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