The Special Air Service- Britain's original
special forces and the granddaddy of all modern special forces. The SAS is the benchmark by which every other
special forces unit is measured, and their tactics and training methods have been replicated
all over the world. The history of the SAS begins in the deserts
of World War II, and their feats of daring are the stuff of legend, and continue to this
day in the global war on terrorism. One of the toughest special forces outfits
in the world to enter into, the SAS requires the absolute best out of every recruit. Many apply each year to join this legendary
service, and many fail and are washed out of training. What about you though? Think you got what it takes to join the elite
SAS? SAS selection takes place across several phases
of selection, with Selection Phase 1, known as endurance, taking place over three grueling
weeks. Any dummy can be physically fit and carry
a heavy pack, but Selection Phase 1 will weed out the dumb brutes and leave behind only
the mentally and physically strong. For Phase 1 you'll head out to the countryside
in South Wales, but don't expect a picnic because you'll immediately be put to marching
across varying routes. Initially, you'll carry a pack loaded up with
essential gear such as rain poncho, sleeping bag, first aid kit, and distress flares, though
you can expect that as the distance you're forced to march increases, so does the weight. You'll carry your food with you too, which
consists of some bread rolls, a few Mars candy bars, and potato chips- along with a 24 hour
ration pack that can only be opened in an emergency. Forced to march endlessly low on food and
sleep, this phase isn't just testing your physical fitness but your mental fitness as
well. Unlike in most other special forces candidate
programs, here you won't have to deal with instructors screaming at you and breathing
down your neck. Instead, SAS instructors purposefully leave
you completely to your own devices, offering no encouragement but no chastisement either. You will pass or fail completely of your own
volition. And you better be good at disciplining temptation
too, because while you may be starving opening up that emergency 24 hour ration pack without
permission is grounds for rejection. Attention to detail is critical for an SAS
soldier, so as you're trying to drag yourself through another day long march on your blistered
feet, you should expect instructors to occasionally quiz you about landmarks you may have just
passed. The purpose is to test your alertness, and
see how well you can pay attention while physically miserable- one candidate said that he was
asked how many supports were on a bridge he had just crossed over during his march. Eventually you'll face the final test, a grueling
40 mile (65 km) march up and down hills, carrying 55 pounds of gear and an assault rifle to
boot. Not only will you have to accurately navigate
your own course, but you'll have only 22 hours to complete the course. Failure means your application process is
over, and you'll return to your home unit. Just because you pass though don't expect
that you're on to the next official phase, because instructors will have been carefully
evaluating you the entire time. If they suspect you aren't the right stuff,
it won't matter how fast you completed your course or how much weight you can carry, you'll
be rejected and sent back to your home unit. Out of 200 candidates, only about 30 to 40
will make it past this phase, and move on to the next phase: Jungle Training. Like most of SAS's training, the exact details
of what goes on in the Jungle phase are classified. What is known though is that trainees will
learn jungle survival skills, as well as how to conduct patrols deep behind enemy lines
and live off the land for weeks at a time. Trainees will learn how to operate as a four
man unit and live on rations, remaining undetected as they carry out their mission. A strong emphasis on physical fitness will
also see trainees hit the gym every day, and after the gym there will be a great deal of
time spent out on the range. There you'll learn how to operate standard
bits of SAS gear, to include battle rifles, recoilless rifles, grenade launchers, and
light machine guns. Trainees will also learn how to operate many
other weapons in use across the world- an SAS soldier must know how to pick up a weapon
in a foreign battlefield and use it effective if he needs to. You'll also undergo training on setting up
ambushes as well as responding to enemy ambushes. You'll be trained in advanced scouting techniques,
and how to observe your environment for subtle changes that could signal a hidden enemy patrol
or a sniper perched in waiting. Detecting changes in color, shadows, and even
small movements can mean the difference between life and death for a SAS operative deep behind
enemy lines. As many other special forces training programs,
you'll also learn advanced defensive driving techniques, enabling a quick getaway in any
hostile situation. These are many of the same techniques that
police use for stopping speeding drivers, but you'll learn how to avoid those same techniques
and not be stopped yourself. We hope you like blowing things up, because
you'll also be learning how to handle a variety of explosives, and because explosions typically
means wounded, you'll receive extensive medical training that can be quickly deployed out
in the field. One of the most important jobs that special
forces operators do in war is reconnaissance, and so you'll learn how to establish Listening
Posts/Observation Posts and covertly observe an enemy. To aid you in your mission you'll learn how
to use a variety of secure communications gear such as satellite radios, and how to
avoid getting pinned down by the enemy due to your electronic emissions. Lastly, you'll undergo extensive hand-to-hand
and close quarters combat techniques, and become an expert in breaching and assaulting
enemy structures. Make it to the end of this phase and you'll
be amongst the 15-20 who didn't get sick from the jungle environment and drop out, or weren't
washed out by instructors. Don't start congratulating yourself just yet
though, because the ultimate test is coming up next. Part one of your final test is a 3-day escape
and evasion course. You'll be given a ratty old coat, boots that
may be held together with only strings, and no food or water- you'll have a short head
start and must evade capture for three days by a hunter force equipped with dogs and modern
equipment. For these three days you must live off the
land while evading your pursuers, and though officially you are barred from entering any
structures, some crafty trainees may sneak their way onto a civilian property and maybe
even have a local take them in. As with most special forces tests, cheating
is simply another creative way of accomplishing the required objective- as long as you aren't
caught that is. The second part of your final test will take
place when you are captured or at the end of three days. If you've managed to avoid capture, then you'll
be expected to return to a designated location at the end of the third day. Once there you'll be handcuffed, have a bag
thrown over your head, and taken to a remote location. Instructors will then attempt to break you
down mentally. You'll be placed in stress positions and forced
to hold them for hours at a time. You may be locked in a cage the size of a
dog kennel while instructors bash the roof of it with chains. Instructors will strip you nude in front of
female instructors who will mock the size of your manhood. It is all a mental game, meant to soften you
up for the pending interrogation sessions. After enough humiliation and mental torture,
you'll be thrown into a room with an interrogator and your job will be to only reveal the big
4 to him or her: your name, rank, serial number, and date of birth. Giving the interrogator any information other
than that will lead to your immediate expulsion from SAS training. That's it, the end of the line for you. If you make it through this final phase, then
you can feel proud of accomplishing what very few people have ever done. You'll receive the beige beret with the winged
dagger insignia, and officially become a member of the British Special Air Service. However, maybe celebrate modestly because
you'll be on probation until you finish your continuation training, and sadly many soldiers
are returned to their home unit during this phase. If that happens to you, you'll at least have
worn the beret for a short time, and that is an accomplishment in and of itself. If you make it through training though you'll
join the 22nd Special Air Service regiment, which consists of 4 active squadrons: A, B,
D, and G. Each squadron is made up of around 60 men,
meaning there's roughly 240 active-duty SAS soldiers at a time in the British military,
with two reserve regiments, the 21st and 23rd SAS. This is in sharp contrast to the approximately
2,000 Navy SEALS the US military has, but that's due to the smaller size of the British
military. Amongst each SAS squadron are four troops,
and each troop specializes in a different area of expertise. The Air Troop is specialized in parachute
insertions, including static line insertions and HALO jumps deep behind enemy lines. The Boat Troop is specialized in amphibious
operations such as inserting onto hostile beaches via submarines- a favorite tactic
of US SEALS. Interestingly, SAS and American SEALS work
so closely together that often SAS soldiers will deploy from an American submarine specially
outfitted to deliver special forces under the cover of the waves. Mobility troop soldiers specialize in handling
any number of vehicles, you can think of them as the getaway drivers of the SAS. Mountain troops are trained in arctic warfare
and navigating, and surviving, in dangerous mountainous terrain. SAS Mountain troops worked closely with American
and French special forces in the mountain areas of Afghanistan, hunting down Taliban
and Al Qaeda fighters in deep mountain complexes. The close-knit relationship between SAS and
American special forces means that both nations share many of the same tactics and training
techniques, and an SAS soldier is always welcome aboard any American aircraft or boat. If you had joined the SAS in the early 2000s,
you may have been part of the legendary Task Force 88- easily the deadliest fighting force
ever assembled on planet earth. Immediately after Saddam Hussein's government
was ousted from power, Task Force 88 was formed to hunt down the former dictator and his supporters,
and over the years their job evolved to becoming the premier hunter-killers of NATO's war against
terrorist leaders in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of their deeds are shrouded in extreme
secrecy, though it's known that TF 88 was responsible for killing one of the key members
of the insurgency: Al-Zarqawi. At its height, Task Force 88 was made up of
Task Force Black, an SAS sabre squadron supported by Special Boat Service operators. Task Force Blue was made up of the legendary
SEAL Team Six. Task Force Green was made up of operatives
from America's Delta Force, and Task Force Orange was made up of the single most secretive
special forces operators in the world: America's Intelligence Support Activity- a special forces
unit whose job is to find actionable intelligence for other special forces units, and which
the Pentagon denies any official knowledge of. Task Force 88 was an example of the close-knit
relationship between the Special Air Service and its American counterparts, and that relationship
continues to this day in unacknowledged conflicts all around the world. If you think you've got what it takes to make
it through SAS selection though after watching our video, maybe you too will be working side-by-side
with the world's best, hunting down bad guys in jungles, deserts, and mountains all over
the globe. Now that you've watched this adrenaline packed
video, maybe it's time to chill out with this video over here- and if that one doesn't do
it for you, maybe click this one instead? Click one of the two videos quick though,
for the love of Queen and Country!
