What do Chuck Norris, Sylvester Stallone, Charlie Sheen, Demi Moore and Steven Seagal all have in common? At one time or another they have all portrayed special forces soldiers on the big screen and satiated the public’s love of action movies that involve elite military forces. In the world of the military, perhaps no one group fascinates us or takes hold of our imagination more than the special-forces. On top of the ‘regular’ military forces, most nations have an elite group of service personnel who are held to a higher standard of requirements and training. Some of these groups are well publicized and have been covered in the media recently. Others aren’t as well-known with only allegations or myths surfacing over the years to provide any clue of their existence.
1. SAS – Britain
What’s this, a group rated higher than the SEALs? Indeed. The British Special Air Service was created in 1941 as a force which could operate behind German and Italian lines and support resistance movements against the occupation forces.
Understandably, the force is made up of British military personnel with the most coming from the airborne forces. Physical requirements are harsh and require a lot of marching with full packa. This culminates in a 40 mile march with a full pack that must be finished in 20 hours.
Candidates must also be able to swim two miles in an hour and a half and run four miles in 30 minutes. After this, you get dropped in the jungle to learn survival and navigational skills, after which you endure survival practice. The final test is a 36-hour interrogation session meant to break the candidate’s will.
The handful who make it through this get transferred to an operation force for further training. Not convinced this is ‘better’ than the SEALs? It may help you to know that the SAS is also trained by MI5 and MI6 security and intelligence services to undertake counter-espionage operations. It’s like having a SEAL and James Bond all rolled into one.
