Defining Special Forces/Commandos

[S.P]

This may sound like a stupid question but how exactly do you define special forces?
(No answer stating "Only the US army has SPECIAL FORCES (A.K.A Green Berets) the rest are SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES"-I ****** know that)
For example, Naval EOD divers have a special mission, they receive special training yet they aren't called commandos or special forces-I do not believe they should either since they are mainly non-combat troops (forget about USN EOD for a minute).
How do you define a unit to be special? To be elite? (this is easier since the elite are the best so you can have some poorly trained men elite in an even worse trained regular military).
Should we judge them on their roles? Does an SDV team driver have an easier task than say long range recon unit member? Neither are considered commandos....

Please contribute rational and beneficial answers.
Thank you.
*I'd appreciate a non-US viewpoint is given also since the DoD explains the US definition of special operations forces quite clearly.

[HollywoodMarine]

Being a "Leg" (Grunt), I noticed that "Hankey Poppers" (Special Operations) get more of... time training, school seats, pay & bonuses, budgets, higher PFT and ASVAB scores, and deploy more often. Although we have the same mission... kill our enemies.

[marleynrs8]

Hollywood Marine, I was just wondering something, and if you could answer that'd be great. What is it that SOF does, that "leg" Infantry, particularly Marine MEU SOC's, can't do? Now, obviously, with Army Special Forces, they do things a lot different than you guys(unconventional warfare and the whole spectrum of mission taskings that come with that), same with MARSOC, or specialized jobs like Navy Divers or Air Force Pararescue. Obviously, like you said, they get more funding and training. But, if you've got an infantry company or platoon that's really got their s*** together, who's to say they can't do raids, recon, etc., just as well if not better than some SOF. And really, for groups like Rangers or SEALs, they're pretty much just doing raids on HVTs.

But at what point is it that someone steps in and says, oh, you legs can't do this (insert some high speed mission), we're bringing in the Rangers? Where is that boundary between who does what?

[HollywoodMarine]

Speaking for the Marine Corps side of the house... MiTT, ANGLICO, Recon, MARSOC provide support for the Line units who undertake the brunt of the heavier/bigger fighting. However the majority of Line units have younger, less experienced Marines who would more then likely EAS (End of Active Service) out after their 4-6 year contract is up. Special Operations tend to have "Lifers" (those who re-enlist) who are much older, with a lot more time-in-service, know how, knowledge how to operate, experience in the Fleet and field, etc. Younger Fleet Marines are good to go warfighters. Although the older guys are warfighters/problem solvers with far more ingenuity to do more with less and get more BANG for the buck$.

Oh and another thing... younger Marines tend to be more agressive, which works for engaging the enemy. Not so much for winning hearts and minds. Kinda see the difference?

[rkpo]

I've always thought its men trained (and used) to operate within enemy territory on the periphery and beyond of the support of parent service supply, to achieve strategic goals. Compared to giving a unit better training because they are better unit, but then use them conventionally and I use the term conventional to mean working with and access to non-strategic support. What I consider to be special operations needs strategic type support like submarines, airpower, friendly foreign forces etc. The domestic anti-terrorism side might seem to go against this but domestic application does not mean they are limited to domestic application and might just be the best unit available for the job.

[James]

SOF are units dedicated to undertaking Special Operations missions. Prior to World War Two special operations were usually undertaken by conventional forces who had undergone dedicated training to accomplish an objective. Once that mission was completed, the individual soldiers were often returned to their parent units. WWII saw the birth of dedicated, permanent, SOF; British Commandos, the SAS, SBS, and LRDG; U.S. Army Rangers, USMC Raiders, OSS Operational Groups and multi-national Allied Jedburgh teams, and German Brandenburgers. These units were more or less permanent and were meant to undertake missions/operations as the need arose.

[Lethal Lou]

Broadly speaking - and that seems to be what you're after here - special ops missions tend to fall into one of two catagories. Either "smash and grab" (raids/rescues) or "snoop & poop."

Long RangeRecon/surveillence requires special training/equipment. The physical ability/temperment of the operators limits your manpower pool. The distinction for this type of special ops from line units would also be depth of penetration beyond the leading edge of the battle (in the traditonal sense).

Door kickers require less specialized equipment than the above but extensive teamwork drill/self-discipline. Their weapons/comms will be more similar to line doggies than the LRRPs/snipers above. Emphasis on physical readiness will favor younger troops and high preparedness levels will lead to more training injuries and consequent turnover. These guys will often have unconventional delivery systems to accentuate shock value. Short version to describe the difference between these guys and regular troops might be to say they are the pointy end of the stick.

Ultimate goal of all special ops troops is to leverage a specific skill set/equipage to gain asymetric advantage in discrete tactical environment that has potential for strategic "game changing" results.

[marleynrs8]

Speaking for the Marine Corps side of the house... MiTT, ANGLICO, Recon, MARSOC provide support for the Line units who undertake the brunt of the heavier/bigger fighting. However the majority of Line units have younger, less experienced Marines who would more then likely EAS (End of Active Service) out after their 4-6 year contract is up. Special Operations tend to have "Lifers" (those who re-enlist) who are much older, with a lot more time-in-service, know how, knowledge how to operate, experience in the Fleet and field, etc. Younger Fleet Marines are good to go warfighters. Although the older guys are warfighters/problem solvers with far more ingenuity to do more with less and get more BANG for the buck$.

Oh and another thing... younger Marines tend to be more agressive, which works for engaging the enemy. Not so much for winning hearts and minds. Kinda see the difference?

Hey thanks, I do see the difference. That's why, with all the humanitarian stuff, civil affairs, and stuff Special Forces may do, line Marines might not do as well. The whole idea of Marine Infantry is to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire and manuever, something that doesn't always happen as we would like in Iraq and Afghanistan, due to the assymetric warfare. This is more what I mean, though. In the current conflicts, the line between "special operations" and "conventional operations" is becoming blurred. So, in these current conflicts, what is it that commandos are doing(when I say commandos, I am not referring to Army SF or MARSOC, because they're unique in the way they operate, especially as it is often with locals, a unique skill set. I'm referring more to your direct action Royal Marine, Ranger, SEAL types.) that "line" units are incapable or unwilling to do?

Obviously, special recon is one of those things that require older, mature operators, but I'm talking strictly about bringing the fight to the enemy. I would like to think, hypothetically, the difference is that those commando units are more suitable for missions where support is limited, where line Marine or Soldiers would need more extensive support assets. Am I correct? Also, what is MiTT?

[Zoomie]

Special Forces are just that - Special Forces with dedicated mission/skill set, that's not covered by the 'normal' troops. Now, I can give the USAF perspective on it all, as our special forces are TAC-Ps, Combat Controllers, Combat Weathermen, and PJs. All are unique and have their own area they specialize in. The commandos typically specialize in covert and 'surgical' warfare, such as the AC-130 gunship and what not.