What is a SAS Trooper?
A SAS trooper is a highly trained and elite soldier who serves in the Special Air Service (SAS), a world-renowned special forces unit of the British Army, known for its rigorous training and covert operations. The SAS is famous for its skills in surveillance, close-combat fighting, and hostage rescue, and its troopers are considered among the best in the world, undergoing a notoriously challenging selection process to earn their place in the unit.
Introduction to the SAS
Overview of the SAS
The Special Air Service (SAS) is a prestigious special forces unit of the British Army that has been in operation since the Second World War. The unit is renowned for its highly trained soldiers, who are skilled in covert surveillance, close-combat fighting, and hostage rescue. To become an SAS trooper, one must undergo a rigorous selection process that tests their physical fitness, mental resilience, and teamwork skills.
Frequently Asked Questions
What rank is an SAS trooper?
Non-officers who pass SAS selection lose their previous rank and are assigned the rank of trooper. Troops are numbered, and each troop consists of a number of 4-man patrols, each typically led by a corporal.
Are the SAS better than Navy Seals?
The SEAL teams are ranked as Tier 2 units by USSOCOM with DEVGRU/ST6 being the Tier 1 Special Mission Unit. The SAS is considered to be a Tier 1 unit, so roughly equivalent in training and capability to DEVGRU.
What do SAS soldiers do?
The Special Air Service (SAS) is famous around the world for its highly trained men, who are renowned for their skills in covert surveillance, close-combat fighting, and hostage rescue.
What is the US equivalent of the SAS soldier?
The US Army’s Delta Force was modeled after the SAS, and the units share a close relationship. Similarly, the SBS shares a tight bond and frequent exchange programs with the US Navy’s SEAL Team 6.
Who is better SAS or US Marines?
The US Marines contain some outstanding soldiers and some outstanding regiments, but compared like-for-like, the Royal Marines tended to be fitter, more tactically intelligent, and most importantly, have a stronger esprit de corps.
Is SAS the most elite special forces?
The Special Air Service is the longest active special missions unit in existence and has remained one of the best, staffed with the toughest and most resourceful enlisted and commissioned soldiers the United Kingdom has to offer.
What is the most elite military unit in the US?
Army Green Berets — “Special Forces” are among the most elite groups in the world and provide a pipeline to higher units, like the Army’s “Delta” CAG, and the CIA SAD.
Can you tell people you’re in the SAS?
SAS action is kept pretty secret, and most people in the SAS don’t tell anyone except their nearest and dearest.
Are you allowed to say if you’re in the SAS?
The SAS is a secret organisation, and its members often do not tell anyone except close family that they are in it.
Is Bear Grylls real SAS?
Bear Grylls OBE has become known worldwide as one of the most recognized faces of survival and outdoor adventure, and he spent three years as a soldier in the British Special Forces, as part of 21 SAS Regiment.
Did the SAS train Delta Force?
Delta Force, set up by an SAS-trained US officer, Charlie Beckwith, based on the SAS model, has been training for action in Afghanistan since 1998.
Who is the most famous soldier in the SAS?
Lieutenant-Colonel ‘Paddy’ Mayne is a legendary figure in the history of the Special Forces, a celebrated sportsman with a turbulent character, who played a vital role in the early successes of the Special Air Service (SAS).
What rank was Prince Harry?
Prince Harry served in the Army for ten years, rising to the rank of Captain and undertaking two tours of Afghanistan.
How hard is it to get into the SAS?
The SAS selection process is notoriously challenging and tests your physical fitness, mental resilience, and teamwork skills, including several phases, such as a fitness test, an endurance march, and a series of aptitude tests.
What is the most secretive military unit?
SOG is considered the most secretive special operations force within the United States, with fewer than 100 operators, and the group generally recruits personnel from special mission units within the U.S. Special Operations community.
How tall do you have to be to join the SAS?
There are also some height and weight requirements, with all applicants required to be at least 158cm (5.1”) tall and weigh at least 50kg (8 stone), and applicants must not be currently serving in the armed forces.
Can girls join the SAS?
Gavin Williamson announced that all combat roles were now open to women, including serving in special forces units such as the SAS, and he said for the first time the “armed forces will be determined by ability alone and not gender“.
Is Delta Force better than SEALs?
Generally speaking, both units are equally capable of executing all specialized missions that JSOC is tasked with, and because of DEVGRU’s extensive training for specialized maritime operations, they are more likely to receive missions like the rescue of Captain Phillips at sea.
What is the rarest US Army rank?
There are approximately 28,000 Warrant Officers in the U.S. Army today, and only 3% to 4% of those have achieved the advanced rank of CW5, making it the rarest US Army rank.
Is a Navy SEAL tougher than a Marine?
SEAL training is much harder than Marine Corp boot camp, by a lot, and Navy SEAL candidates endure a grueling program that most would agree is the toughest training in any branch of service.
Who is toughest special forces?
The 10 Most Lethal Special Forces Units in the world include the British Special Air Service Group (SAS), Joint Force Task 2 (JTF 2), Special Service Group (SSG), National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN), Sayeret Matkal, MARCOS, Navy Seals, and Special Forces.
Are the SAS feared?
The SAS is one of the world’s most famous, feared, and respected elite fighting forces, specializing in covert reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, and hostage rescue.
What is the hardest special forces to get into?
The most elite special operations forces in the U.S. are known as the Green Berets, and while that alone is enough to spark debate, there’s great reasoning behind it, with training including harsh mental and physical undertakings, including the school that’s widely regarded as the hardest: Combat Diving.