# International military students again eligible to earn the Special Forces Tab



## Ravage (Oct 14, 2009)

http://news.soc.mil/releases/News Archive/2009/October/091014-04.html

FORT BRAGG, N.C. ( USASOC News Service, Oct. 14, 2009) – Officers and noncommissioned officers from foreign militaries will again be eligible to earn the coveted Special Forces Tab in a move by the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School to continue a long tradition of integrating allied partners into Green Beret training.

In the early 1960s, Brig. Gen. William P. Yarborough, who then commanded the U.S. Army Special Warfare Center, began a robust program of interaction with partner-nation militaries.   The historical report of 1963 shows the Center and School hosted more than 1,100 international students from 54 countries in a variety of Special Operations training courses.  

“The importance of these interactions with our partner nations, as established by General Yarborough, are as necessary today as they were almost fifty years ago and are the impetus of the reestablishment of this program,” said Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Csrnko, USAJFKSWCS commander.  “Having our partners in the course will enhance interoperability, foster relationships and reinforce the importance of cross-cultural communications.” 

“This January will see the return of our multinational partners to training alongside our U.S. students, and it’s not a moment too soon,” Csrnko said. “The interaction and interoperability that we get with our foreign partners is powerful, both for our Soldiers and the allied students that we will host from across the globe.”

“Rejoining our allies in a single Special Forces Qualification Course is a logical extension of operational lessons and the basic principle to train like one fights,” said Col. Curtis Boyd, USAJFKSWCS Chief of Staff.

Studies of operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere have indicated allied partnerships and coalitions are indispensible to disrupting transnational terrorism and fostering democracy, said Boyd.  U.S. and allied special operations forces have demonstrated their value and integral role in Irregular Warfare. 

The Special Forces Qualification Course will provide opportunities for six international officers and six international NCOs to attend training four times per year, totaling 48 training slots per year.  Partner nation students will forego the first two phases of SFQC – Special Forces Assessment and Selection and language training – but will be required to meet all of the same standards in the remaining four phases set for U.S. Soldiers to earn the Special Forces Tab.

In late 2005, the Center and School modified the SFQC and since January 2006, allied officers and NCOs have received specialized training at USAJFKSWCS in a separate International Special Forces Training Course, which trained and tested many of the core Army Special Forces tasks, but did not offer the same training as U.S. Soldiers received, and did not award the Special Forces Tab. 







> International military students train alongside U.S. Army Soldiers during the Special Forces Qualification Course taught by the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, N.C. (Photo provided by the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School Public Affairs Office)


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## ghillie762 (Oct 15, 2009)

That is an interesting article. I wonder how they are going to approach training the Internationals in UW? The new UW manual is Secret/Noforn. Once thing is for sure, if we're going to give them "our" tab, they need to earn it through the same rigors and heartache the Americans have to. I can speak firsthand that these guys get over plus they've been back in the Q-Course since MG Csrnko took over. He reversed MG Parkers decision not to have the Internationals in the course.


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## Ravage (Oct 15, 2009)

In Poland we wanted to create something like Robin Sage, but the plan backfired - imagine using conscripts as Pinelanders (the majority of whom were uneducated people).
The International SFQC is an interesting option for our SOF, since we do have the UW guys and our Tier1 head hunters.


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## koz (Oct 15, 2009)

ghillie762 said:


> That is an interesting article. I wonder how they are going to approach training the Internationals in UW? The new UW manual is Secret/Noforn. Once thing is for sure, if we're going to give them "our" tab, they need to earn it through the same rigors and heartache the Americans have to. I can speak firsthand that these guys get over plus they've been back in the Q-Course since MG Csrnko took over. He reversed MG Parkers decision not to have the Internationals in the course.



When I went thru, the Internationals sat out on the classified stuff.  They didn't get a tab, only a beret.


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## Crusader74 (Oct 16, 2009)

I'd imagine very few Countries could afford to send soldiers on a regular basis as I'm sure its not cheap to Train to Green Beret Standard. 

I know a Guy from this Mans Army went and Did the Royal Marine ML(Mountain Leader) which is nine months long and and it was pretty expensive..Lets say a 1 with a fair few 0's behind it;)


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## Ravage (Oct 16, 2009)

koz said:


> When I went thru, the Internationals sat out on the classified stuff.  They didn't get a tab, only a beret.



There was an article about one GROM guy who went through the same thing - got the Beret but not the Long Tab.


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## tipofthespear (Oct 16, 2009)

If we get the opportunity to jump on international courses like that, we should be held to the same standards and entry requirements. Including selection and assessment. If the candidate is not successful during SFAS why should the be allowed on the Q course? 
Theres alot of bonding that goes on during selection and if people are just given a 'free pass' to the course I could see that creating some problems among candidates.


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## kaja (Oct 17, 2009)

WOW, sounds great (if our army would have some more funds...). So the internationals will also have specialization training like 18D and so? 

BTW: Is there similar program around Pararescue, or Coast Guard rescue swimmers?


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## archade (Oct 17, 2009)

Dear sirs

Did I understand well :

The international student will go through Phase I and Phase II. He has to do as an american student for this both phases then he could go through the Q course. So if anyone is accepted in the international slot the guy is going to go through the Q course between 12 to 24 months right? (with the same skills as an american warrior but the classified one's)

Sorry for the english ( yeah I do know I need the phase II   )


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## TLDR20 (Oct 17, 2009)

Here is the thing with the international students. Sometimes they do not pull there weight, but they still pass. They know they are not performing to the same standard and still pass. 

As for 18D we had a few international students and two of them did not pass but were pushed through. They were given certificates of completion, not graduation. It is passed off as a language barrier, even though all spoke immaculate English. Though the people who came from more developed nations were normally extremely squared away, the guys from less developed nations struggled alot more.


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