Chapter II

Recruiting and Selecting the Antiterrorist Operator

Normally an antiterrorist unit recruits from within the parent organization of which it is a part. In many military antiterrorist units, most of those applying to join the unit will come from within the special forces of that unit’s country. For example, the U.S. Combat Applications Group will recruit heavily from the U.S. Army Special Forces, but may also evaluate candidates from the airborne forces, Rangers, and other units. In some units, even if the unit is part of the Army, personnel from any branch of the armed services may apply. Canada’s JTF2 (Joint Task Force 2), for example. recruits from all branches of Canada’s armed forces, as do many other units. The British SAS will also accept candidates from outside the UK armed forces. Citizens of the Commonwealth, Republic of Ireland, the former Rhodesia, New Zealand, and Australia may apply. (Fiji is one of many Commonwealth countries that have produced highly respected SAS troops). In other military antiterrorist units, passing selection for the parent unit allows the soldier to serve on the antiterrorism portion of the unit as a regular rotation. The British and Australian SAS handle the antiterrorist mission in this way.

The level of physical fitness present in those already serving in an airborne or special forces unit gives them somewhat of an edge in terms of selection for an antiterrorist unit, but there are advantages in getting recruits from a wide range of military backgrounds. Candidates who have served in intelligence and have excellent language skills, for example, can be a real advantage, as can trained helicopter or fixed-wing pilots, electronic warfare specialists, or mechanics. Once selected as a member of an antiterrorist unit, an operator will receive very diverse training; nevertheless a candidate who meets all the normal selection criteria while having additional wide-ranging and useful skills is an asset.

For units selecting from national police forces, the pool of candidates will generally be drawn from those with a certain number of years of successful law enforcement experience. Whether personnel are drawn from the military or the police, a certain level of maturity is desirable. As a result, some units will set a minimum age, normally in the mid to late twenties. Many will also set a maximum age for who may apply for the selection course. The British SAS, for example, will only allow males of 32 years or less to apply for selection, though an exception is made for those who are serving in a reserve special forces unit, when the age limit is extended to 34.

As another gauge of maturity, some antiterrorist units will only recruit amongst NCOs or serving officers. This was originally the case with Germany’s KSK, for example, though enlisted personnel and even civilians may now apply. They must, however, complete the rigorous Long Range Surveillance course prior to application. In some national police forces with units that perform more hazardous or challenging tasks, these officers will have already proved they have some appealing characteristics. France’s GIGN, for example, can draw upon members of the Gendarmerie’s EPIGN, a unit that already performs higher-risk missions and is parachute-qualified.

At least some law enforcement agencies may find that the pool of manpower within the normal investigative arms of the agency will not supply enough high-quality candidates. Since a typical FBI agent may work on long-term investigations and make few arrests during a typical year, he may not have the mindset to join the HRT, which may be more likely to attract agents who work street crimes such as bank robberies and apprehend dangerous felons as a matter of course. However, the increased use of the HRT after the 9/11 terrorist attacks has caused the FBI to begin specifically recruiting agents with potential to join this team.

GROM operators during an entry–note that the point man is using his HK P8 with his HK MP5SD slung; note also that the P8 is retained by a flexible lanyard. (Grom.mil.pl)

A Little Bird helicopter of the U.S. Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment prepares to insert operators onto a rooftop. (SOCOM)

The FBI HRT has instituted what it terms the “Tactical Recruiting Program,” which targets those with experience in military or police tactical operations. Candidates are expected to be in excellent physical condition and to score substantially higher than the basic requirements on the Special Agent Physical Fitness Test, plus have three years of tactical experience. Those who meet the requirements will be fast tracked to attend HRT selection; however, they must still complete the FBI Academy and gain two years’ investigative experience as special agents before being eligible to apply for the HRT. To apply to be a special agent, a college degree is required, which makes former officers in the SEALs, Special Forces, Rangers, Marine Corps, or Air Force Special Tactics Squadrons particularly appealing. Military academy graduates who have served with a special ops unit are especially desirable.

Initially, Israel’s Sayaret Matkal was such a secret organization that recruitment took place from within a small circle, often including family members of those already serving. For example, Benjamin Netanyahu and two of his brothers served in the unit; one was killed during the Entebbe Rescue. This policy of personal selection of recruits by members of the unit ended during the 1980s and recruiting is now from a much broader pool.

The Hong Kong police’s SDU has a couple of interesting requirements in its recruiting. Not only must applicants have at least two years of exemplary service, but they must also be nonsmokers and nondrinkers. Whether “nondrinker” means only rarely taking a drink or being completely abstemious is not clear.

Although the selection process will differ among units, most have a process consisting of three or four phases. The first phase is often a physical fitness test since if a candidate cannot display the fitness necessary to perform the tasks of the operator, he need not continue. The FBI’s physical fitness test incorporates 50 pushups, 10 pull-ups, 50 sit-ups in one minute, a 110-yard shuttle run, a 1.5-mile run in 11 minutes, and a 200-yard swim. The Delta Force test in the past included a 40-yard inverted crawl in 25 seconds, 37 sit-ups in one minute, 33 pushups in one minute, a run/dodge/jump course in 24 seconds, a 2-mile run in under 16.5 minutes, a 100-yard swim in uniform and boots, and an 18-mile speed march. Canada’s JTF2 requires a 2.4-km run in 9 minutes 45 seconds, a minimum of 40 pushups with no rest stops, a minimum of 40 sit-ups in one minute, 5 overhand, straight arm pull-ups, a bench press of a 65-kg weight, and the Canadian Forces Swim Test. Note that many military units require distance runs to be carried out wearing combat boots. Some units, in an attempt to determine if a candidate has phobias that might preclude him performing his duties in the unit, may also include physical tests to determine a fear of heights, confined spaces, or drowning.

Most units will also include a marksmanship test, since a candidate who cannot already shoot well is unlikely to develop the ability to carry out the precision shots required in a hostage rescue scenario. Standard weapons used by the police agency or military forces from which candidates are drawn are generally used, but some units may also include shooting unfamiliar weapons. Generally, handgun, submachinegun, and rifle marksmanship will be evaluated. Qualification will be set substantially higher than the minimum requirements for serving in regular police or military units.

The next phase is often some type of psychological evaluation, though the form will vary from unit to unit. The FBI HRT, for example, has used the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, while Canada’s JTF2 combines a cognitive ability test with a selection interview. Intelligence is very important for the antiterrorist operator, so along with psychological tests some units may also incorporate intelligence tests. Others may just use the standard test for recruits joining the police or military, but will set a higher minimum score for qualification. Some units also incorporate an interview as part of initial selection, while others save the interview for those who have passed all other aspects of selection. Because the precision use of lethal force may be required of the antiterrorist operator his psychological stability must be given serious consideration. However, it is important not to just assume that psychological evaluation is there to weed out “cowboys” who are too anxious to apply lethal force. Good psychological evaluation will also weed out those who might not be able to bring themselves to use lethal force without hesitation should it be necessary to save innocent lives.

These first three phases will often weed out as many as 50 percent of candidates, but the most rigorous part of the selection process is the final phase, which incorporates rigorous physical endurance, psychological toughness, and mental flexibility in a slog that normally lasts between two and four weeks.

The British SAS selection course is one of the best known in the world and has been copied by many other units so it should offer a good example with which to begin a discussion of such courses. Currently, the selection course is no longer known as the SAS Selection Course, but as the Special Forces Selection Course, since the SAS (Special Air Service), SBS (Special Boat Service), and SSR (Special Reconnaissance Regiment) all undergo the same initial selection process. Prior to undertaking selection, each candidate attends a two-day Special Forces Briefing over a weekend well in advance of one of the two yearly selection courses. Candidates receive a detailed briefing about special forces selection and undergo a map and compass test, swimming test, first aid test, and combat fitness test. Those perceived as having a low likelihood of successfully completing selection are informed, and likely candidates are provided with a training program to get them ready for the rigors of the selection course.

Members of the Montenegrin Antiiterrorist Unit SAJ; note the MP5 SMGs and the distinctive mesh face masks. (US DOD)

The actual selection process takes place at Sennybridge Training Camp in Wales and lasts four weeks. The course, which makes use of the surrounding Brecon Beacons and Elan Valley, stresses navigation and fitness. Weather conditions are known to be harsh and unpredictable here, which adds further to the rigors of the course. Candidates start off with various physical fitness tests, including a 1.5-mile run in under 10:30 as well as various other exercises.

The first week of selection consists primarily of runs up and down the hills in the Brecon Beacons with loaded rucksacks, together with navigation and map reading exercises. Many very physically fit candidates wash out because they cannot handle the navigation part of selection. Runs requiring navigation in small groups through forested areas follow, as do night navigation exercises. During the first and second weeks, the rucksack loads are increased, plus candidates must carry their rifle with them unslung at all times. Fatigue increases and, since food is supplied only intermittently and in relatively small portions, so does hunger.

During the third week, the land navigation problems become more complex, with candidates having to reach checkpoints to be logged in by members of the selection staff. The final week consists of more and more daunting navigation runs, leading up to the final endurance march across 40 miles of the Brecon Beacons, navigating from point to point while carrying 55 lb in the rucksack plus rifle, food, and water. The endurance march must be completed in under 20 hours to pass selection. Although this final march is considered a necessity to pass selection, it does not guarantee selection for continuation training, as a candidate may still be deemed unsuitable for entering a special forces unit. Not only is the pass rate for selection normally below 10 percent, but the weather conditions in the Brecons are so harsh and the candidates are pushed to such extremes that deaths during selection are not unknown.

Members of China’s Snow Wolf Commando Unit training for their antiterrorist mission at the 2008 Olympics. (Chinese Armed Police)

Here’s how some of the other world antiterrorist units run their courses:

New Zealand SAS

The selection course for the New Zealand SAS is similar to that of the British Special Forces, but lasts only two weeks. Selection is open to members of any of the New Zealand armed forces, which requires instructors to determine the ability of those who are not from the Army to handle complicated land navigation problems. A substantial number of those attempting selection are Maoris, who have a long and proud tradition of serving in the New Zealand SAS. Attrition rate in the New Zealand selection course usually runs to about 70 percent.

No leeway is granted in timed runs or navigation courses; being one second over can eliminate a candidate. As with the British Special Forces selection course, the built-in factors that test self-discipline, self-motivation, physical and mental toughness, initiative, and intellect work well for selecting candidates that will make good Special Forces operators. During the earlier stages of testing, candidates spend three days navigating the New Zealand countryside averaging 3 km per hour. By the end of those three days, fatigue and hunger are already becoming a factor. This training begins to test the ability of candidates to make decisions under stress as they have to decide when to run and when to save themselves so that they do not become so exhausted they cannot finish the course. They must also decide on routes—for example, whether to go over a hill that may be shorter in distance, but is ultimately more tiring.

Members of Iceland’s Viking Squad practicing with their HK MP5s; note the distinctive Icelandic landscape in the background. (Icelandic National Police)

As each day passes, hunger and fatigue become greater, while the candidate also realizes that things will likely be even more difficult the next day. As they say in U.S. Navy SEAL selection, “The Only Easy Day was Yesterday!” One of the more testing aspects of New Zealand SAS selection takes place at the Kaipara sand dunes, where candidates must carry a 25-kg jerry-can of water up and down the dunes. Six cans are spread among five men, which means that at any given time one candidate must carry two cans. This exercise allows evaluators to see how well candidates share the load and also illustrates teamwork.

Later in selection, candidates must do an escape and evasion exercise within a dense forest while chased by members of the SAS staff. At the point when they begin this exercise, they have been without sleep for 24 hours, yet they must complete the course within the time limit and deliver a message they have been given. The final endurance march covers 60 km through Woodhill Forest and must be completed within the time limit.

FBI HRT

The FBI HRT used the SAS selection course, combined with others, as a basis for their own selection system. One objective was to get agents out of the familiar to see how they would cope with the unexpected. Many prospective HRT members actually found that not having a schedule telling them what would be happening each day was harder than the actual physical tests. Many career soldiers undergoing selection for military antiterrorist units also find the lack of information a difficulty. As with other selection courses, the HRT course is designed to challenge the candidate, to elicit weaknesses and character flaws. For example, during HRT selection, it is common to give a group of candidates half the number of meals needed for the group to see how they share and cope with hunger. One of the toughest challenges in some HRT selection courses has been a run of 22 miles carrying a 45-lb load. To add difficulty and test teamwork, each team of candidates has also been required to carry a bag of medicine balls. HRT candidates have also had to walk 75 ft under water while holding their breath and carrying a 30-lb load in their hands.

KSK (Germany) and GIGN (France)

Among European antiterrorist units, Germany’s KSK has one of the tougher selection courses. Lasting three months, it is held in the Black Forest, and requirements include the completion of a 90-hour long distance run and navigation exercise. Candidates must also complete a three-week survival, escape, and evasion course. Only 8–10 percent pass the selection course.

One of Europe’s most respected antiterrorist units, GIGN, uses a one-week selection course for personnel who have already served in the Gendarmerie Nationale and met preselection requirements. GIGN selection begins with written tests of intelligence and psychological suitability, as well as an essay about what has motivated the candidate to apply. Written tests are followed by tests of physical strength and stamina, including pull-ups, sit-ups, pushups, and so on. A 9-km run/march carrying 11 kg follows. The final tests for the first day are of marksmanship with the handgun and rifle.

On the next day, candidates must run a very difficult obstacle course. A bungee jump from a bridge is incorporated into the day’s activities to test nerve, confidence, and fear of heights. Next is an orienteering race with seven checkpoints that must be completed without a compass or written notes. Before this course is completed, the candidates will also have to pass a test to determine whether they suffer from claustrophobia by passing through various tight obstacles in total darkness. The second day ends with a night navigation exercise through the forest, which allows them a couple of hours’ sleep at most.

The third day begins with an observation test, which is carried out in a room filled with tear gas. Candidates must pass through the room without a mask while observing the location of objects about which they will be tested. After a shower (to counter the effects of the gas), candidates must pass additional tests of observation and memorization. The remainder of the day is spent traversing various high ropes, climbing, and covering other raised obstacles.

The fourth day focuses on swimming ability, with tests including diving from a 10-meter board, swimming 100 meters against a stop watch, and covering 50 meters submerged. One of GIGN’s traditional challenges follows as candidates must jump into the pool with bound hands and feet to demonstrate their ability to remain afloat under adverse conditions. The rest of the day is spent running obstacle courses, climbing, and in other forms of physical exertion.

The morning of the fifth day is spent in martial arts competition among the candidates, who are matched by weight and previous training. Evaluators are less concerned with who wins than that candidates do not give up and continue fighting. The day finishes with an interview by a panel of GIGN officers and NCOs and a final evaluation of who has passed and who has failed.

Although shorter than some other selection courses, the GIGN selection process still taxes candidates to the utmost and does a good job of evaluating courage, intelligence, and physical fitness. Candidates have already successfully served in the Gendarmerie Nationale, a militarized police force, and will still have to face a long an arduous training regimen before finally joining the unit. GIGN is famous for incorporating some tests into the selection process that offer a “French flair” to the proceedings.

Irish ARW (Army Ranger Wing)

The ARW is tasked with special operations and anti-terrorism for the Irish Republic and hence has a very rigorous selection process based to some extent on the U.S. Army’s Ranger course. Unlike many special units, the ARW selection course is open to females. The annual course lasts four weeks. During the first phase, candidates must pass a number of physical tests including land navigation tests, timed assault course runs, water confidence training and testing, and a 10-km combat run. Candidates who do not successfully complete the initial phase are returned to unit, though they may attempt the course the next year. A candidate may attempt the course three times.

The second phase stresses initial training and assessment in various special forces skills, including long-range reconnaissance patrols, small unit tactics—especially ambush/counterambush, surveillance and intelligence gathering—and a 40-km group march, which must be completed within a time limit. Various assessments throughout selection will test the candidate on the following areas: rappeling, jumps from a bridge into water, team river crossings, the ability to work in confined spaces without succumbing to claustrophobia, various physical exercises, a 10-km run, various mountain and hill marches carrying a light to medium pack, a forced cross country march, and a group forced road march of 45 km carrying a medium load. Selection culminates with the group route march. Those who successfully complete course requirements—about 15 percent in a typical year—receive the “Fianoglach” (Ranger) tab.

ARW officers and NCOs then assess the overall performance of each individual against the number of openings in the unit. Those selected for the unit are then sent through another six months of intensive training before being fully fledged members of the Irish ARW.

Canada’s JTF2

Canada’s JTF2 actually has three separate selection courses depending upon one’s function within the unit. The toughest course is the Special Operations Assaulters Selection Process. (“Assaulters” is the term JTF2 uses for its operators.) During the seven-week selection process, candidates are pushed to their limits physically and mentally. While in stressful situations, they are evaluated on weapons safety, their reaction to threats, and decision making. Additionally, over this period, they are tested for their physical fitness; ability to work at heights, in water, and in confined spaces; teamwork; problem solving; and interpersonal skills. Officer candidates must spend an additional three days demonstrating their ability to organize and command a special ops mission. Many units include this additional requirement for officer candidates. Support elements and coxswain elements (who will do boat handling) of JTF2 still have to undergo selection, but it is not as difficult.

Russia’s Spetsnaz

Russia’s Spetsnaz are known for an especially brutal selection process. In most Spetsnaz units, selection occurs, to some extent, in a Darwinian manner (i.e. natural selection). Many Spetsnaz are actually promising conscripts who are first put through a brutal regimen designed to inculcate obedience and physical toughness. They then undergo what is more akin to the selection courses used in other units to win the red beret that will designate them as fully fledged Spetsnaz. A typical red beret selection course might run along the following lines.

A member of Italy’s GIS armed with a Benelli shotgun--note the light and optical sight (Carabinieri)

The candidate must cover 10 km in under two hours, during which obstacles including mud, water, sand, dirt, and hills are encountered. He must wear a helmet and ballistic vest and carry his AK74 while covering the distance. The AK74 is loaded with a blank cartridge, which simulates the need to practice weapons safety and to take good care of the weapon. Bullets will be fired in his direction and explosives detonated close to his route. Spetsnaz training incorporates a lot of operations near fire so passing through fire will be part of the selection run as well. To simulate operating in an NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) environment, he will have to don a gas mask and exert himself by running or carrying another candidate for 2 to 3 km. At points along the way, evaluators will stop the candidate and require him to perform a series of physical exercises. They may also run alongside harassing him by throwing pyrotechnics at his feet.

Immediately upon completion of the 10-km run, the candidate moves on to an obstacle course that simulates operations in urban areas and incorporates trenches and tunnels, the latter designed to be very tight and hard to wriggle through. Upon completion of the obstacle course, he must fire the blank round in his rifle to show that he has not allowed it to become inoperable while performing his various tasks.

Although physically exhausted, the candidate next has to pass a weapons test with standard Russian infantry weapons. The Dragunov sniper rifle will normally not be zeroed and hence the candidate is given two shots to zero the rifle, then must fire two shots successfully on two targets at long range. Normally, he will also have to do a dynamic entry in a hostage scenario and fire two double taps from his pistol on two targets. This phase also frequently incorporates a disassembled radio that the candidate must assemble, then establish contact with his “base.”

In the next phase, the candidate must climb a five- story building, then rappel to clear the building from top down. He will encounter shoot/no shoot targets as the clears floors and must engage those which are shoot targets with blank rounds. He will also have a grenade simulator, which he must pitch into a room after kicking out a window. He has 45 seconds to carry out this exercise from the top floor to the ground. He is then put through another series of tough physical exercises to wear him down even more.

Finally, the candidate must fight four others, including Spetsnaz who have already achieved the red beret, for 12 minutes without halting. New fighters rotate in against the candidate so he is always going against fresh opponents. He must avoid getting knocked out and must remain aggressive rather than just defending himself. It is not uncommon for candidates to lose teeth and suffer severe cuts and abrasions during this final phase. Any challengers not deemed aggressive enough will be disciplined.

Although this course is typical of those used in Army Spetsnaz units, it may be assumed that the super elite antiterrorist Spetsnaz units under the FSB (Federal Security Service)—Alpha and Vympel—use a similarly tough selection course, though their candidates are chosen from the ranks of the FSB based on their previous record and often based on proven athletic ability in national or world competition. They then go through a two-month selection process that challenges them to the utmost but is more akin to those of units such as the SAS or FBI HRT, which already have mature highly motivated candidates. Nevertheless, they are expected to be as tough as other Spetsnaz while also being highly self-motivated. Some units incorporate an interview near or at the end of the selection process to evaluate the candidates’ poise, intelligence, self-confidence, psychological state after weeks of stress, and various other factors. In many cases, the unit commander and other officers will be present as well as senior enlisted personnel. On at least some selection courses, Delta Force had candidates read Machiavelli’s The Prince, then discuss it during the interview. Thinking about it, a potential operator’s reaction to Machiavelli’s classic should offer insights into intelligence, practicality, ethics, and various other aspects of the personality.

A variation on the interview is the interrogation that many units incorporate into selection in order to determine the strength of a candidate’s will to resist. Generally, the interrogation occurs as part of the escape and evasion element included in some selection courses. Many of the techniques the press has highlighted with regard to the interrogation of captured terrorists (i.e. water boarding) are routinely practiced on volunteers for special operations and antiterrorist units as part of their selection. For the SAS and SBS, the interrogation phase traditionally includes a session while standing nude with a trained female interrogator from Army Intelligence or MI6 who will make it a point to comment on the smallness or deformity of the candidate’s genitals! Interview, interrogation, or both, these are just additional techniques for evaluating the candidate’s character and will.

MAT (Maritime Antiterrorism) Selection

Units tasked with MAT undergo an equally grueling selection process though more of it takes place in mud, in boats, and in the water than with land based antiterrorist units. Many national antiterrorist units include a section with the MAT mission who will receive specialized diving and small boat training, while others such as the U.S. Navy’s DevGru, the SBS, or the Italian COMSUBIN are naval special warfare units that carry out MAT operations.

The SBS formerly ran their own selection course, which incorporated many waterborne operations, but now goes through the selection process along with the SAS, then moves onto specialized Swimmer-Canoist operations. For many of the MAT units drawn from naval special warfare teams, the initial selection process is considered difficult enough that no additional selection is considered necessary though those assigned the MAT mission will get additional specialized training.

The U.S. Navy SEALs’ BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition School) serves as an excellent example of the naval selection process. BUD/S is divided into three phases over 25 weeks. The first phase covers eight weeks and emphasizes physical conditioning including running, swimming, obstacle courses, strength and team-building exercises, basic water operations, and lifesaving skills. The second phase, which covers seven weeks, concentrates on diving and other skills of the combat swimmer. Included are dives that require underwater navigation to reach simulated targets. The third phase is the land warfare stage, which lasts 10 weeks and trains the candidate in the basics of special ops out of the water. This phase emphasizes small unit tactics, patrolling, weapons training, and demolitions.

The most rigorous part of the selection process takes place during the third week of the first phase, when candidates have to undergo “Hell Week.” This incorporates 120 hours of continuous training with only a few hours’ sleep, which candidates must grab when they can. Throughout the five-and-a-half days, candidates are cold and wet almost the entire time and pushed to their physical limits constantly. Hell Week tests a candidate’s ability to push on and make decisions despite pain, discomfort, and fatigue. It also demonstrates to future special operators that they can continue to push on to complete a mission despite incredible hardships. It is impossible to make it through without the teamwork that demonstrates the SEAL mantra, “There is no I in SEAL!” BUD/S instructors are also known for reminding candidates, “The Only Easy Day was Yesterday!” Hell Week eliminates a substantial portion of the candidates. Only about 25 percent of candidates normally make it. The swimming section, which covers drown proofing and underwater knot tying, will eliminate a few candidates as well.

Each antiterrorist unit will incorporate a few special touches in their selection process that reflect their culture and their mission, but hopefully this chapter has offered a good overview of the basic nature of antiterrorism selection.