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Originally Posted by Old Dog New Trick
You got at least one thing right in your initial observation. Rangers and SEALs are the same. One is dirty dry landers and the other excels when near water. Both are young hard charging shock Infantry type units led by capable leaders with years of experience. The bulk of the force has little experience and more testosterone than brains. A bad leader or a bad decision leads to catastrophic consequences. (True for all military units, SF is not immune.)
SMUs like Delta and SEAL Tm 6 specialize in unique short term mission sets. Both are generally made up from the best of their basic SOF units and then attend schools either within the SF Q-Course or modeled after the SFQC. Many Delta Operators are experienced SF. They train hard and realistically until perfected to carry out the assigned mission or task. Then they begin again.
SF soldiers that are selected for training are generally already the best of the best and have the heart and fortitude to overcome all obstacles both mind and body. Then go through an extensive training course making them subject matter experts in all things militarily and add in cultural and language capabilities to create the ultimate warrior. An SF soldier by himself may be a formidable fighter in his own right but he is only as good as the best man around him...put him with his teammates and the skill sets and leadership capabilities combined will test the best military minds in the world to out smart them and challenge them in an asymmetric and dynamic game of cat and mouse. SF soldiers begin to operate and excel when everyone else in SOF have reached the end of their playbook. We make our own rules and break them all the time. There is only one fighting force in the United States Military where you can drop them off 'anywhere' and forget about them. Support is nice but not needed, they will figure it out and win. And that is what makes them different. Teaching others the basics is only a concept of not needing to stay any longer than necessary. Using the unique capabilities of SF combined with foreign military units as a force multiplier...you do the math.
I would really like to see one day the true capabilities of SF doing what they were invented for and have trained for unleashed on an unsuspecting country warlord or corrupt government. To train, equip, and deploy a friendly band of misfit guerrillas and dispose that form of despotic ruler. Unfortunately our gentrified form of government will never see the benefit of allowing USSF to plan, infiltrate and conduct UW without a broader plan to continue the use of sending in America's young men and women in conventional forces to raise the American flag. As Team Sergeant said, look what happened in Afghanistan before congress and the generals messed it up. We could have been done in months what still isn't done 15 years later.
There is no finer combat proficiency than having the local population fight their own battles and win the war with a little help. To teach and lead others exemplifies the true capabilities of the Green Beret. Mastery of not just one skill but superlative excellence in all skills and forms of combat proficiency is what makes a Green Beret an SF soldier.
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That's really good information. As far as Delta goes, you say many of them are prior SF veterans. I've seen it said that 70% of Delta recruits come from the Ranger Regiment, is that true?