Trying to decide between trying out for Ranger Battalion or Special Forces. What are the major differences between the two?

SPC Jonah Edwards — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 23:50:26 -0400

I want to understand how both sides operate so I can decide which one would be the best fit for me. What is life like on an ODA or in the battalion and what kind of missions would I be doing?

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Oct 16 at 2019 7:24 AM

CPT Lawrence Cable — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 07:24:21 -0400

It's says you're Infantry, Rangers are a very well trained Airborne Light Infantry unit. If you want to be Super Grunt, go Ranger. Expect to be in the field a lot. Haven't heard much about their deployment cycle recently.
Read the book "Horse Soldiers" for a view of the primary mission of a SOF ODA. It's the book that the movie "12 Strong" was supposedly based, but read the book instead. These guys get deployed all the time and usually to the real shitholes in the world.

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Oct 16 at 2019 10:32 AM

SFC Michael Hasbun — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 10:32:42 -0400

Main difference is Special Forces will make it easier to get that book deal afterwards...

Seriously though, a logical progression would be to try for Ranger Batt first. If you can't make it into the Rangers, you most certainly can't make it in SF. The Rangers are basically the SF's JV.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Oct 16 at 2019 12:06 PM

SGM Bill Frazer — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 12:06:42 -0400

Suggest you sit down and read their mission statements/briefs and watch their recruiting spiels. Big difference between a PLt/Co/BN and 12 folks.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 16 at 2019 12:51 PM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 12:51:34 -0400

They have different purposes. Rangers are the premier direct action force of the military. i.e. they kill people, seize airfields, lots of shooting.
Special Forces are the Masters of Infantry training. Their primary job is to train guerillas/partner force SOF to conduct military operations in support of the standing government (Foreign Internal Defense) or to overthrow the standing government (Unconventional Warfare - Guerilla Force).

Also, you may stay in the Guard to be SF, you will need to be active duty to become a Ranger.

Response by SFC Sam Yang made Oct 16 at 2019 8:23 PM

SFC Sam Yang — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 20:23:44 -0400

I've had the honor to train and work with both.
The easiest way is to look at their mission lists for either jobs.

For example, the SF teams will specialize in Counterinsurgency, UW, FID/DA, SR and SFA.. while being deployed in more remote locations and for longer periods while having wider selection of operational funding and equipment availability for mission-specific environments.
https://www.goarmy.com/special-forces/primary-missions.html

Imagine rangers and highly skilled shock troops that can operate independently in an unconventional warfare environment for specific missions and duration that conventional units will not be able to manage without the huge logistics that usually comes with such missions.
https://www.goarmy.com/ranger/about-the-rangers.html

As other has stated earlier, go ranger and see if it's your cup of tea. It is also seen as a leadership school in the military that will set you up for other USASOC based jobs and operations.

Look into the missions and see what each offers. Either way, you can't go wrong.
Just realize that of course, you will have an "easier" time in SF Q course if you are already ranger qualified and you will already have a lot of the basic critical fundamentals downs that many fail at such as Land Nav, and small squad tactics.

Best of luck and remember, they are talking about making the SF easier now. So if you want to be part of the "old school" SF guys and not be ragged for the easier Q course.. go now.. lol

Additionally, a lot of people forget about language Req. Make sure you have taken the D-lab and you are willing to learn a language while passing your SF82, SF86-A TS clearance. Airborne Physical/qual is also mandatory for both.

PS. One of the most rewarding missions I have done overseas was always the FID/UW missions where we can see the results of building and training others and not just shoot and blow things up.

Primary Special Forces Missions

Unconventional Warfare is the cornerstone of the Green Beret Soldier, but Special Forces Soldiers are responsible for a wide range of sensitive operations.

Response by CPL Gary Pifer made Oct 17 at 2019 11:14 PM

CPL Gary Pifer — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 23:14:29 -0400

Go visit them and ask directly. I used to hang out with SF once in a while when I was young. I didn't want to be one... just respected them.