In this article, we look at the 5 countries with the best military special forces in the world. You can read about elements that combine to build the most formidable units a country can boast of by heading over to the 11 Countries with the Best Military Special Forces in the World, where we have also shed light on some of the top weapons used by the American Special Forces that help them in dominating the battlefield.
5. National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN)
Country: France
Score: 2.25
We begin our list with France’s National Gendarmerie Intervention Group, or GIGN – one of the best counter-terrorism special forces in the world. It is also tasked with the protection of French VIPs and important national sites. The GIGN specializes in hostage situations, and has freed up to 600 hostages since its formation in 1973 according to The Independent.
4. Sayeret Matkal
Country: Israel
Score: 2.63
Next up on our list of the countries with the best military special forces in the world is Israel, whose Sayeret Matkal is considered to be among the most elite special forces units going around. Applicants who wish to join the Israeli special forces go through rigorous training, and only the best make it through. The group’s primary responsibility is intelligence gathering and it often operates deep inside enemy lines. Another prominent special forces group in Israel is Shayetet 13, which is a division of the country’s navy and oversees surface and subsurface combat as well as raids. Despite being in operation since 1948, it was not known to the public until the 1960s.
3. Alpha Group
Country: Russia
Score: 3.38
Russia’s Alpha Group is one of the best elite military units in the world that specializes in counter-terrorism. Founded in 1974 by the KGB, it currently operates under the FSB. Another world-class special forces unit in the country is Spetsnaz GRU, which works under Russia’s foreign military intelligence agency, GRU. Russian special forces have been noted for undertaking several missions on foreign soil, including in Czechoslovakia, Syria, Georgia, and Ukraine.
2. Special Air Service (SAS)
Country: United Kingdom
Score: 4.63
The United Kingdom boasts one of the top special forces military units in the world – the British Special Air Service (SAS) which had a vital role to play in the war in Iraq. An American general, Stanley McChrystal, has stated that the US could not have achieved what it set out for in Iraq without the assistance of SAS. Another prominent special forces unit in the country is Special Boat Service, which is the equivalent of the US Navy SEALs. Its selection process is highly enduring and involves rigorous tests like combat survival training, intense interrogation, and jungle training.
1. Tier-1 Special Mission Units
Country: United States
Score: 6.00
The United States has the best military special forces in the world. The country has several secretive special-ops units to which it gives its most critical operations. According to a report, there are over 70,000 troops that are part of special operation forces in the United States. The four tier-1 special mission units of the US are The Army’s Delta force, which are responsible for a range of missions including counter-terrorism, eliminating high-value targets, hostage rescue, raids, sabotage, and special reconnaissance; The Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU or Seal Team 6), that performs similar activities as the Delta Force but on the naval side; The Air Force’s 24th Special Tactics Squadron, which is composed of pararescue-men, combat controllers, special operations weather technicians, and tactical commandos. Last but not the least is the Army’s Intelligence Support Activity, that recruits from across services and tasks them with collecting information about decisions of policymakers. Most of the activities of this unit are classified.
The US Navy SEALs (other teams) and S Green Berets are other prominent special military forces groups in the United States.
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