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The US Army Special Forces Qualification Course, the “Q Course” for short, is the training program or training pipeline that all candidates must endure to become a fully qualified Special Forces Soldier and earn the famous & coveted Green Beret.
Let’s talk about Phases and Timeline with an emphasis on
• Physical Fitness Standards
• Suck Factor
• Sleep & Food Deprivation
• Overall Impressions.
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MILITARY PREPARATION – Arrive Prepared for Military and Special Operations Training https://specialoperationsuniversity.com/courses/train-up/
FITNESS - so you can Dominate your Day
https://lifeisaspecialoperation.com/fitness-programs/
Thanks for watching,
Christopher Littlestone
Life is a Special Operation
Are You Ready For It?
Our Website / Learn More
https://lifeisaspecialoperation.com/
Special Thanks To:
Tech. Sgt. Jerry Morrison
Tech. Sgt. Jerry Morrison
SGT Kent Redmond
SPC Steven Young
MSG Kevin J. Gruenwald
SGT Steven Lewis
Joe Ernst
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Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/al-waited
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The US Army Special Forces Qualification Course, the “Q Course” for short, is the training program or training pipeline that all candidates must endure to become a fully qualified Special Forces Soldier and earn the famous & coveted Green Beret.
Let’s talk about Phases and Timeline with an emphasis on
• Physical Fitness Standards
• Suck Factor
• Sleep & Food Deprivation
• Overall Impressions.
Be the Hero in the Story of Your Life!
We teach the tools and strategies of the military and elite special operations community to civilians, businesses, and high-net-worth-families.
SECURITY - Keep Your Family or Small Business Safe
https://specialoperationsuniversity.com/security/
LEADERSHIP - Become the Leader Everyone Loves (Free Course)
https://specialoperationsuniversity.com/courses/military-leadership/
PLANNING - Plan Like Your Life Depends on It (Free Course)
https://specialoperationsuniversity.com/courses/military-planning/
MINDSET – Develop a Champion’s Mindset
https://specialoperationsuniversity.com/courses/special-operations-mindset/
MILITARY PREPARATION – Arrive Prepared for Military and Special Operations Training https://specialoperationsuniversity.com/courses/train-up/
FITNESS - so you can Dominate your Day
https://lifeisaspecialoperation.com/fitness-programs/
Thanks for watching,
Christopher Littlestone
Life is a Special Operation
Are You Ready For It?
Our Website / Learn More
https://lifeisaspecialoperation.com/
Special Thanks To:
Tech. Sgt. Jerry Morrison
Tech. Sgt. Jerry Morrison
SGT Kent Redmond
SPC Steven Young
MSG Kevin J. Gruenwald
SGT Steven Lewis
Joe Ernst
Music:
Waited (instrumental) by RYYZN https://soundcloud.com/ryyzn
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/al-waited
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/jJg0_gG-nCc
Mechanolith by Kevin MacLeod http://incompetech.com
Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/mechanolith
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/7vIG3tHJLz8
Truth of the Legend by Kevin MacLeod http://incompetech.com
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stre
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SportsTranscript
00:01Let's take a look at the U.S. Army Special Forces Qualification Course and discuss how hard it is and
00:08what to expect.
00:17The U.S. Army Special Forces Qualification Course, or the Q Course for short, is the training program or training
00:25pipeline that all candidates must endure to become a fully qualified Special Forces soldier and earn the famous and coveted
00:34Green Beret.
00:34Let's talk about phases and timeline with an emphasis on physical fitness standards, the suck factor, sleep and food deprivation,
00:44and my overall impressions.
00:45The Q Course consists of Special Forces Selection and Assessment, followed by six phases of training.
00:52The SF Orientation Course, the MOS Phase and SEER, Basic Airborne Refresher, Tactical Skills, Robin Sage, and Language Training.
01:02And some graduates go to advanced skills training before going to a Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha, or an A
01:10-Team.
01:11Although the names and phase numbers are changed every few years, the overall training pipeline remains relatively consistent.
01:18I even called the Special Operations Recruiting Battalion to confirm that these phases are the current practice.
01:25Let's look at these phases in greater detail, starting with SFAS.
01:30Special Forces Assessment and Selection, or Selection for short, is a 24-day test to ensure that you're a good
01:37investment.
01:38They want to know that you're strong enough and fast enough to meet the minimum fitness standards.
01:43They want to know that you aren't going to quit when the going gets tough.
01:48They want to know that you work and play well in a team, and are committed to giving 100%
01:53all of the time.
01:54The Q Course is mostly at Camp McCall, a small Special Forces training facility 45 minutes outside of Fort Bragg,
02:02North Carolina.
02:03Physical Fitness Standards
02:04The Cadre don't announce what the physical standards are at Selection, they just encourage you to give 100%.
02:11When I arrived, I could do 18 pull-ups, 82 perfect sit-ups in 2 minutes, 82 perfect push-ups
02:18in 2 minutes, run a 630 mile, and ruck all day long.
02:23Compared to my peers, I felt like my overall physical fitness level was about average.
02:28So let's say these should be the minimum physical standards.
02:32Rucks are weighed and they must be 45 pounds before any event.
02:36You also do ruck marches and land-nav courses for 8 hours straight or more.
02:41So get your feet and your shoulders used to wearing a ruck.
02:44Don't even think about showing up unprepared.
02:48As far as the suck factor goes, I don't want to give away too much about the Q Course.
02:53I believe that part of the training is enduring the emotional stress of not knowing what to expect and not
02:59knowing what is next.
03:00But I will say that there's a high suck factor at Selection.
03:04They don't yell at you, unless you absolutely deserve it.
03:08They don't give you stupid harassment, again, unless you deserve it.
03:12They just leave you alone.
03:13And this plays with your mind.
03:15For example, you might get a message to have your 45 pound rucksack ready for a ruck march at 3
03:21a.m.
03:22Then they give you a safety brief and they tell you to do the best that you can.
03:27You follow the cones and the signs, but you don't know if you're going to go 5 miles or 15.
03:32So you've got to give your best.
03:34You can't hold back.
03:37Sleep deprivation and food.
03:38I remember eating quickly and quietly, but enough during Selection.
03:43And of course we ate a lot of MREs.
03:45The goal isn't to starve you.
03:48The goal of Selection is to see how committed you are.
03:51You will have some sleep deprivation.
03:53The cadre absolutely controls when you sleep and when you don't.
03:58Sometimes we would do some hard training or land navigation all night.
04:03Only take a 15 minute break before heading out to do some log PT.
04:07I was continuously exhausted, but for the most part, I didn't constantly walk around in a sleep deprived drunken stupor
04:16like I did at ranger school.
04:18My overall impression is that Selection is a great test of your commitment.
04:22One of the biggest benefits of Selection is that it gets rid of the trash talkers and the mentally weak.
04:28This might sound harsh to say, but it's true.
04:31You wouldn't want to have them on your special forces team.
04:34My bunk mate, for example, talked a big game, but he was all talk.
04:38I returned from a ruck event one morning to find that he had packed up all of his stuff and
04:43left.
04:44Another guy quit, but he left a message that his unit called him back and that he had to leave
04:49Selection immediately.
04:50I mean, this is absurd.
04:52The Q course is hard.
04:54There's no shame in admitting that it's just not for you.
04:56But there is, however, no reason to lie about why you quit.
05:00And yet, most of the knuckleheads who quit Selection always have an amazing excuse.
05:06I want to remind everyone that Selection is the easiest phase of the Q course.
05:11All you have to do is land navigate, ruck, run, climb obstacle courses, and endure some strenuous physical challenges.
05:19You simply do what you're told and you put out.
05:22You give 100% and then some.
05:25Once you're selected, you begin the Q course, starting with Phase 1 Special Forces Orientation.
05:31This is a week of in-processing.
05:34Expect to receive some courses, ensure your paperwork straight, and get prepared for your MOS and SEER training.
05:40I highly recommend showing up to the Q course in amazing shape.
05:46Phase 2 is the 13-week MOS training in SEER school.
05:50Let's start with MOS, or Military Occupational Specialty.
05:54The MOS phase is where medics learn anatomy and medical trauma.
05:59Engineers learn how to build and blow stuff up.
06:02Weapons Sergeants learn how to employ every weapon you can dream of.
06:06And commo guys learn how to communicate with sophisticated computers and radio devices.
06:12Officers learn how to plan.
06:14Physical fitness standards.
06:15While in garrison, you will have hard physical training, or combatives training, every single morning before breakfast.
06:23When you're in the field, you do your mission.
06:25This is the first phase where sometimes you get your weekends free.
06:29The first few weekends, all I did was sleep and eat.
06:32After I normalized, I was able to have a more consistent schedule and enjoy some free time in the evenings
06:39and on the weekend.
06:40The suck factor depends on what you're learning.
06:43If you're in the field, you're patrolling.
06:45Security is still rule number one.
06:47But in garrison, it's up to you.
06:49If you get uppity with one of your instructors, he's going to wreck you.
06:53If you do something wrong, you're going to get kicked out or you're going to get smoked.
06:57Now is not the time to let your guard down.
07:00My overall impression of this MOS phase is that it's amazing training.
07:05I was so impressed with the caliber of my training and everything that they taught us.
07:09This is absolutely where you learn to be special.
07:13The next step is SEER.
07:15Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Training.
07:18It's also taught out at Camp McCall.
07:20I've already made a video which specifically details this course.
07:23But to summarize it, this is where you learn how to survive off the land.
07:28How to evade capture by the enemy.
07:31How to resist the enemy if you're ever captured.
07:35And ways to escape captivity.
07:38Because of the delicate and secret nature of this training, I always like to be ambiguous about the specifics of
07:45SEER School.
07:45But I will say that it's some of the best training I ever had.
07:49As far as physical fitness, you don't get a lot of equipment.
07:53So don't worry, you don't have to carry a lot of weight.
07:56As far as harassment, the SEER cadre are amazingly professional.
08:01It was a pleasure to learn from such competent experts.
08:04Expect to get smoked only if you deserve it.
08:07And finally, let's move on to food and sleep.
08:10In Garrison at SEER School, I think we averaged about 6 hours of sleep.
08:14But in the field, it depended on your tactical situation.
08:18Sometimes none.
08:19As far as food goes, you get to eat plenty in Garrison.
08:22But when you're on your field training exercise, you get to eat as much as you can find in the
08:27forest.
08:28Let's move on to phase 3.
08:30Prep and Basic Airborne Refresher or BAR.
08:35This is a 1 week training phase to ensure that everyone is ready for small unit tactical training and actively
08:42on jump status.
08:47Let's move on to what I consider the hardest phase of the Q course.
08:51Phase 4, Tactical Skills.
08:54Tactical Skills is 6 weeks of mastering how to patrol as a squad and platoon.
08:59Because SF guys will likely teach some variation of small unit tactics to allies and partners all around the world,
09:07it is essential that you master basic infantry tactics like the defense, raid, and ambush.
09:14Here is where you will learn that security is always rule number one.
09:19Here is where you do advanced combatives training.
09:22Here is where you learn tactics and urban combat.
09:24The physical standards of small unit tactics are much higher than selection.
09:29The rucks are heavier.
09:31You don't just carry them for an 8 hour land nav course.
09:34You carry them all day, for several days, during a patrolling mission.
09:38While the cadre during small unit tactics phase are there to train you, they will smoke you and ruin your
09:44day if you do something stupid or negligent.
09:47So for this reason, the suck factor is way higher for SUT than selection.
09:52And then you have all of the environmental factors that are associated with combat patrols.
09:57You don't set up your patrol base in a beautiful campsite with an amazing view of the Appalachian Mountains.
10:03You sleep in the swamp because your enemy is not going to go there.
10:06You are constantly wet and dirty.
10:08I specifically remember the first time I got my feet wet while crossing a stream at selection.
10:14To be honest, I was hesitant.
10:17I didn't want to make that first step and I didn't like it when I did.
10:21Six months later, I didn't even slow down before crossing a stream or swimming across a nasty swamp.
10:27I wore the same clothes for a week.
10:29Wet or dry, winter or summer, it didn't matter.
10:34You toughen up or you quit.
10:36Let's move on to sleep and food deprivation.
10:39In Garrison, you get sufficient sleep and plenty of food.
10:43But in the field, food and sleep were all on you.
10:46If you slept too much at the patrol base, then you get killed or you miss your target.
10:51This gets you kicked out of the Q course.
10:53But if you pack too much and your ruck is too heavy, then you're miserable.
10:58But at least during this phase of training, you have the freedom to pack the appropriate amount of food
11:03and to get the amount of sleep that you can squeeze in while maintaining your tactical security.
11:08My overall assessment of this phase is that it separates the sheep from the wolves.
11:13Someone physically fit might be able to endure selection.
11:16But unless you're committed to becoming a warrior, you will never endure tactical training, hand-to-hand combat training, and
11:23patrolling.
11:23Phase five is Robin Sage.
11:26It's currently a four-week long unconventional training event.
11:30After being broken into teams of 15, you do a couple weeks of training at Camp McCall,
11:35and then you infiltrate the mountains and farmlands of North Carolina for a two-week long field training exercise.
11:42My Robin Sage team was amazing.
11:45There was one other officer on the team.
11:47Brian was his name.
11:48He was such a great officer.
11:50We took turns being in charge, and I must say it was some of the best training I ever did.
11:55Physical fitness standards at Robin Sage are high.
11:58The rucks are very heavy.
12:00They're not heavy to be stupid.
12:01They're heavy because you have to carry everything you're going to need for two weeks of war on your backpack.
12:07Like all patrols, you need to keep security as number one.
12:11So sometimes this means that you don't get to sleep as much as you want, and for sure you have
12:16to ration your food.
12:17But on the other hand, there are also times when you get to really enjoy the fruits of your labor
12:22and your success.
12:23My overall assessment is that Robin Sage team training is where it all comes together.
12:28This is where you get to integrate medics, weapons specialists, engineers, commo specialists, and officers into an incredibly lethal and
12:37effective team in a very realistic wartime training scenario.
12:42Phase six is language training.
12:44Depending on if you speak a language or not, you will have to go to language school at Fort Bragg.
12:49Language school is 24 weeks.
12:51While you're in language school, you will have morning PT every day.
12:56But otherwise, your primary mission is to learn.
12:59There's almost no harassment and stupidity unless you bring it upon yourself.
13:03So as long as you're learning and past the school, this is a very nice perk of being in special
13:08forces.
13:09Although it's not called phase seven, many trainees will go directly into advanced skills schools.
13:15These include advanced urban combat schools.
13:21Halo training.
13:24Dive school.
13:27Mountaineer training.
13:29At the end of all this training, you will graduate.
13:32Be allowed to wear the special forces tab on your uniform, authorized to wear a green beret, and then you'll
13:38head out and join your A-team.
13:40Everything you've done until then was just to get your foot in the door of a team room.
13:44Now is when the real training begins.
13:47Okay, there you have it.
13:49An executive summary of what to expect during the special forces qualification course.
13:54I hope you learned something new and are more prepared to begin the process of becoming a special forces soldier.
14:01Thanks for watching.
14:02Don't forget to subscribe if you want to keep learning and to forward this to a friend who needs to
14:07see this.
14:08Life is a special operation.
14:11Are you ready for it?
14:12Five.
14:16Three.
14:18Two.
14:19Two.
14:20Two.
14:22Two.
14:42You
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