The length of the Q Course changes depending on the applicant's primary job field within Special Forces and their assigned foreign language capability but will usually last between 56 and 95 weeks.
Special Forces Qualification Course – SFQC. This phase may be up to 14 weeks in duration or may be exempted if the Soldier already possesses an appropriate SF language. Select Soldiers may have the opportunity for advanced language training based on individual language proficiency and the needs of SF.
A decade ago, the Q Course was flooded with new tactics and techniques that were the products of hard-fought lessons in active warzones. Special Forces teams, known as Operational Detachment Alphas, were on a 1:1 dwell-to-deploy ratio. The tight turnaround meant that the Q Course “product” had to be much better prepared.
The Q Course should be thought of as an aptitude test and not a finishing school, according to one senior enlisted instructor. “The true learning, the true becoming a Green Beret happens only on an ODA,” he added.
12 to 24 monthsThe Army Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) is long and demanding. Although the length of the course varies according to Military Occupational Specialty and language it is generally 12 to 24 months long. Most of the training is held on Fort Bragg, North Carolina or Camp Mackall, North Carolina.
The Q Course is now designed to be completed in a little more than 12 months for all Green Berets, except those training to become medics. Four classes start each year, allowing the course to align training with Army Special Operations Command's psychological operations and civil affairs students.
14 weeks18D Medical Sergeant Course (14 weeks [SOCM - 36 weeks]) Both general healthcare and emergency healthcare are stressed in training.
40 days40 days, Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC), Phase I, Individual Skills Phase, Camp Rowe Training Facility.
There are several times where you will not be able to see him during the Q-course (the field phases), but there are lots of times he will be available to be "home" during training (language, some parts of MOS).
Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) This course is conducted in a series of six phases and includes major areas of instruction to include land navigation, small unit tactics, MOS training (engineer/demo, weapons, medic, communications), individual training, collective training, language and cultural training.
20-32 years old. Meet the Army height and weight standards. Join as an active duty or Army National Guard Soldier. Qualify for Airborne School.
Army Special Forces medic (18D): The SOCM course is six months long and trains trauma. The second half that 18D's go to is another five months and trains on medical problems. For a total of 322 days, the 18D is learning the advanced skills of the trade.
How long is the Army 18X pipeline contract? The Army MOS 18X contract is a long-term agreement. For most recruits, it takes at least two-and-a-half to three years to complete. The timeframe accounts for everything from One Station Unit Training (OSUT) to Airborne School and Q School.
But building rapport with guerrilla forces in Robin Sage is not easy, if the students fail to do so, they will fail, not only their mission but the course. The soldiers acting as guerrillas are briefed to avoid interaction with the SF students at first and to act distrustful until they prove themselves.
RASP 1 has a 53% attrition rate. RASP 2 has a 74% attrition rate. SFAS has 64% and 51% attrition rates for enlisted soldiers and officers respectively, whereas SFQC has 35% and 27% attrition rates for the same categories. CCT selection has a 50% attrition rate with a further 27% rate for the Qualification Course.
18X (18 XRAY) isn't actually a Military Occupation Specialty (MOS), but you can select that as your pre-enlistment option as you depart for Basic Combat Training (BCT). You can still get to Army Special Forces from the Army and request a transfer to attend SFAS - Special Forces Assessment and Selection.
The Pineland Area Study will be used as the basis for analysis allowing for a comprehensive understanding of the training environment. The acronym PMESII-PT refers to a form of environmental analysis to examine the aspects of political, military, economic, social, information, infrastructure, physical environment, and time aspects of the military theater.
Phase 2 of the SFQC focuses on language and culture. During Phase 2, soldiers receive basic special-operations language training in the language assigned to them at the completion of Special Forces Assessment and Selection.
Course Description: Phase 1 of the SFQC is the SF Orientation Course, a seven-week introduction to SF. Dubbed the Orientation and History module, the course falls under the auspices of the 4th Battalion, 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne). The course is separated into six modules:
The first phase of the Special Forces Qualification Course is Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS), consisting of twenty-four days of training at Camp Mackall. SFAS includes numerous long-distance land navigation courses.
The Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) or, informally, the Q Course is the initial formal training program for entry into the United States Army Special Forces. Phase I of the Q Course is Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS). Getting "Selected" at SFAS will enable a candidate to continue to the next of the four phases.
Active Duty and National Guard components offer Special Forces Initial Accession programs. The Active Duty program is referred to as the "18X Program" because of the Initial Entry Code on the assignment orders.
Medical sergeants specialize in trauma management, infectious diseases, cardiac life support, and surgical procedures, with a basic understanding of veterinary and dental medicine. General healthcare and emergency healthcare are stressed in training.
The 18D education is arguably the best combat medic training in the world and creates experts in medical, surgical, dental, veterinary and pharmaceutical subjects. This course is called the Special Forces Medical Sergeants Course (SFMS), which consists of the 24-week Special Operations Combat Medic Course ...
For a complete timeline for the quickest an 18 XRAY candidate will attend SF training: Basic Combat Training lasts nine weeks. AIT lasts four weeks. Airborne last three weeks.
Like all soldiers, Special Forces candidates begin their career with nine weeks of basic combat training (BCT). Upon completion of basic training, you will attend advanced individual training. For Special Forces, you will go to infantry school to learn to use small arms, anti-armor and weapons such as howitzers and heavy mortars. Before you can advance to the special operation career selection path, Special Forces candidates also much complete the Basic Airborne Course. For a complete timeline for the quickest an 18 XRAY candidate will attend SF training: 1 Basic Combat Training lasts nine weeks 2 AIT lasts four weeks 3 Airborne last three weeks
The final phase is a culmination exercise known as Robin Sage, which is five weeks long and where students will form their own SFODA and put their training and experience of the last several months to the test.
After four weeks, soldiers will find out whether they are selected to attend the full Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC), also known as the Q Course. This phase 1B is known formerly as SFAS -- Special Forces Assessment and Selection. There is a short two-week course after advancing to Phase 2.
Additionally, while receiving language training, you will be trained in warrior skills, such as combatives. This phase may take up to 18-24 weeks.
The process of completing these schools can take 14-18 months.
The Q Course is now designed to be completed in a little more than 12 months for all Green Berets, except those training to become medics. Four classes start each year, allowing the course to align training with Army Special Operations Command’s psychological operations and civil affairs students.
“We, as SOF, are uniquely qualified to operate under that threshold short of armed conflict,” said Maj. Gen. Patrick B. Roberson, commander of the Army’s John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg.
It’s a dramatic training scenario that puts students in a situational dilemma. The Green Beret candidates must influence the guerrilla chief to make good decisions, even when he has a “strong personality,” the instructor noted.
One recommendation was that mortar training shouldn’t be changed for 18Bs, and it wasn’t. “They said what they wanted and what they didn’t want; what they would take back and what was no longer necessary. And that’s how we incorporated all this,” the Green Beret officer said.
Mix in a lung and leg workout with running and leg PT. Run at a timed pace for a half-mile -- rest with 20 squats and 20 lunges. Repeat up to 5–6 times or build up to it over time, depending on a logical progression. Try a few quarter-mile lunge walks in your training to prepare for a lunge walk around your training area.
SFAS is all about time and moving to your points quickly. You need to be able to move out when you are in a time crunch or are stuck in a draw. To prepare, put 45 pounds in your ruck and move four miles as fast as you can. A good goal is to get four miles in less than 35 minutes.
During SFAS, you will have log and rifle PT. This isn't every day but a very extraneous event that gets a lot of guys to quit. I would recommend doing a lot of push presses, snatches and lightweight military presses to get ready. The weight isn't heavy, just very repetitive. Learn to work under the log as a team, and it helps -- especially if everyone can do a push press at the same time. Really muscle-bound guys could get the weight up with no problem but get smoked really quickly in these events.
Carrying backpacks, logs, and performing injured man drills requires a strong back. Dead lifts, hang cleans, farmer walks, fireman carries and body drags will prepare your lower back for lifting weight and walking with it. Be prepared to stand up all day; don't even sit down at all. Also see the new lower back plan for a calisthenics-based back plan on which to build.
Swimming is a passable event in the course. Besides being a great non-impact aerobic activity, the survival swim with gear on is tough and quite a shock if you never have tried it. You have to be able to swim 50 meters in a pool with boots and a uniform. If you are a weak swimmer, get to the pool and do some laps.
This 19-day performance-oriented course includes physical conditioning, map reading and land navigation instruction; land-navigation practical exercises, and common-task training. The goal is to prepare and condition 18X and REP-63 (National Guard) soldiers to attend Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course and the follow-on Special Forces Qualification Course.