Wich is considered the "most" elite?  And whats the basic difference between these GREAT forces?  If there are any members on this board that are/where a part of one of these special teams, feel free to comment.  [beer]

Which one recruits the "best" of all armed services?

DaMan

I will have to answer with one you neglected to name:  Air Force Combat Control CC's

Comparing apples to oranges.

Different units for different tasks.

The Green Beret..it´s a wool hat, i think you are referring to the U.S Army Special Forces.

Oh, boy...

Here we go again![:D]

Juggernaut

BTW, the SEAL's rule.[;D]

They are all equally outstanding in their areas of expertise.
Each have a different mission,but all are the best at what they do.

As a Ranger, we usually concentrated on raids and securing airfields.

(You forgot to mention Marine Force Recon, extremely tough mo-fos)

Seal Team 6 is by far the most elite well trained spec ops unit in the world bar none! Dont get me wrong Spec Forces and Rangers and even those blue barets from the Air Force all kick some serious booty also the marine Force Recon. They each have their specialties but if you go on an overall basis it would be SEALS hands down. And GSG9 isnt too shabby either.

OK.... there is ONE that recruits and takes ONLY THE BEST QUALIFIED from all services.  Who might THAT BE?

DaMan

The United Mall Defense Force?

A real expert i see. BTW, ST6 hasn´t existed for some time, does Naval Special Warefare Developement Group ring a bell.

For those not aware of the differences of various special operations units, check around this site:

[url]www.specialoperations.com[/url]

I vote for Delta.  They're patterned after the British SAS who are the best of the best.  Period.

After reading [i]Blackhawk Down[/i] I came up with the following analogy.  The brashness and youth of the Rangers reminded me of a perenial top college football team, like Notre Dame.  Good coaching, constant drilling and a proud history of fine accomplishments led to a high level of competence and esprit de corps when the big game was on the line.

On the other side of the coin you had Delta, aka [i]the D-Boys[/i].  Their age and near magical situational awareness and cool under fire reminded me of the performances of veteran Hall of Fame NFL legends, like a Peyton or a Nitshke.  While the mark of a good soldier is to be able to function in combat it seemed to me that the men of Delta not only functioned but excelled under fire.  They work their magic best when the pressure is on.

A quick aside on SEALs.  My analogy above was formed by reading Bowden's excellent book.  While there were SEALs in it they were given little more than cursory attention.  I've actually met a few SEALs on duty and they strike me as being just incredible soldiers.  Mature, quiet, confident and extremely competent.  If Delta soldiers reflect Hall of Famers then I'd say SEALs are, using the same analogy, best represented by perenial Pro Bowlers like a Favre or Young.

Victor Marcinko RULES!  Hahahahahaahha!

Over my life, I have met about 200+ former Navy SEALs.  

In my personal experience, most have been overweight, physically weak, stupid and usually a bit smelly.  Most of these elite soldiers could not even identify the duty weapons that they had been issued while in the service.

So my experience leads me to the conclusion that the Navy SEALs are a very poor fighting group.  Personally I would rank them below the Coast Guard Threatened Lobster Rescue Team in terms of elite forces of the nation.

BTW, most of these elite combat veterans were found hanging around at gunshows and gun shops, as well as the neighborhood Liquor store, so if you want to meet a former SEAL, I suggest that you stake out one of these locations...

The best and most elite unit is one with the coolest uniforms and scariest weapons.

PICTURES, PICTURES how are we supposed to make a rational decision without any cool pictures?!

Yes yes yes you knew I was refering to the CT unit which I guess is now part of the Naval Special Warefare Developement Group or whatever.

Did somebody say Speshul Fourses???

[img]www.ar15.com/members/albums/HKocher%2FToad%2Ejpg[/img]

Some of these replies just crack me up. Did you read Red Cell too many times?

I wonder how many were REALLY Navy Seals. I'll bet 90%+ were just Bullshitting you.

As for my vote: Definitely Delta Force.

Delta Force is the most elite. Below them are the Special Forces. Most of whom are equal for their missions.

River Based Raid: Navy Seals

Taking An Airfield: Army Rangers

Working With Indigenous Forces: Green Berets

Jumping Behind Enemy Lines: 82nd Airborne

Airborne Assault: 101st Airborne

Mountain (Well Eastern US Mountains) Operations: 10th Mountain Division. Sorry, but the Jericho range is only 4,000 feet. I have spent alot of time above 5,000 (Western NC) and have been to nearly 6,000 feet.

The U.S. Postal Service? [uzi]

damn....Hope i didnt start a war.  LOL!  Like most people, i think special operation groups are very interesting.  

Cub Scout Pack 384 are a bunch of bad ass mofos, you wouldn't want to mess with them.

This question is just like whats better 9mm or .45, your gonna have every opinion under the sun.

They are all tasked with different missions, so they are all the best at what they are assigned to do.

Its Poll time..........[thinking]

No way!  I believe each and everyone of them.  

This one fella I got to know very well at a local bar after work hours.  He got out because of blowing out both of his knees.  He used to tell me that he could get me some MP5s just like he used to use (minus the $8K price tag and $200 transfer fee) from his buddies who still 'worked'.  

I know he was for real, because he used to go out to the local pond behind his mothers house at night and sneak up on the geese (in the water) with NVGs and snorkel gear.  He would grab them by the head and swing them around until their necks broke necks.  I mean that's hardcord stuff!  That type of steath and CQB tactics could only be the result of years of elite training...

I would vote for Delta Force, or Seal Team 6.  The reason is that, in the case of Delta Force as related in "Black Hawk Down", their primary advantage is maturity.  I would bet that other units are more physically qualified.  However, the trump card is the situational awareness and maturity not to spas.  If the Delta soldiers weren't in Mogadishu, the Rangers would have been wiped out.  They aren't idiots, but their survival depended on excellent combat leadership, which they got from Delta.

This is one of the reasons that the senior Army leadership traditionally hates "elite" units.  They tend to bleed the best leaders from the regular force.  In peace time, when the elite units are the only ones deployed, we can get away with it.  In war time, when regular units are engaged, their junior troops' survival, and the unit's success, depends on leaders with talent.

The current situation may turn into one of the only ones int he last 30 years that depends on the leadership talent residing in the conventional forces.  Thank God our junior leaders are trained by Sega and Game Station?

In everyday real world situations I can tell you who clocks in the most deployment time and puts in the most on duty hours in the real SHTF scenarios. That is the 82nd Airborne. There always seems to be a certain number of them deployed somewhere on our globe all the time in some kind of hostile territory. And I will guarantee you that some 82nd were probably deployed to the Afghanistan area before anyone else. They definitely deserve a lot more recognition. If I had a choice to work with any U.S. combat team in battle it would be the 82nd or the 101st. I have met elite soldiers from every branch, and none of them have more heart and determination than the 82nd or even the 101st.

I am a very hardcore Army veteran but I must say
when it comes to the highly specialized elite soldiers I would have to trust my life with Forced Recon. These are some guys that can go in and come back out alive in some of the most difficult situations. None of the others have the mental control and determination as a whole compared to these guys.

I know ex-Marine Force Recon and they say they do the most with the least. Plus the Marines is already an elite organization, so they are the elite of the elite.

USAF PJ's
USMC Force Recon
US Army 5th SF group

editied for lousy typing.

As CPL_Punishment said, it's all METT-T and METL related - what job do you want to do, and when does it need to get done?

However, if limited to being able to pick one unit only, I have to go with US Army Special Forces.  These guys can do it all, plus they are the only force multiplier out of all the Specops units.

I am humbled in the presence of the Internets most elite armchair warriors. [%|]

Absolutely thrilling to read lists, no two the same, of our countries Spec-Ops groups.

Even more impressive are those who have not just spent time hanging out with one of these groups, but ALL of them![whacko] Makes my group of friends look like a bunch of losers in comparrison.

Let me be the first to say that I don't know which is the MOST elite. They're all a bunch of bad ass mother f*ckers and I'm damn proud they represent my country.

Next question.....which tastes better....apples or oranges?

yeah, i gotta tell you, this question is pretty "jacked"  your humble postee is currently a REMF but prior grunt, ANGLICO, radio-recon. ive seen them all. when i went to CQC training guess what....it was a bunch of Army types teaching the course with non reg haircuts and no name tapes, just rank and branch of service. i was in that class with guys from force, specwar squids, a even 2 airforce special tactics guys. once you get to that level. its all pretty much the same. the thing that sets Marine Force recon apart is the Ethos, the esprit de Corps. there is a culture in the Marine Corps. a tradition of doing the impossible with little resources and using the Army's scraps for equipment. thats no longer the case but the legacy remains. all of America's Spec Warriors recieve nearly the same training. joint service schools and joint operations create an environment where men cross-specialize and take on the best qualities of all involved. its getting to the point where there are no differences in training between special ops units. the only differences are the types of missions those units are assigned. when it comes to CQC, MOUT, S&S etc Delta wrote the book, hands down. they train the world. they shoot more in a week then most avid shooters do in a year. FID is green berets, DA and airfield siezure is a Ranger thing. Force Recon and SEALs have a nearly identical mission to operate in the litoral regions. and when ever ANYONE in USSOCOM goes anywhere. they take AF CCTs with them.
 this is what i have seen and observed during my short time with the fleet. im sure its not 100% but its closer than some speculations on here. FLAME ON!