How much does a special forces soldier outclass the average soldier?
An average Western army soldier isn't very fit. He's also not the most educated or the brightest.
For every soldier deployed into a combat zone, there are around ten to fifteen pencil pushers and logistics and support guys, who stay home.
These guys are relatively well-skilled and they are doing an important job (without them, nothing would move), but there are worlds between them and an SF (Special Forces) operative.
Not members of a Special Forces outfit, but still excellent and highly motivated soldiers: Airborne infantry soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division in Southern Afghanistan. (Photo: US defense story)
Especially in these categories, SF soldiers are far ahead of their average comrades:
IQ level. Special Forces have a higher average IQ than any other part of the Army.
Physical fitness. This should be a no-brainer. The SF selection process is extremely physically demanding. Besides a few hobby athletes, nobody in a regular unit will have the fitness level of an SF soldier.
Motivation. There aren't many Special Forces soldiers who joined the army because they failed in civilian life and couldn’t get a job. Unlike in the rest of the army (with a few exceptions I’ll come to later), these SF guys felt an “itch” from their early youth to do something exceptional. For them, becoming an SF operator means a dream that has come true. They join a Special Forces outfit because they want to serve with the absolute elite and they also want to see some serious action.
Experience. SF soldiers usually serve longer than the average service member which means they train more and longer and have also more practical experience.
This is quite clear and I don't think that anyone expected it to be different. However, when it comes to the average combat soldier (or Marine), things look very different.
The average US Army infantry soldier or paratrooper isn't far behind a Special Forces operator. I met US soldiers in Kosovo who could have easily been accepted into an SF outfit if they had wanted that and had applied for it.
These guys know their stuff, are highly motivated, and ready to fight. The difference between them and the SF guys has less to do with the skill level than with the different missions they have to accomplish.
A soldier from the 82nd Airborne, for example, won't know as much about guerrilla warfare as a “Green Beret” and he probably doesn't speak a foreign language. However, when it comes to combat skills, these two are almost equal.
Special Operations Forces are often a bit overrated in the public. The truth is, they put their pants on one leg at a time, just like everyone else.