18A Description
Special Forces Detachment Commander (18A). Commands or serves on the staff of Special Forces units. Serves in positions requiring general Special Forces experience or training. Serves as a Commander, Staff Officer, Advisor, Exchange Officer, Plans and Operations Officer, and service school instructor in positions requiring Special Forces experience or training. Conducts area studies of potential operational areas, acquiring detailed knowledge of their geography, economy, political structure, armed forces, and history. Develops and maintains foreign language capability. Plans, controls and executes foreign internal defense, strike operations, strategic reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and other related special operations. Develops interpersonal and communicative skills to facilitate interaction with foreign officers, soldiers, and civilians.
Guys, that ain't the half of it. Good luck! TR |
Re: 18A Description
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I saw a lot of folks that just could not fit in and would never fit in because they just did not understand that they had a function (other than generator transport officer and turbulance tester) to fullfill as a member of a team that would work effectively without you but would work all the better with you. These were the folks that failed to realize that in SF you were a soldier first and an officer second. That the power vested in you as a team leader had less to do with the actual running of the team (which was and hopefully still is the role of the team sergeant) and more to do with enabling your team members to succeed by going to the wall for them to ensure that everything needed to accomplish the mission was available be it training time, equipment, money, valid mission statements, intelligence,etc. There are other aspects that come to mind that vary with the capacity in which an 18A is serving and some serious shortcomings of the current expectations for 18As versus the experience level that they may or may not have before becoming branched SF. I'll leave all that alone and see what this generates. Jack Moroney Für die Sicherheit |
Two excellent posts!!
Terry |
My two cents -
As an SF Det CO, I found that there were three key parts to my job. 1. Interfacing with higher and providing guidance to the Team Sergeant/Team on the mission goals. 2. Staying out of the way/being part of the team in planning/executing actual missions (for those who don't get it, the Team plans the missions, not the CO... let them). 3. Betting your bar - being willing to go to bat for your troops and ensure that they didn't get in trouble with higher for unconventional ways of doing things or mischevious actions (with some good sense thrown in, and your own discipline when necessary). |
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First I wanted to say thanks for the great thread. Curious about this statement though. In speaking of shortcomings in expectations...does this fall on the too few or too many side of the house? Is this due to the type of assignments officers are initially placed in upon completion of school? Career progression through assignments? :munchin |
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Under the current system there are career progression and gate clearance problems for advancement in SF as an 18A which have not disappeared just because we now have a branch. If you take some time and review the mission requirements, again falling back on the UW mission which is the bread and butter of what we do, by the time a CPT gets to be just about to the point where he is really starting to contribute to the team he is moved off to staff or school. Most do not have the ability to really do justice to the requirements expected of them because they do not spend enough time in the slot. Team Leaders are often considered as continual guests on a team because no one on the team really expects that they are going to be there that long. That was one of the reasons for the 180A. I think most of us had hoped that with the creation of the branch that we would build and retain warriors as 18As, but SF as a branch also has Army wide requirements to meet such as ROTC, recruiters, instructors, etc, etc, ad nauseum. I know many of my contemporaries, given the chance, would have been more than happy to spend their entire careers on a team but the current military personnel management systems will not let that happen and in the case of good SF team leaders success means leaving behind that which they entered SF for in the first place. In other words, this is the perfect definition of no good deed goes unpunished. To me, an SF officer has to develop many different skill sets most of which are perishable and require constant maintenance and effort. When you are confronted with other "officer" requirements and non-specific SF tasks there are few that are willling to maintain those skill and for many that do or attempt to fall out of favor with those that simply do not understand what is required or have other personal and career agendas. With the exception of the Training Group, those officers that worked for me had specific skill set requirements that I expected them to maintain that I felt were critical for the performance of the tasks that I expected them to perform. I am sure I was not unique in this. Hope that answers your question. We can explore it further if you wish. Jack Moroney |
Sir,
Thank you for the response. It more than answered my questions and gave a few new things to think about/focus on. I realize that the requirements to fill other than group jobs will always be there and that an officer will never be able to stay on a team forever. Do you feel that the ability to manage other than SF requirements and still maintain proficiency in one's chosen profession is what makes an an 18A stand out from the rest and why the Army seeks those officers for other positions? IMHO It would seem like, however, with increasing optempo and the ever increasing demand for Special Forces worldwide the Army would look at keeping those officers in group longer now not only for the experience but for continued unit cohesion through deployments. Just my .02 Steve |
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Just my opinion. Jack Moroney |
18A
Jack and Greenhat hit the nail squarely.
I just want to add that the old system while it had its drawbacks, did field some damn fine leaders. The ones that truly excelled were thsoe that had the qualities that Jack mentioned and did whT Greenhat said - let the NCOs run the show and run interference for them with higher HQ. Showing that you have TRUST in their abilities is the first sign of a Team that is coalessing and becoming a true working unit in every facet. The Team in turn reciprocates. |
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Ok, I'll admit, I'm a noob when it comes to knowledge involving the military, but I know for a fact I'm joining and for a fact that I wanna be an SF.
So please go easy on me! I am currently 16, soon to be eagle scout, black belt, learning foreign languages. What else can I be doing to ensure SF status? I work out, and run, so I don't think I need to worry about the physical part. What do any of you think that I could be doing or doing more of to help get to be an SF? I will have my bachelors before I go into the Army, and I won't join unless it's going in as an officer, I understand that all too clearly with the 18A prereq's. Again, I see any question that can help me get my green beret is not a stupid question, and if you see anything I said as stupid, please ignore the post and move on, I'm looking for advice not insults. Insults being all I EVER get on here. Thanks, Nick West |
Something you could do and help is to post in the correct forum... Insults are all you get eh? Maybe if you didn't post stupid questions you wouldn't be getting insults. Refer to what Team Sergeant said
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I'm asking what I can do for the 18A MOS.
What other forum should I be posting in?!?! Ok, one, I am no child, nor do I act, speak, or look like one. two, How is wanting to be an SF stupid? if you say my question is stuipd then you are saying that being an SF is stupid. Is that what you're trying to say? three, When recruiters do not respond to letters, goarmy.com is sketchy on what to do before joining, and I don't know any SF's in which I can ask these questions, WHO CAN I GO TO?!?! Tell me! Cause I really wanna know. Everyone who joined the military in any branch has been at my level and was in the need to know about what they were about to join, and the commitment they were making. four, I take great offense in being called a child, as I am only 2-4 years younger than most SF's in the field. five, when I am in the position that everyone currently in the armed forces has been in at one time, I think they should be understanding and have a little respect. six, nowhere in my comment did I mention sniping. I sure didn't see it. And even if I did, snipers are an integral role in the Army, wars are not fought with CQB alone. If my questions are so stupid, tell me how they are stupid. I have heard no reasoning behind this. All I hear is that I'm stupid, my questions are stupid, I'm a child and no one wants to talk to me. The Army isn't some secret society in which it's a closely guarded secret in joining. Why can't you people stop avoiding the question and answer me? I'm growing sick and tired of this. I asked a fair, and relevant question about the 18A MOS. We're on the same side people! Why can't you just answer a few simple questions? There's nothing hard nor childish about it, I'm sure you all were asking the same questions when it came to signing on. THANKS, Nick |
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Thanks Martin |
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Jack Moroney |
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