Who's tougher Navy Seals or Marines?

[Arkitech]

I've always wondered what kind of training do these guys receive and what that they do.

So who do you think is tougher Navy Seals or Marines? (that is if they have specially trained units)

Are there still forces called the Green Beret, also what other special forces are in the United States military?

 

[JohnnyKnoxville]

Well if I told you,I would have to...

 

[dafatha00]

i'd say the marines are more hard core. the navy seals are still hella tough though...but i have no idea, basing this only on what i've heard

 

[dc]

all the special/elite forces like seals, berets, rangers, delta force are cream of the crop. much more strenuous training than the normal corps.

 

[RossGr]

I think the SEALS are like Marines, only with brains.

 

[warlord]

Marine Corps special forces are called Force Recon.

I would have to say that the Navy SEALS are probably the badest of the bad, but then again, the vast majority of the things special forces do you will never hear about.

 

[damocles]

chat hmm Seals have those big mean pointy tusks, i reckon they would be pretty tough

 

[glenn1]

It all depends on what facet of the job you're speaking of. Comparing Marine Force Recon to the SEALS is tough, but i'll give it a shot.

In the Selection process, where the hundreds of applicants are tested and eliminated until they get the handful they need, nothing really compares to the SEALS selection and training program (the acronym is BUDS, i forget what it stands for), that's where the expression "Hell Week" originated. Hell Week ain't no joke either, think of a 6-day period where you get perhaps 5 hours of sleep the entire time, and are constantly on the move, in the water, or hauling around a Zodiac landing boat.

However, once you get into the unit, my judgement is that the Force Recon guys have the harder task. No matter what the branch of service, Army, Navy, Marines, etc. LRSD (Long Range Surveillance Detatchment) teams have the hardest job in all the military. SEALS have a bit of glamour thing going on (not uncommon with elite units) and get some of the more high-profile and cream puff missions, while the Force Recon guys i've met still think of themselves as just knuckle-draggers, gun bunnies, ya know, regular Marine types, and just keep on doing SR missions (Special Reconnaisance), which is one of the toughest, although most common, type of Special Operations mission.



<< Are there still forces called the Green Beret? >>



Yep, although the official terminology is &quot;US Army Special Forces.&quot; The green beret is the headgear we wear (well, past tense in my case), although some folks use it as a term to describe the soldier himself.



<< what other special forces are in the United States military? >>



Well, true &quot;special forces&quot; in the military would be defined as those which require selection to be a member of (as opposed to the so-called 'elite forces' such as the 82nd Airborne, 101st Air Assault, etc., which are regular line units, open to all, but with specialized missions). Some examples would be:

US Army Special Forces (the 'green berets')
US Army Rangers (75th Ranger Regiment)
US Army Special Operations Air Regiment (160th SOAR)
US Navy SEALS
USMC Marine Force Recon
USAF Special Operations Command units
More that i can't think of from the top of my head

Also, on an individual level, there are quite a few folks holding specialized duties, who while technically not &quot;Special Operations qualified&quot;, might as well be. These folks go out and do very challenging and dangerous jobs, and often have riskier missions than most 'true' Special Operations soldiers. Combat contollers would be a prime example.

 

[GasX]

My friend, a former Recon Marine, told me that all of the special forces create equally badass units. What separates them are the specific missions and the toys they get to play with. SEALs, for example, get some really cool stuff like ultra fast boats, etc...

The short of it, if you bump into anyone of these guys, say you are sorry and walk away

 

[Arkitech]

what kind of hand to hand combat are these guys taught?

one of the reasons I never try to get into scuffles in the street is because you never really know who you're dealing with. imagine gettin into a fight with an ex-navy seal veteran, he could probably take you out with telepathy lol

 

[glen]

G. Gordon Liddy says the SEALS are the badest.

 

[warcleric]

SEALS seem to go through the most diverse training though....most seals have gone through nearly every school that every branch offers. During Ranger school &quot;hell week&quot; the SEALS we had going through with us would intentionally sndpaper their boots and screw up their uniforms so that the Ranger instructor would make them do extra. Bear in mind this is not your football coach making you run a couple laps because you screw up....this is 7 days of total muscle failure from 3AM to 11PM doing everything from 30 mile runs in full combat gear <65lb pack on your back> to carrying you entire wall locker outside and having it inspection ready in the middle of the night. SEALS are to be respected, and as much as I respect the 18 series guys and my fellow Ranger brethren....I have to say that, short of Delta Force, the SEALS are the baddest military units we have.

 

[PCResources]

<< what kind of hand to hand combat are these guys taught? >>



Mortal combat, no style really, just the fastest way to eliminate your enemy...

Patrick

 

[perry]

<< My friend, a former Recon Marine >>



I've learned this one the hard way talking to Marines.. Once a Marine, always a Marine. They never refer to themselves as &quot;former&quot;.

There is a good book by Douglas Waller, a Newsweek reporter, that talks about all the US Special Ops forces. Called &quot;The Commandos&quot;. I've read it three times, interesting stuff. He talks about the Green Berets, the Delta Force, SEALs, and the Air Force's Special Ops helicopters (land blind on dime within a second 500 miles away).

 

[glenn1]

<< what kind of hand to hand combat are these guys taught? >>



The SEALS have a course called SCARS (Special Combat Aggressive Reaction System). Very painful course... essentially, the training is two weeks of literally beating the crap out of each other. Even if you get hurt during the training, you continue it full-speed (which leads to the spectacle of everyone telling their opponent by the end of the course, 'okay, avoid my knees, left ribs, right shoulder, and both wrists are gimpy').

We used to give guys getting back from the training an automatic light duty or no-duty week after graduating, in order to help them get over all their boo-boos.

 

[glenn1]

<< as much as I respect the 18 series guys and my fellow Ranger brethren....I have to say that, short of Delta Force, the SEALS are the baddest military units we have. >>



Warcleric, having worked with your fine unit before, i'd say you have my respect too - any unit which writes a mission plan that defines &quot;70 percent or less friendly casualties&quot; as a mission success parameter has my respect i suppose :Q

 

[warcleric]

Glenn: hehe, we didnt quite meet our mission goals during that little fiasco to save the pilots ass in mogadishu though

 

[joeyd]

i dunno anything bout the units but i do know anyone who does it or did it has my respect. And please don't hurt me

 

[tigerwannabe]

i agree that the U.S produces some very tough soliders in the elite units(Navy SEALS, Rangers, etc). i've known a couple marines &amp; one of my best friends is a SEAL. very impressive fellow--he put me thru some basic BUD/S training one weekend...whew! perry got it right--there's no &quot;former&quot; for Marines or SEALS

 

[glenn1]

<< Glenn: hehe, we didnt quite meet our mission goals during that little fiasco to save the pilots ass in mogadishu though >>



Our guys have made their share of mistakes too, but evidently we're better at avoiding the CNN camera crews... better extraction planning i guess

 

[Scabilian]

I have a friend that went in as a Ranger. I got an email from him like a year ago and he said he was loving it. He said it was tough shizz though..

 

[warcleric]

Glenn: Oh, CNN cameramen are considered enemy targets in the mission statement

 

[Passions]

Have you heard of Russian SPETZNAZ, I heard they are really crazy. Their training is really questionable in the things they do. Hehe.

 

[Arkitech]

I think the scariest kind of soldiers are kamikazies

 

[Buddhist]

I knew a SEAl who dropped four marines when they tried to force him to move from his seat at a bar...he ended up with a broken arm, but all four marines were down on the ground.

&quot;SPETZNAZ&quot;

Yeah these guys are supposed to be the SEAls equivalent. I heard they are super commandos like Rambo .

There was a riot once and they dropped a team of these guys and within a few hours the riot completely disappated as the leaders of the thing were killed or something another.
(Not sure, but heard of this crazy story from russian friend)
-M.T.O