8 Elite Special Forces Groups Worldwide
Elite special forces are some of the best-trained and most formidable units a country can boast.
Though it’s extremely difficult to rank these forces relative to one another, some units rise above the rest with their track records. Here are eight of them…
8. The (PSSG) Pakistan Special Services Group
Better known in the country as the Black Storks because of the commandos’ unique headgear. Training reportedly includes a 36-mile march in 12 hours and a 5-mile run in 50 minutes in full gear.
In October 2009, SSG commandos stormed an office building and rescued about 40 people taken hostage by suspected Taliban militants after an attack on the army’s headquarters.
7. Spain’s Unidad de Operaciones Especiales
Or the Naval Special Warfare Force, as it has been known since 2009 — has long been one of Europe’s most-respected special forces. Established as the volunteer Amphibious Climbing Company unit in 1952, it has since become an elite fighting force.
Earning the UOE green beret, however, is a quite a challenge — the failure rate of candidates is around 70% to 80%. It’s not uncommon for 100% of would-be new recruits to be rejected.
6. Russian special forces — the Alpha Group
Russia’s Alpha Group is one of the best-known special forces units in the world. This elite anti-terrorism unit was created by the KGB in 1974 and remains in service under its modern-day counterpart, the FSB.
Russian special forces — the Alpha Group, in particular — was criticized during the 2002 Moscow hostage crisis, in which at least 120 hostages died from the effects of a gas used to knock out militants who had seized a theater.
5. France’s (GIGN) National Gendarmerie Intervention Group.
The group is 200 strong and trained specifically to respond to hostage situations. It claims to have freed more than 600 people since it was formed in 1973. It is against the law in France to publish pictures of its members’ faces.
One of the most extraordinary episodes in the GIGN’s history was the seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 1979. Because of the prohibition of non-Muslims entering the holy city, a team of three GIGN commandos briefly converted to Islam before helping the Saudi armed forces plan the recapture of the mosque.
4. Israeli Special Forces
Israel’s special forces, which were formed in 1948 as the Special Reconnaissance Platoon, now consist of elite commando, counterterrorist, anti-terrorist and recon units. They form the pre-emptive first line of defense for the Jewish state and have unit names like Batmen, Winged Snakes and Flying Tigers.
The covert forces have participated in daring, clandestine operations both in Israel and in enemy territory, including the famed 1976 Raid on Entebbe: the rescue of Israeli hostages held by Palestinian guerrillas who had hijacked an Air France plane that had taken off from Tel Aviv and redirected it to Uganda.
3. The (SAS) British Special Air Service
The Special Air Service or the SAS is a special forces unit of the British Army founded in 1941. All other special forces units from around the world are based on the SAS. During WW2, it was created as a commando unit to deceive axis forces behind enemy lines. After the war, the SAS has participated in various anti-terrorist operations.
The SAS recruits only the strongest. The selection process is one of the toughest in any military all over the world. The SAS gained worldwide reputation and fame after their televised rescue of hostages being held in the Iranian embassy 1980. The motto of the SAS unit is, “Who Dares Wins.”
2. U.S. Navy SEALs
The SEALs — the abbreviation stands for “Sea, Air and Land” — were created in 1961 as President John F. Kennedy recognized the need for unconventional warfare in the escalating conflict in Vietnam. Not long after, Seal teams began operating in the Southeast Asian nation.
These special operations forces are among the best-trained troops in the world and have been pulling off death-defying, badass missions since the 1960s. The most famous being the raid killing Osama Bin Laden.
1. U.S. Marine Raiders
The Marine Raiders are elite military units originally established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct special amphibious light infantry warfare, particularly in landing in rubber boats and operating behind the lines. “Edson’s” Raiders of 1st Marine Raiders Battalion and “Carlson’s” Raiders of 2nd Marine Raiders Battalion are said to be the first United States special operations forces to form and see combat in World War II.
In 2014, the Marine Special Operations Regiment, serving under the United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC), was renamed the Marine Raider Regiment. This change was implemented to better show that modern Marine special operations forces trace their lineage and heritage back to the World War II Raiders. Individual Marines of the Marine Raider Regiment are once again called “Marine Raiders”
