Special Operations Force (SOF)
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I know there is already a SOF topic but has expired.
How many do u people think in SOF? counting in 10s, 50s, 100s?
and how hard to get it? and do you apply, secretly tapped on shoulder,volunteer or openly selected?
And do you think they are being deployed on combat missions or just missions overseas now or past futre? (not trainning- i know they go overseas for trainning)
thanks
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classified.
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ask your S1. he'd be more than happy to assist you.
speaking of which, just a question. are you serving right now? and do you want to know because you want to apply, or you just want to KNOW.
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Normally regulars are commando or diver first before they "upgrade" to SOF.
If you join commando, diver, or you sign on. They would ask you to volunteer the program. Take the qualifying physical exam which open one or twice a year. Then you are in for the training. Many people went out of course. Physical demands actually is not very high. Piece of cake for me. Surprisely they really learn a lot of military stuff (which is really alot).
My SGT is in SOF now close to 5 years already. Previously, a fatass now become a tanned hunk. Training training training from diving, medical, jungle survival.... there is so many courses. train until the cow comes home. For physical training, they self-trained themself, very different from BMT style?
Typical day. You will get shock what they do. Report to Jumboo, para down, pack up, mission objective acompolished, go to nearby coffee shop for breakfast, seat there until afternoon, wait for vehicles and go back and book out. Actually they are really having very good life and highly pay. [They are outstanding seen at the coffee shop anyway. LOL ] BUT they know their stuff.
Surprisingly. Nice, funny, talkative guys. My encounter during a course with them was total different from what is pictured in the movies. They psycho me to join them. Like joining a gang??
You need to be fun loving, optimistic, fit, quick hand skill learner, and not too smart to join SOF.
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Originally posted by playsprettyforbaby:
ask your S1. he'd be more than happy to assist you.
speaking of which, just a question. are you serving right now? and do you want to know because you want to apply, or you just want to KNOW.
On the contrary, your S1 would be the last person who'll help you. If they let you go, your S1 will be saddled with getting a replacement i.e. begging around the other units or plucking someone from somewhere. They'd prefer to spend their time drinking in the canteen so you think they'd really go out of their way?There's a number on the SOF application form, you're better off calling that number.
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Originally posted by Obersturmfuhrer:
On the contrary, your S1 would be the last person who'll help you. If they let you go, your S1 will be saddled with getting a replacement i.e. begging around the other units or plucking someone from somewhere.Haha you may actually have a point there Obersturmfuhrer. But application submission is via S1 Branch, meaning S1 has to approve. Hence try to apply during your 2nd year of service. hence not only would your Bn likely to be on lull, but you'd be more conditioned and prepared for whatever they're going to throw at you. I sent some of my guys for the selection. the very best of what i got. unfortunately, none made it through.
Oh and Lokey, regarding your point of '
Normally regulars are commando or diver first before they "upgrade" to SOF.
If you join commando, diver, or you sign on. They would ask you to volunteer the program. Take the qualifying physical exam which open one or twice a year.'
i'm not sure if that is exactly true. I was from an Infantry Bn, and my guys who went through selection had the option of either signing 'mando, diver or sof. How they select beyond 'selection', is unknown to me. You went through it yourself? or are you a bareknuckled warrior? haha. Yeah, and you're right about the very good pay and life thing. I heard that their camp parking lot is evo/wrx/zhng-ed out car heaven.
But the life isn't for everybody.
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The few months before I ORD'd, the SOF sent me letters to sign up for the selection course. They did that with all the Pes A/B NSFs specs before they ORD'd. No big secret or anything, they just asked you to sign up for the 1 week selection.
A friend of mine did, and he was already pretty fit, i.e. could run 2.4KM in under 8 minutes. Small built guy, not muscular or anything. So he went for the preliminary selection for 1 week and then got invited to go for the 2nd 1 month selection phase. He made it all the way through, then got the offer to join. He asked them to pay for his degree at NTU, but SAF would not since he was a spec, so he ended up not joining. But after the 1 month selection phase, he came back even fitter, which I didn't think was possible.
Also, during one of my courses, I had an SOF guy in the same course. We got to be in the same exercise a few times throughout the course, and got to know him a little better. He seemed pretty normal, also not muscular or anything, liked to play PC games and Sega Saturn at that time.He was also like the rest of us, and would tuang when he had the chance. When I did our 50km exercise with him and another guy in our team, he actually got his brother to pick us up and drop us jst before the finish point where we slept for about 2 hours!
He told us about how after you get selected, you attend their trainee platoon for 1 year, which is where you learn all their skills. He also told us some weird stories, like how the camp commander at Hinden Camp would get SOF guys to round up all the stray dogs in camp and kill them with rubber bullets from their MP5s. When I was at HInden Camp, I saw the SOF building also, close to the HOC grounds. They had a Major who would walk his pet bull terrier at 2am in the morning. Kinda weird.
He was a 2SG at that time, and was making good money from the SOF and CDO allowances. I saw him about a year after the course ended during an exercise in Lorong Gambas. He was a LRRP umpire, and by that time was 1SG.
In general, from what I've heard, our SOF guys can stand up against the best of the other SOF groups around the world, like SAS, GIGN, GSG-9, US Delta, etc. I got to see their training program, and they regularly cross train with these groups anyway. Their exercises have pretty cool names, like "Dark Angel", not like "Golden Sand" or something that we usually see.
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thanks for the replys guys. lots of info. But someone said it takes 1 year in a trainning platoon to learn all their skills but it says it takes 4 years to qualify on wiki. ?
And have these guys been deployed? an no not on the aircraft one. anywhare else?
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oh yeh, is the selection really hard? and boomslang, where'd u get the trainning program? can i see?
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what? too many questions?
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Originally posted by M@nvvhore:
thanks for the replys guys. lots of info. But someone said it takes 1 year in a trainning platoon to learn all their skills but it says it takes 4 years to qualify on wiki. ?
And have these guys been deployed? an no not on the aircraft one. anywhare else?
yes they have been deployed b4, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Special_Operations_Force#Operation_Thunderbolt
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better in SWG than in SOF, imo
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Originally posted by Lokey:
Normally regulars are commando or diver first before they "upgrade" to SOF.
really meh... service also can ma. so i heard lol.
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anyway... tada~
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Originally posted by Lokey:
Normally regulars are commando or diver first before they "upgrade" to SOF.
Not true. First, you don't have to be a regular at the time of signing on. Second, applications are not restricted to any units. The guy wearing Oakleys in the photo was not from either CDO or NDU.
Boomslang, as far as I'm aware, the dog thing only happened once. As for how they stack up against their counterparts in other countries, everyone pretty much trains out of the same manual these days, so I wouldn't expect to see too much of a difference.
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Originally posted by Gedanken:
Not true. First, you don't have to be a regular at the time of signing on. Second, applications are not restricted to any units. The guy wearing Oakleys in the photo was not from either CDO or NDU.
Boomslang, as far as I'm aware, the dog thing only happened once. As for how they stack up against their counterparts in other countries, everyone pretty much trains out of the same manual these days, so I wouldn't expect to see too much of a difference.
so it's true. hey Gedanken do you happen to know what's their strength in terms of numbers?
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I have some idea, but I'm not sure what the current party line is about talking about figures.
For what it's worth, the formation's prescribed answer when I was serving was something like "there is a force of between 100-200 regulars who are assigned to take care of jobs like hijackings". That was before the government openly acknowledged SOF's existence.
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Edited.
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"oh yeh, is the selection really hard? and boomslang, where'd u get the trainning program? can i see?"
Hey M@nvvhore, seems you just enlisted in NS, so you'll get a pretty good idea of how fit you are in comparison with the rest of your lot.
So, it you're by far alot fitter than the others, in terms of 2.4km, SOC, etc, then you probably have the foundation. Then, the next most important thing would be good topo skills, since you'll be doing alot of sat photo topo. Then the rest is up to your mental strength, since that's probably the main component to get you through tough training.
In any case, maybe your fascination with SOF will wane once you get cold, wet, and hungry one too many times. But then again, go for it if you're up to it, and you can enjoy riding around in those nice Mercedes SUVs once you're in.
BTW, the training program was SECRET, so it's not public information.
"As for how they stack up against their counterparts in other countries, everyone pretty much trains out of the same manual these days, so I wouldn't expect to see too much of a difference."
I thought this was the case until the whole Mumbai terrorist attack thing. The Indian CT troopers looked so unprofessional and some overweight. They were even falling down after fast roping from the helo. Jeez...
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I think that pics should be taken down, i know its quite old but its compromising his personal security. Or at least black out his face. The logo on his polo shirt says it all.
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it's on wiki. and why did you think i posted that particular image here?
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well yeah, but i dont think it needs extra attention. anyway is not up to me to decide
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This might be a little off topic but with what happened with the SEALS in the Gulf of Aden recently, there's alot of hoo-haa over spec warfare troopers in the media now. They must have used a Barrett B82A1 to get the guy behind the window.
I wonder if our SOF guys will have to start sniper training in rocky seas now. We have lots of pirates in the Straits of Malacca, and not the Jack Sparrow type too.
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If the images are on public domain, and since the chaps are doing that as part of a public exhibition it is fair to say that those images are alright.
As far as other things go, do remember to keep PERSEC and OPSEC in mind.
Thanks.