Swords of Lightning Special Forces are small groups of highly trained soldiers They operate unseen and unheard behind enemy lines Their enemies never know when or where they will strike (cid:55)oday there are (cid:73)e(cid:90) large (cid:90)ars in the (cid:90)orld but there are (cid:80)any s(cid:80)aller conflicts (cid:54)(cid:83)ecial (cid:41)orces tea(cid:80)s strike hard and (cid:73)ast like (cid:180)s(cid:90)ords o(cid:73) lightning (cid:181) (cid:55)hey can conduct an i(cid:80)(cid:83)ortant (cid:80)ission without a country needing to send a large armed force This is the badge of U S Navy SEALs It shows an eagle holding a pistol an anchor and a trident U S Army Rangers using computers and communications equipment behind enemy lines This is the sword of lightning badge of U S Army Green Berets Among the most famous Special Forces in the world are the U S Delta Force SEALs Green Berets and Rangers the British SAS Special Air Service and the French Foreign Legion and Force d’Action Rapide FAR FACTS AF 4
U S trained Iraqi Special Forces carry out a hostage-rescue training mission in Baghdad (cid:54)(cid:83)ecial (cid:41)orces tea(cid:80)s are also sent in to deal (cid:90)ith threats (cid:73)ro(cid:80) terrorists (cid:83)irates or (cid:90)ell(cid:16)ar(cid:80)ed cri(cid:80)inal gangs (cid:56) (cid:54) (cid:54)(cid:83)ecial (cid:41)orces also train local security (cid:73)orces to (cid:83)re(cid:89)ent attacks (cid:44)ra(cid:84)i (cid:54)(cid:83)ecial (cid:41)orces ha(cid:89)e been trained to hel(cid:83) (cid:83)re(cid:89)ent go(cid:89)ern(cid:80)ent o(cid:73)ficials (cid:73)ro(cid:80) being killed or kidna(cid:83)(cid:83)ed I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move farther faster and fight harder than any other soldier (cid:56) (cid:54) (cid:36)r(cid:80)y (cid:53)anger (cid:38)ode 5 The United States has the largest Special Forces around 55,000 members in 2009 This number includes cooks medics mechanics supply teams and many other roles as well as fighting soldiers ACTION STATS
6 A Special Forces team practice attacking an enemy base Who Are They Special Forces troops include men and women recruited from civilian life and from other armed services They have years of training and experience All candidates have to be physically and mentally tough intelligent skillful and resourceful They are the best at what they do (cid:54)(cid:83)ecial (cid:41)orces (cid:83)atrols are ex(cid:83)ected to fight against (cid:80)uch larger (cid:73)orces (cid:55)hey must train harder than almost any other soldiers (cid:55)heir (cid:80)otto is (cid:180)train hard fight easy (cid:181) But they do a lot (cid:80)ore than (cid:77)ust fight (cid:55)hey need radio and language skills first(cid:16)aid training (cid:83)lus tactical and survival skills in order to stay alive in tough environments The British SAS is divided into units each with their own special skills There is a Boat Troop diving an Air Troop parachuting Mountain Troop skiing and Mobility Troop long-range patrols FACTS AF
(cid:54)(cid:83)ecial (cid:41)orces tea(cid:80)s usually (cid:90)ork in secret (cid:55)hey are rarely seen by re(cid:83)orters or TV crews Often the only way we know about their missions is after they ha(cid:89)e ha(cid:83)(cid:83)ened or i(cid:73) any o(cid:73) the unit is killed during the mission This is the new MH-53J equipped with an infrared system for night flights Some Special Forces units are rarely seen This sniper is wearing a gillie suit which has twigs and leaves added to help hide him These guys are putting their lives on the line taking on some very serious bad guys The less anyone knows about the unit the better (cid:39)elta (cid:41)orce soldier 7 MH-53 helicopters like this one are designed to land Special Forces troops in secret locations They can fly close to the ground even at night FACTS AF
