SAS Selection and Training is the most demanding military training course in the British Army: it reportedly has a pass rate of less than 10%. It is a test of strength, endurance, and resolve over the Brecon Beacons and Elan Valley in Wales, and in the jungle of Brunei. The Namib Desert is also used as a desert training ground. 'Selection' takes around 6 months to complete.
Selection is held twice a year regardless of conditions. A candidate must be male and have been a regular member of the Armed Forces for at least three years or a member of 21 SAS or 23 SAS (which can be joined directly from civilian life) for at least 18 months. All soldiers who apply must have at least 39 months of military service remaining. A candidate who fails any stage of the selection is 'Returned to [his parent] Unit' (RTU'd). Candidates are allowed only two attempts at selection, after which they may never reapply. Many are not even allowed that.
Like other sections of the British armed forces, the SAS accepts members from the Commonwealth and The Republic of Ireland, with notable representation from Fiji, the former Rhodesia, New Zealand and Australia. The Parachute Regiment is the SAS's main recruiting area.
Special Forces Briefing Course (2 days)
Over a weekend, potential candidates are shown what life in the SAS is like and are briefed on what to expect during selection. There is a map and compass test, a swimming test, a first aid test and a combat fitness test.
Fitness and navigation (4 weeks)
The first part of selection is held in the Brecon Beacons and Elan Valley. The weather there can be unpredictable and several soldiers have died during selection, mainly due to hypothermia or exposure. The actual selection starts with the Battle Fitness Test (BFT), a squadded 2.5 km run in 15 minutes, and then the same distance run individually in under 10.5 minutes. The first week mostly consists of runs in the neighbourhood, up and down hills with a small load in the bergen. Lessons in navigation and map reading are included. Navigation runs in small groups in woodland areas and night tabs follow shortly. The load in the bergen gets heavier and an SA80 rifle with no slings has to be carried. Soldiers have to keep the rifle in their hands as they climb up the slopes and jog down again. In the third week navigation is solo from grid reference to other points on the map. At each rendezvous (RV) point, the soldiers have to indicate where they are before the next grid reference is given. The soldiers are not told how long the run is and where they will end up. In the last week, there is a race against the clock every day, with each task more punishing as the distances and load of the bergen increase. The "Long Drag" or "Endurance" is the final test - about 40 miles over the mountains in between 20 and 24 hours depending on the weather.
Initial continuation training (4 weeks)
This consists of detailed and realistic training in weapon handling, demolitions and small patrol tactics.
Jungle training (6 weeks)
Soldiers are divided into patrols of four and are watched over day and night by Directing Staff (DS). Soldiers must stand-to for one hour at dawn and one hour at dusk every day without fail and must also keep their knife with them at all times. After lessons in navigation through dense jungle, boat handling, camp building and jungle contact drills there is a final test, where all things that have been learned must be applied correctly. Soldiers will learn to live, fight and survive in the jungle, and will have to take care of every cut, scratch and blister, as it could easily get infected. The rain is almost constant, which further demoralises the candidates. Jungle training is usually carried out in the thick rainforest of Brunei or Malaysia.
Combat survival (4 weeks)
There is another month of training in survival skills, living off the land and using escape and evasion (E & E) tactics. There are lessons and lectures in interrogation techniques from people who have been Prisoners of War (POWs). The last few days is the E & E stage. In groups the soldiers are dressed in greatcoats to slow them down and have to evade capture from the Hunter Force, which is usually comprised of Parachute Regiment or Gurkha soldiers. When captured, or on giving themselves up in the unlikely event that they make it to the scheduled end of the exercise, every soldier has to withstand tactical questioning (TQ). The soldiers are blindfolded, put in stress positions, subjected to white noise, dehydrated and given no food. Common phobias are exploited, as in one stress position they put their captive in a cage no bigger than a dog's kennel, and lay iron over the top of the cage. The captors then repeatedly beat the iron with chains, to create a claustrophobic feeling. The soldiers are only allowed to respond to questions with:
Name
Rank
Number
Date of birth
"I'm sorry I cannot answer that question"
If they break during TQ then they are returned to their original unit.
Passing selection
After passing selection, soldiers lose any previous rank and become troopers. They have to work their way up again from the lowest rank, but revert to their original rank (called Shadow rank) with appropriate increases in rank for length of service, if they ever leave the SAS. Officers, who must hold a minimum rank of Captain, do not lose their rank but may only serve a three-year tour with the SAS. Officers are allowed to do a second three-year tour provided they pass selection again.
Specialist training
Specialist training includes:
First Aid, to a fairly high level, with stints in busy hospitals, including a week in a mortuary
Signals
HALO (High Altitude, Low Opening) parachuting technique
HAHO (High Altitude, High Opening) parachuting technique
(this takes place for four weeks at RAF Brize Norton)
Sniping - all SAS snipers are trained by the Royal Marines at the Sniper course at CTCRM (Commando Training Centre Royal Marines)
Languages
Vehicle Operating Skills - off-road, for cross-country insertion and patrolling, and also on-road evasive driving as part of the close protection role
CRW Training
Explosive Method of Entry (EMOE)
VIP protection (body-guarding, or close protection)
