Special Forces Officer Initial Training Requirements

Abstract

What should institutional training teach to adequately prepare newly selected captains for service in Special Forces? This thesis looks holistically at what Special Forces officers need to know before arriving to a Special Forces group and makes recommendations on where the current training pipeline can improve. The data for this research was provided by a summer 2020 survey from the Special Warfare Center and School that surveyed 122 leaders from across the five active duty groups and contained six questions that identify the skills Special Forces officers need to be successful at operational groups and solicit critiques of the current training pipeline. This research project accomplished two things. First, it developed a model for what a Special Forces officer needs to know before arriving at an operational group. Second, it identifies four subjects to add into or improve during the current training pipeline. These research results can improve or validate the Special Forces Regiments current process for training officers and inform future research on the topic of Special Forces officer training and officer professional development.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2020
Accession Number
AD1126833

Entities

People

  • David Coleman

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Army Training
  • California
  • Civil Affairs
  • Department Of Defense
  • Doctrine
  • Education
  • Human Resources
  • Information Operations
  • Military Education
  • Military Science
  • Military Training
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Professional Development
  • Psychological Operations
  • Special Forces
  • Special Operations Forces
  • Tactical Air Support
  • Training
  • Training Management
  • United States Special Operations Command
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Instructional Design and Training Evaluation.
  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.