socom

“Why Do You Put Such A Premium On Rucking In SOF?”

We frequently get a lot of questions here at SpecialOperations.com about the Selection part of the pipeline, what the candidates for the various Special Operations units in the SOF umbrella must pass. Selection, as we say is just the first step but it is a continuous process and never really ends. Candidates during Selection will be assessed […]

Research & Development Branch of OSS, and America’s “Q”

During World War II, the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) was the United States first foray into the intelligence business. Prior to the war, the intelligence services for the US didn’t exist, much to the chagrin of their British allies just as the war began. It had no overall direction, planning or control and was […]

Finding the “Lost” Land Navigation Point At Camp Mackall

Many of the training pieces that deal with either the Selection course or the SFQC (Special Forces Qualification Course) we write from a perspective of one of the cadre members, which I was for a time during the early days of Selection. Passing Selection and the SFQC was/is no easy task and many of the […]

Rucking Tips Refresher: Practice, Practice, Practice

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately again about passing the selection course and many of them have to do carrying a rucksack and many of the candidates are worrying about being able to tote the pain pill to the standards in the course. The first piece of advice I’ll give is to step […]

Don’t Let the Elements Dictate Your Preparation For Selection

“No Days Off.” That should be the mantra of all aspiring Special Operations troops. And we do what we can here to help those young people prepare. We post a daily workout program to help aspiring Special Operations candidates to properly prepare themselves physically for the various Selection courses. Being prepared physically will also carry over […]

Aftermarket Rucksacks for Selection Preparation, Rucking and Hiking

We’ve gone over the rucking tips quite a bit and everyone preparing for selection should be very comfortable with a ruck on their back and be humping long distances. It goes without saying that rucking and land navigation is the bread and butter of special operations forces. If you can show the intestinal fortitude needed […]

Chasing Your Passion Is Seldom the Easy Path But Worth It

he two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why “The Equalizer” Before I begin here, I first have to say, that although I love the film by Antoine Fuqua, starring Denzel Washington, the quote that they attribute to Mark Twain, was one he […]

Changes Are Coming For the Special Forces Qualification Course

Course Is to Be Shortened to 24 Weeks We’ve been expecting change to the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) for some time now. The course is and pretty much has always been a constantly evolving training vehicle to get the best trained Special Forces troops on the ground and to the operational groups. The missions […]

New Push-up Technique Makes Things Easier, Not Harder to Grade

New Pushup Technique Makes Things Easier, Not Harder to Grade A story that was posted on Military.com yesterday was intriguing as it will no doubt, affect many soldiers in the Army, but especially those attempting to go thru Selection in the Army’s Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) or Ranger Selection and Assessment (RASP). Beginning […]

Train For the Long Haul in Special Operations

We have mentioned this not too long ago but it probably bears repeating, especially now that the Selection courses are running and the next batch of candidates are gearing up to attend. You don’t have to be a marathon runner, a professional weight lifter or a bodybuilder to pass Selection. Not every Special Operations trooper […]