[SF18C]

Okay I’ll start off with there is no love for Naylor, because I think he will (has) violate OPSEC to write a story, but I think he got this one pretty close to the truth.

The biggest thought on recruiting is SF ODA Team guys are not Rangers, they are not SEALs, they are not black Nomax and Velcro “Operators” SF Teams are a special breed with a very unique mission. You can’t walk off the street and be as 18 Series.

The only way they will get this many SF troops in this short time frame is (in my opinion): Lower the standards or start breeding SF babies in a special Warrior pre-school.

In 2005 the Q Course graduated 791 enlisted SF soldiers, according to Nye, compared with 282 in 2001. The goal from now on is to graduate a minimum of 750 enlisted SF soldiers per year.

SF has always had the challenge of getting the right guys to volunteer…hey if we were a dime a dozen then I don’t think we would be Special! SF candidates must be self-motivate, must have the maturity, and must be committed to the team and mission. Our society doesn’t hold those personalities traits as the gold standard…everyone gets a trophy for trying, everyone is Special – in their own way, it is not PC to tell someone they are not good enough!

A constant refrain of senior uniformed leaders in USASOC and SOCom over the past few years has been that any growth in Special Forces will not come at the expense of the traditionally high standards required to pass the Q Course. But there is widespread concern among SF NCOs, officers and retirees that the USASOC chain of command is already pressuring the cadre to lower standards.

To say they haven’t lowered standards is a complete crock…I’ve talked to too many SWC cadre.

18B…is failing FDC a releasable event?
18C…gotta calculator for the demo exam?
18D…can you name ALL those body parts and pills?
18E…how fast is that Morse code?

Does failing an exam twice get you sent to Korea or does it cause those committee OIC’s to “re-exam” the tests? To see if we are teaching the "right stuff" and validate the “we are not lowering standards” argument.

18X program…great idea on the small contingent of people in our society that would make a great SF team member but hadn’t considered the Army as a career choice. But it seems to me that is not what we are using it for.

In fiscal 2005, 375 of the 791 active-duty enlisted graduates of the Q Course were products of the 18 X-ray program. This year the equivalent numbers were about 280 out of 750, according to Nye, who noted that USASOC had reduced the 18 X-ray recruiting goal for 2006 and again for 2007.

My 2¢ is that if these Senior Commanders and politicians (really one in the same) keep up this mentality in 10 years SF will be an over glorified Ranger BN, in competition with the SEAL teams for mission, money and members!

I think every commander of SF troop or organizations should have the SOF Truths tattooed on his chest in reverse…that way he could review them in the mirror every morning while he shaves!

• Quality is better than quantity.
• Special operations forces cannot be mass produced.
• Competent special operations forces cannot be created after emergencies occur.
• Humans are more important than hardware.

Rant over...good luck SF!