List of the 5 most elite special forces in the world

Special Forces are specially organized military forces equipped with unconventional weapons and tactics to carry out missions that are nearly impossible for ordinary soldiers.

Soldiers in this force are people who have undergone many years of intense physical and psychological training, trained in survival skills in the harshest conditions to complete their missions, according toWar History.

British Special Air Service (SAS)

The SAS was the first modern special forces unit in military history. Founded by David Stirling in July 1941, the SAS became one of the British Army's most elite and famous forces.

To become an SAS special forces soldier, candidates must undergo a rigorous selection and testing process before continuing on to intensive training. The candidate screening process is said to be one of the toughest military training courses in the world, with a failure rate of over 90%.

Candidates from various British Army units will undergo intense physical fitness, mental strength and endurance tests in the Brecon Beacons and Ellan Valley in Wales, as well as in the jungles of Belize for around six months. The training takes place twice a year regardless of environmental conditions, and each candidate is only allowed to participate in the training program twice.

Candidates for SAS must go through a series of exercises of increasing difficulty, accompanied by tests, where those who do not qualify are eliminated through each stage.

The few candidates who make it through the rigorous selection and training process are awarded the beige beret with the distinctive winged dagger emblem to become new members of the SAS. Once they are assigned to a regular SAS regiment, they undergo further intensive training, and many new SAS recruits are sent back to their original units during this training.

The British SAS has completed many famous missions such as the Sierra Leone Hostage Rescue Operation or the raid on gunmen occupying the Iranian embassy in London in 1980. The SAS is famous for its professionalism and high efficiency, and has also become a model for a number of other countries to build special forces.

US Navy SEALs

SEALs are a unit within the US Naval Special Warfare Command, specially trained to operate in any environment, although their primary mission is to engage in special operations at sea.

The SEALs' role focuses on blitzkrieg missions. They secretly infiltrate enemy territory, gather intelligence, kill or capture targets, rescue hostages in a very short period of time, and then withdraw from the hostile area.

When not deployed, SEALs continuously train, learn new skills and enhance existing capabilities to make a difference when deployed to the battlefield.

To join the SEALs, candidates must undergo a training program that lasts more than a year with stages including recruit training, naval special warfare training preparation course, Basic Underwater Destruction (BUDS) program, parachute course and SEAL qualification training (SQT).

BUDS is the most challenging phase for candidates, when they have to go through "Hell Week" where they are only allowed to sleep a maximum of 4 hours a day for 6 consecutive days, the remaining 20 hours are for training, and they have to complete a run of more than 321 km in this week. This is the week when most candidates fall, when they cannot stand the pressure and withdraw.

The SEAL training program also includes many rigorous tests, with only about 25% of candidates passing to join the force.

During their service, the US Navy SEALs fought in Somalia, Afghanistan and carried out the famous raid that killed terrorist Osama bin Laden.

Spetsnaz special forces, Russia

Spetsnaz commandos are known for their ability to endure horrific torture to protect valuable information. Their training is so harsh that it is illegal in the United States.

Spetsnaz kept information about their operations so secret that the public only learned of their existence when the policy of openness was introduced in the late 1980s, with many state secrets being revealed..

This is also the most famous elite special forces in the world. In the Russian armed forces, Spetnaz can carry out reconnaissance missions deep into enemy territory and sabotage missions in enemy territory.

Spetsnaz members are proficient in many foreign languages ​​to serve the process of infiltrating foreign territories, creating favorable conditions when carrying out missions.

The Spetsnaz training program includes basic orientation, where candidates are introduced to the military environment, with a focus on marching exercises and maneuvers. During this stage, they will get a taste of the iron discipline of the army.

Cadets undergo four years of rigorous training with constant assessment tests to see if they have what it takes to become Spetsnaz officers. After graduation, only the best cadets are assigned to Spetsnaz.

The failure rate of candidates in the Spetsnaz training program is very high. The Spetsnaz training program operating abroad also includes additional training in prisoner interrogation and assassination tactics.

Sayeret Maktal Special Forces, Israel

In 1957, Unit 101 of the Israeli Military Intelligence was established to conduct top secret intelligence gathering missions in enemy territory, of which the Sayeret Maktal special forces were a unit. A year later, Sayeret Maktal separated into an independent unit under the Israeli General Staff, operating on the model of the British SAS special forces.

In addition to its basic mission of conducting reconnaissance deep into enemy territory, the Sayeret Maktal special forces are also known as the world's most effective counter-terrorism unit with the ability to infiltrate, withdraw and strike quickly.

Sayeret Maktal special forces candidates are selected based on physical and mental criteria. Every two years, they hold a very harsh recruitment camp where candidates undergo arduous tests for several days without rest.

Candidates who pass the entrance exam will undergo 18-19 months of intensive training in martial arts, weapons use, navigation, reconnaissance and other skills necessary to ensure successful missions behind enemy lines. During the training, students are closely monitored by doctors and psychologists.

Sayeret Maktal Special Forces have successfully completed a series of missions such as the Operation to rescue 103 Jewish hostages in Uganda, operations to prevent weapons from being smuggled into Lebanon and several other missions.

French Marine Commandos

The French Marine Commandos, or Blue Berets, established in 1942, are a special forces unit of the French navy, operating under the modelBritish Commando.

Typically, candidates will have to complete Fusiliers-Marins Basic Training and have at least nine months of military service, before moving on to commando training.

French commando training is one of the toughest in the world, with a failure rate of 82% in 2016. The training lasts 20 weeks, including tests and two weeks of parachute training.

Trainees are warned that the training is extremely rigorous and that any mistakes will result in immediate disqualification. At the end of the training, qualified candidates will be physically, mentally and psychologically fit to operate in the French Marine Commando.