY RANGERS OWN!!!! GO ARMY!!!

Originally posted by Kriskaos
The best special forces are the clandestine ones that you never hear about.

Yeah thats what I said The good old CBO'S (Clandestine Black Ops Soldiers)

[edit on 20-8-2008 by Epsillion70]

reply to post by Ranger23


We're talking about special forces. Rangers are not special forces, no matter what they think.

well after reading all of this, I can safely say none of you have ever even heard of the "Nigritoes", native Philippine people. the are about 75 - 80 lbs. lean - fit - strong and they "disappear" - kill - "disappear" ... without even a sound or shot being fired or anyone seeing anything. give them a "bollo" (knife made from a leaf spring about 24 inches long) these guys scared the hell out of the Vietcong .... and they still are the best, endurance - stealth, and they work for fish and rice and a couple of packs of Marlboro's.. killing something just doesn't register as something bad.

they get my vote...

reply to post by BornPatriot


They sound similar in approach to the Gurkhas. They just need their knife, and they'll sneak up on anyone and kill the crap out of them. All of them. And quickly.

reply to post by gestalt
The swiss guard are all swiss catholics who have firstly done service in the swiss army.They use the same weapons as the swiss army-SIG P220 handguns and SIG 550 rifles.They train in CQB, close protection and unarmed combat. They also operate in plain clothes. They do not display firearms, openly in the Vatican and use Italian police and army ranges for training. The swiss guard are well trained and operate in the modern world effectively. They are not just guards with a nice uniform and
halberds (pike) that one would see them on the tv. They are a well trained
and serious force. (John, Ireland).

After reading about some of the points raised in this forum its obvious that the vast majority of you have very little knowledge of special forces and what they do. for instance, USA Delta force were modelled on and inspired by UK SAS and provide a similar though not as broad a range of services as the latter, Navy Seals are modeled on UK SBS and do very much the same thing. it has to be said that finding out genuine information about SAS,SBS,Navy-Seals,Delta-Force and other special forces is very difficult as there is alot of untruthes told about all of them and seperating fact from fiction can be very tough. i can tell you that you american and british sp forces fight together often and most likely have the utmost respect for each other. and anybody who wants to know who is better at hostage rescue should check the SAS track record, Iranian enbassy siege 1980 comes to mind, it speaks for itself. Spetznas hostage rescue tactics are terrible, check out thier recent history, very good at killing but when it comes to saving lives they are seriously lacking in that ability. The SBS saved some very lucky US nationals from an overrun jail in Afghanistan, while US sf soldiers were busy trying to get permission to act ( US sf require permission to do anything whilst UK sf are expected to act on their own initiative), the SBS soldiers went in and saved them at their own risk, fighting off grenade toting Afghans who were apparently running at them with grenades in their hands, whilst simultaniously dragging the US men to safety. I would put faith in UK,US and many other special forces as they are exceptional soldiers and are very good at what they need to do. Respect to them all

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


A Spec OP's unit is only as good as it's intel from its higher in command Officers.
Hence the balls up of SAS Bravo Two Zero in Desert Storm 91'. Even from both
Andy McNabs (flowery, gung-ho hero version)and Michael Asher's( CSI type investigation of it all 10 years after it all)accounts of it.

[edit on 4-10-2008 by Epsillion70]

Its just about obvious that each special forces unit have its own specialty its like camparing them to doctors you would'nt go to a opthamologist for a bowel problem. I would be more inclined to ask which country has the best special forces my money would be on australia or israel

No one can say for certain who is the BEST special forces.

But I can tell you definitively which is the sloppiest and most brutal on earth: the Russian Spetsnaz.

These guys have dealt with several of the most famous terrorist actions/hostage situations in recent history and each time not only did they kill the entire small army of terrorists but they killed just about every hostage that the terrorists were holding along with them.

These guys don't give a hell about hostages, if the terrorist is holding a hostage the Spetsnaz will apparently shoot right through the hostage to kill the terrorist. They get the job done at any expense and I'm positive of all the special forces on mother Earth, terrorists fear them the most because they know that these guys have zero sympathy and will blow you AND the hostage up with frag grenades just to get you.

I'm sorry but you lot are as wrong as a man whose wrong who's wearing a T-shirt with the words, I Am Wrong! written across it!
As Connor Macleod says in Highlander, "There can be only".. . And it's Britains S. A. S.

reply to post by Johnny



I do believe the Canadians have one of the better special forces. Take the JTF II, and CSOR. Most pol haven't heard of them. They are trained by the SAS

Well it appears all of you like your Hollywood Versions of real bad mothers... but the Seals are the best American Special Forces in my opinion... they do things quitely, as low of a footprint as possible, accomplish mission and return - no one the wiser - ... most of the time it looks like an accident ... after all you shoot up the place you get an opposing action... they train in not causing this opposing action.. so the Rangers for Hollywood ... The Seals to get the Job Done...

I was going to say the SASR and not because of bias, but, since the SASR is now recruiting from the general public my opinion of them has gone downhill somewhat.

And before any Brit gets on here saying that the SASR aren't as good as the SAS, because they have a longer history blah blah blah, just because you came up with the concept, doesn't mean that someone isn't going to become better than you, (Look at cricket. ).

Also it appears that the SASR are doing a pretty good job of clearing out the leaders in Afghanistan... strange???

Fox.

[edit on 19/10/08 by fox_3000au]