How to Become an Army Green Beret
While it may look straightforward on paper, joining the United States Army's Green Berets is by no means an easy process. As one of the Army's most elite group of soldiers, Green Berets are trained and engage in highly stressful and sometimes secretive missions ranging from counter-terrorism strikes to intelligence gathering. Because of the challenging nature of its missions and the extreme physical ability needed to complete them, the Green Berets' selection process is designed to select only a few soldiers prepared to handle the stress and rigors of the job.
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Instructions
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Earn a high school diploma. By nature, the average Green Beret is intelligent, highly physical and competitive. Participate in sports or other physical activities in school while studying and performing well in class.
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Enlist in the Army. Try to join the infantry or another combat related military occupational specialty (MOS). Soldiers in these field receive useful training that will help later on in the quest to become a Green Beret.
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Complete the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and score at least a 107 on the General Technical (GT) portion of the test.
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Serve in the Army until reaching the rank of corporal or specialist (E-4). Green Berets are selected from some of the best soldiers in the Army, so maintain a stellar service record.
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Strive to stay in top physical condition. While all soldiers in the Army are required to take and pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), Green Berets are expected to go beyond the minimum and score at least a 240 out of 300 on the three-event test. Applicants must also score at least 60 out of 100 in each event to be considered and will be judged according to the standards for soldiers aged 17 to 21 regardless of age.
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Apply for and complete Army Airborne training. This requires learning how to jump from an aircraft and parachute into a drop zone.
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Fill out an application and volunteer for special forces training. This entails filling out an application package that verifies all of the previously described requirements have been met by a soldier.
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Go to Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) training. This training, held at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, is an intense program that lasts 21days and is designed to identify those qualified for training as a Green Beret. The program is designed to subject applicants to intense physical and mental stress and no feedback is given during the process. Selections are made at the conclusion of the program.
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Complete the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) once selected after SFAS. This program subjects applicants to more academic course work in topics ranging from combat strategies and techniques to foreign languages and cultures.
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Tips & Warnings
To earn at least a 60 in each event on the APFT, Green Beret applicants must perform at least 85 push-ups in two minutes, 71 sit-ups in two minutes and run two miles in no more than 15 minutes 54 seconds. Meeting these minimums, however, will not put potential Green Berets over the 240 point mark required for training. Soldiers should adjust their workout plans to account for this and plan on performing better than the minimums.
Green Berets embark on some of the most perilous missions undertaken by the United States military. These tasks expose them to a great deal of danger and, possibly, the risk of death. Consider the risks and dangerous seriously before attempting to become a Green Beret.
References
- U.S. Army Special Forces Recruiting Battalion: The Missions of Special Forces
- U.S. Army Special Forces Recruiting Battalion: Criteria
- U.S. Army Special Forces Recruiting Battalion: Special Forces Application Packet
- U.S. Army Special Forces Recruiting Battalion: Training Overview
- MilitarySpot: Army Physical Fitness Test
