THE GREEN BERETS

ABSTRACT
This paper aims to introduce the United States Army Special Forces known as
the Green Berets with a focus on their five primary missions, namely
unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance,
direct action and counter-terrorism. The article also deals with their
organization, equipment, selection and training. As all the army special
operations groups, the Green Berets are considered without equal, mainly
because the training is extremely rigorous and highly selective, placing a
strong emphasis on intense physical and mental training. They are provided
with the most advanced equipment in order to complete the most sensitive
missions, such as to “free the oppressed” as their motto states.
Keywords: mission, equipment, training, army, organization.

1. Introduction
The United States Army’s mission is to protect the country and its citizens. For a good
development of combat operations on load, military operations include organizing, equipping,
and training forces. Today, the Army is made up of more than 700.000 soldiers, which
include active duty and Army Reserve personnel. In the category of active duty there are
included soldiers who serve in the Army 24 hours a day, more exactly all the time until their
service restoration. Unlike active duty, Army Reserve personnel serve part time, allowing
them to do things and still keep many of the benefits.
United States Army soldiers have several specialties such as doctors, engineers,
experts in logistic and technologies, and others. The needs of United States Army are to have
a diverse range of soldiers which can act in different situations and in different ways; this
brings superiority to other branches. Special Forces are comprised of: Army Green Berets,
Army Night Stalkers, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, Navy SEALs Missions, Marine
MARSOC, Marine RECON, Marine RECON Missions, and Air Force Special Tactics.
The United States Army Special Forces, known as the Green Berets make up a
genuine, unconventional, combat arms organization. Soldiers are exceedingly trained to
become professionals. Special Forces personnel are qualified in advanced military ability and
the languages and culture of different parts of the world. They are known for their combat
capabilities, for other missions that include different modalities of action, like counter-
proliferation, peace operations and other strategic missions.
It is the most adaptable and specialized unit of the United States Army and it consists
of teams of 12 men, where each has a very well defined function. Their presence on a mission
is never confirmed and their motto is “free the oppressed.” Team members of the Green
Berets work closely together and trust each other in different circumstances even for a long
time. On the strength of this, they develop long standing relationships. Many of their tactical
operations are classified, but some manuals are available for citizens.

2. History
 The beginnings of the Army Special Forces can be followed from the Civil War, led
by Col. John Mosby. In Rwanda in the 1990s, the Green Berets made operations to help
refugees caught in the crossfire of war (Civil War). The soldiers helped a lot of people to
made refugee camps.
Green Berets have earned (their) reputation in several theaters of war through special
missions that they had. During the Second World War, a group of elite United States military
was trained at a commando school in Scotland by British soldiers wearing green berets as a
distinctive sign. After graduation, American soldiers received the same kinds of belt.
Although the United States Army did not approve their behavior, those who have achieved
berets and called secretly “green berets.”
These Special Forces are famous due to Vietnam War. Among other unconventional
operations, they trained a combat unit consisting of oppressed natives of the North
Vietnamese regime. In many other situations, such as in the Gulf War or Kosovo, Special
Forces proved to have an immeasurable advantage in their ability to survive in the harshest
conditions behind enemy lines. United States has shown to the world, by fighting militias,
terrorist and insurgencies groups, that the future of war is based on unconventional tactics.

3. Equipment
Special Forces Soldiers hold the most advanced equipment with the purpose to
accomplish the most sensitive missions. One of the most useful equipment is High-Altitude
Low-Opening (HALO) which is used when jumps are made from extreme heights that need
oxygen supply. The high altitude permits to the entire team to infiltrate in a combat area,
being undetected by radar. Advance Ram Air Parachute system represents important
equipment which is in the endowment of the Green Berets. This parachute is specially
designed to work in severe environmental conditions. Another advanced technology from
Green Forces equipment is night vision. It allows Special Forces Soldiers to see in dark
environments. Re-breather is an underwater breathing device which helps Special Forces
Soldiers to move noiselessly through lakes and rivers. In order to launch from a helicopter
into a river, Special Forces Soldiers used inflatable boats in their operations. The latest
technology to communicate is represented by long-range communication, used to transmit
text messages through radio or a satellite computer. The M-4 Carbine weapon is the ideal
choice to action in small-unit missions. Special Forces Soldiers also have M9 pistols. It is
semi-automatic and has a laser clamping system which provides an advantage in close combat
operations.
The Green Berets have access to a wide range of weapons but typically they use the
standard weapons of the United States military such as Heckler & Koch 416, FN SCAR,
AKM (Kalashnikov automatic modernized rifle), AK 47 or AR and others.
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment supply Special Forces teams with
aviation support. They use advanced aircraft, which can work in difficult situations of any
Special Forces mission. The UH-60 (Blackhawk) – capabilities of the helicopter is tactical
transport of troops, materials and equipment. Another mission includes training, mobilization
and organization of new and improved concepts and sustain of disaster relief. A/MH-6
LITTLE BIRD – is used because is easy to handle, and it’s hard to be detect by the enemy.
The Little Bird can be a utility or attack helicopter and equipped with 7.62 mm miniguns, 70
mm rocket pods, 50- caliber machine guns, or Hellfire air-to-ground missiles. The helicopter
can also be equipped with AAQ- 16 FLIR, ALQ- 114 IR jammer and radar warning receivers.
MH-47 CHINOOK-is the principal way to transport Special Forces terms long distances, The
special model is equipped with an aerial refueling probe, a rescue hoist, a fast-rope rappelling
system and radar warning receivers. The MH-60 is used to transport Special Forces Soldiers
for short distances. This helicopter is equipped with radar warning receivers.
4. Selection and training
The travel to become a Special Forces Soldier is not so easy. Special Forces training is
hard and highly selective. The candidates from this elite are recruits from the United States
Army, mostly from National Guard and they must follow a number of requirements including:
the age of soldier must be between 20 and 30 years, they must be United States citizens,
holding a high school diploma graduation, the score of General Technical respectively
Combat Operation must be higher than 110 respectively 100, Qualify for a secret security
clearance, Qualify and volunteer for Airborne training, all soldiers must sustain and pass the
Army Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA), they must complete correctly the Pre-Basic Task
list, those who have a year of college are preferred, but it is not a criteria by which the
selection is made.
Green Berets train regularly during career. Initial training is divided into four phases
and is known as the skill of the Special Forces or Q course. Duration of the course depends on
the specialization that the candidate had before joining the Green Berets but it usually takes
between 55 and 95 weeks. They are instructed in survival skills because most of their
missions are behind enemy lines, where they can stand even a few weeks. After successful
achievement of this course, the candidate is advantageous to apply advanced skills courses
such as: the course of military parachuting, and combat diver course or sniper.
The final training is very difficult; for example, they have to carry extremely heavy
backpacks, on the distance of 60 km, and the only thing that they have available is a knife and
a live chicken. If the soldier can make a fire, without any matches, he can cut the chicken,
cook and eat it.

5. Benefits
The training and salary are the ways that the soldiers can strengthens them for another
day. Also, the Army pays for their education, health care, vacation, family services and other
support, special duties and other living costs. Military compensation- it’s more than just a
salary- the basic pay for a soldier is just a part of the Army total compensation which includes
a lot of things like total health care, allowances for housing and more. Money – earning
money in the army – every soldier in the United States Army get a salary. Even more, there
are a lot of educational benefits, bonuses and allowances. The Army supports from the
beginning people’s careers with dozens of financial aid programs which motivate students to
learn and prepare for army. The vacation is an important part of Soldier life and well-being.
Soldiers on active duty acquire: weekends free, approximately 30 days of vacation annually,
and free days on national holidays, or when soldiers are sick. Soldiers and their families
benefit of life insurance and vacation time for relaxation and comprehensive health care.
Some Soldiers choose a career based just in the Army, but others prefer to search another job
outside the military. Whatever their decision, the Army still supports them.

6. Conclusion
The United States Army is regarded as the most powerful military force in the world.
A crucial component of infantry is given by Special Forces units, numerous and highly
specialized. The Green Berets are specialized in unconventional warfare and can operate
independently driven foreign territories. Anyone who wants to reach United States Army
Green Berets must have these qualities: intelligence, physical strength, motivation,
confidence, maturity, stability, judgment, decision-making, teamwork ability, influence and
communication skills.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Eric Blehm, Jason Amerine, The Only Thing Worth Dying For: How Eleven Green Berets
Forged a New Afghanistan , Harper, 2010
2. Leigh Neville, Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan, Osprey Publishing, 2008.
3. Linda Robinson, Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces,
PublicAffairs, 2004

4. http://www.baseops.net/militarybooks/greenberets.html

5. http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/new_pubs/jp3_05.pdf

6. http://www.goarmy.com/special-forces.html
7. http://www.greenberetfoundation.org/
8. http://www.military.com/military-fitness/army-special-operations/army-green-beret-
training