My LER

Special Forces

Implement unconventional operations by air, land, or sea during combat or peacetime as members of elite teams. These activities include offensive raids, demolitions, reconnaissance, search and rescue, and counterterrorism. In addition to their combat training, special forces members often have specialized training in swimming, diving, parachuting, survival, emergency medicine, and foreign languages. Duties include conducting advanced reconnaissance operations and collecting intelligence information; recruiting, training, and equipping friendly forces; conducting raids and invasions on enemy territories; laying and detonating explosives for demolition targets; locating, identifying, defusing, and disposing of ordnance; and operating and maintaining sophisticated communications equipment.

SOC: 55-3018.00

What You'll Need to Succeed

AI-generated

Key competencies for this occupation at a glance

  • KnowledgeDesign counterterrorism and search-and-rescue operational plans integrating multi-domain capabilities and indigenous force coordination.
  • KnowledgeFormulate training programs for partner nation forces recruiting, advising, and equipping allied personnel to conduct counterinsurgency operations.
  • MindsetModel discipline, resilience, and ethical conduct under extreme duress leading small elite teams in high-risk unconventional warfare scenarios.
  • Hands-onAdapt demolition techniques and explosive placement strategies responding to dynamic target sets and environmental constraints in enemy territories.
  • KnowledgeAnalyze intelligence information and tactical reconnaissance data in hostile or denied territories to inform mission planning and command decisions.
  • Hands-onExecute precisely offensive raids and direct action operations across air, land, and sea environments under high-stress combat conditions.
  • KnowledgeAssess operational environments and threat profiles during unconventional warfare missions to adapt tactics and mitigate risks.
  • Hands-onDemonstrate mastery advanced parachuting, diving, and infiltration techniques executing clandestine insertions into denied areas independently.
  • Hands-onPerform explosive ordnance disposal procedures identifying, defusing, and disposing of ordnance in combat zones following established safety protocols.
  • Hands-onOperate sophisticated communications and surveillance equipment maintaining operational security in contested environments independently.
  • MindsetEngage indigenous and allied forces during foreign internal defense missions building trust and facilitating cooperation across cultural and linguistic barriers.
  • KnowledgeApply emergency medical interventions in austere environments with limited resources under combat conditions.