|
What is
SFAS?
a. The Career Management
Field (CMF) 18 includes positions concerned with the
employment of highly specialized elements to accomplish
specifically directed missions in times of peace and
war. Many of these missions are conducted at times when
employment of conventional military forces is not
feasible or is not considered in the best interest of
the United States. Training for and participation in
these missions is arduous, somewhat hazardous, and
are often sensitive in nature. For these reasons, it is
a prerequisite that every prospective "Green
Beret" successfully complete the SFAS/SFQC courses.
b. The Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS)
program assesses and selects Soldiers for attendance at
the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC). This
program allows SF an opportunity to assess each
Soldier's capabilities by testing his physical,
emotional, and mental stamina. The SFAS also allows each
Soldier the opportunity to make a meaningful and
educated decision about SF and his career plan.
c. Soldiers attend SFAS on a temporary duty status. You
should plan to be at Fort Bragg, North Carolina for up
to 30 days. You will be trained in all military subjects
used in the assessment. The course is individual cross
country land navigation based covering distances from 18
kilometers up to on or about 50 kilometers. The
distances and weight carried increase during the course,
but being prepared mentally and physically for the
events cannot be over emphasized.
Click here to view a
training flow chart to get an idea of the training
process you�ll go through.
Click
here to download the USAREC SF information
pamphlet in MS Word format. This pamphlet provides
information to officers and enlisted soldiers on how to
volunteer for Special Forces Assessment, training, and
assignment.
Select
this link to download the pamphlet in zip file
format.
Special Forces Qualification Course
(SFQC) and Special Forces Detachment Officer
Qualification Course (SFDOQC)
General. The
CMF 18 is subdivided into five accession Military
Occupational Specialties (MOSs): 18A, Detachment
Commander; 18B, SF Weapons Sergeant; 18C, SF Engineer
Sergeant; 18D, SF Medical Sergeant; and 18E, SF
Communications Sergeant. Each SF volunteer receives
extensive training in a specialty, which prepares him
for his future assignment in a SF unit. SF units are
designed to operate either unilaterally or in support of
and combined with native military and paramilitary
forces. Levels of employment for Special Operations
forces include advising and assisting host governments,
involvement in continental United States-based training,
and direct participation in combat operations.
Purpose. The SFQC/SFDOQC
teaches and develops the skills necessary for effective
utilization of the SF Soldier. Duties in CMF 18
primarily involve participation in Special Operations
interrelated fields of unconventional warfare. These
include foreign internal defense and direct action
missions as part of a small operations team or
detachment. Duties at other levels involve command,
control, and support functions. Frequently, duties
require regional orientation, to include foreign
language training and in-country experience. The SF
places emphasis not only on unconventional tactics, but
also knowledge of nations in waterborne, desert, jungle,
mountain, or arctic operations.
Training. After
successful completion of SFAS, officers who have not
already attended their Advanced Course will attend
either the Infantry or Armor Career Captain�s Course.
For the enlisted Soldier, the SFQC is currently divided
into three phases: Individual Skills, MOS Qualification,
and Collective Training. The enlisted applicant's SFQC
training will be scheduled upon successful completion of
SFAS.
a. Individual Skills
Phase. During this period, Soldiers inprocess, and are
trained on common skills for CMF 18 skill level three.
Training is 40 days long and is taught at the Camp
Rowe Training Facility. The training covered during
this phase includes land navigation (cross-country)
and small unit tactics. This phase culminates with a
special operations overview.
b. MOS Qualification
Phase. For the enlisted Soldier, the decision
concerning the four specialties will be made based on
your training background, aptitude, and desire and the
needs of CMF 18. Training for this phase is 65 days
and culminates with a mission planning cycle. During
this phase, Soldiers are trained in their different
specialties:
(1) 18A - SF
Detachment Commander. Training includes: teaching
the officer student the planning and leadership
skills he will need to direct and employ other
members of his detachment. Training is conducted at
Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and is 26 weeks long.
(2) 18B - SF Weapons
Sergeant. Training includes: Tactics, anti-armor
weapons utilization, functioning of all types of
U.S. and foreign light weapons, indirect fire
operations, manportable air defense weapons, weapons
emplacement, and integrated combined arms fire
control planning. Training is conducted at Fort
Bragg, North Carolina, and is 24 weeks long.
(3) 18C - SF Engineer
Sergeant. Training includes: Construction skills,
field fortifications, and use of explosive
demolitions. Training is conducted at Fort Bragg,
North Carolina, and is 24 weeks long.
(4) 18D - SF Medical
Sergeant. Training includes: Advanced medical
procedures to include trauma management and surgical
procedures. Training is conducted at Fort Bragg,
North Carolina and is approximately 57 weeks long.
(5) 18E - SF
Communications Sergeant. Training includes:
Installation and operation of SF high frequency and
burst communications equipment, antenna theory,
radio wave propagation, and SF communication
operations procedures and techniques. Training
culminates with an around-the-world communications
field performance exercise. Training is conducted at
Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Fort Chaffee,
Arkansas, and is 32 weeks long.
c. Collective Training
Phase. During this 38-day period, Soldiers are trained
in Special Operations (SO) classes, Direct Action (DA)
Isolation, Air Operations, Unconventional Warfare
classes, Isolation training, and culminates with ROBIN
SAGE.
d. Language Training.
After completion of the Collective Training Phase all
Soldiers will attend Special Forces Language school at
the Special Operations Academic Facility, Fort Bragg,
North Carolina.
e. Survival Training.
All Soldiers, officer and enlisted will attend the
Survive, Evade, Resist, Escape (SERE) course for three
weeks at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Correspondence
courses.
a. It would be
beneficial to each candidate to enroll in the
correspondence courses listed in the table below.
b. You should use DA Form 145 (Army Correspondence
Course Enrollment Application) when ordering the
correspondence courses. The mailing address for all
courses, except the 18D course, is:
Institute for Professional Development
U.S. Army Training Support Center
Newport News, VA 23628-0001
The mailing address for the 18D course
is:
Commandant
Academy of Health Sciences
Fort Bragg, North Carolina 28307-5000
|
