SFAS (Special Forces Assessment and Selection)

Thank you, hawk. I may have not been clear, but being enlisted, although I believe I would enjoy it, is not what I want to do. I have done my research on Ranger/SF/SFOD-D/etc., but I will be continuing it as nomination time nears.

As for the pipeline I'm interested in, I want to go for the 'basic HTML' Commission-> Infantry-> SF. Action is not as important as serving, even though I would rather serve where there is action.

I apologize for neglecting to go to my "core question," that of if USMA prepares its Cadets for the more strenuous schools, and I thank you for pointing that out.

As for my expressed opinions on the 18X contract, I agree that I am not in a position to make valid claims about it. However, from my research I have garnered that the Army uses it to gather more 11Bs/11Cs (correct me if they don't train 11Cs from that pool). I don't disregard anyone from choosing that route. Even if I were a senior enlisted SF, I would not. It is a personal choice to be made with consideration of personal motivations.

Although I would be glad to serve in any unit of any branch of the Military, my goals are to go to USMA, branch into Infantry, then go to SF, excelling in all of these fields. I have little to no desire to go for any other units, and, may I make it clear, I will serve to my greatest capacity wherever the US government and people need me.

I have not heard anything of "early Ranger via USMA." As I look that up, can you give me info on that (I want to start studying the pipelines of other units).

P.S. I really wouldn't consider that 'going full hooah.' As I typed that, I thought it was rather stoic. I can see what you were thinking looking back at it, though. I guess all those aspiring SF kids on the internet think they sound stoic.
 
First off, some background. It would be worth reading about competitive MIADS. This article is a decent start, and there are others like this each year: http://www.usma.edu/news/SitePages/2013 MIAD tryouts.aspx

What people were sort of telling you is that if you want to go "special" anything (SF/Ranger, etc) that it's a very long path that starts with being the best HS possible to get a USMA appointment. Be the best USMA cadet possible to get the desirable MIADS, competitive MIADS, competitive club tryouts, leadership slots, Sandhurst, etc.

This means being strong in all three pillars: Academic, Military, and Physical. Good class rank (which means doing well in all three areas) will lead to getting the branch, and ultimately the post/unit you want.

If you want to do Special Operation Command things (SF, Ranger, etc) your best bet for prep is Infantry, although SF will take officers from many branches. But you will see a clear trend. Ranger regiment is even heavier IN focused for entry as an officer. There are defined tracks and timelines, and you can learn much about them on the Army website.

Experienced officers will tell you the best way to get that Ranger/SF slot is to be the best LT you can be, ideally with a big dose of light experience, etc. (But as mentioned, SF will take non IN officers, but they are good ones!)

If you go the IN route, you will go to IBOLC, plus in nearly all cases Ranger School, and in most cases an Airborne slot if you did not do it as a cadet. IBOLC should prepare you well for Ranger School if you take it seriously. Grads I know who are now through IBOLC and in or through RS trained all through their IBOLC, and some even prior while at USMA to be ready for the physical side.

As to early Ranger, it's a relatively new program that is trying to solve a problem the Army has. They have a glut of USMA and ROTC 2LT's entering Ranger School in Jan/Feb/Mar due to the timing of May graduation and the duration of IBOLC. In addition to creating a volume issue during those months it also puts the bulk of 2LT's in as winter Rangers, which has a higher recycle rate & attrition rate as other times. (Ex: Less than 5% of Ranger School students who start in the January class go straight through without recycling, it has the worst overall stats for recycle/attrition)

So the early Ranger program allows highly fit and ranked USMA grads the option to attempt Ranger School prior to IBOLC. It's tough, and in many aspects trades the difficult winter ranger aspects for the difficulty of do RS without some of the critical skills learned in IBOLC. It's a tradeoff for sure, and pass rates are not dramatically different for 2014. 2015 stats are not out yet. But it does dodge the Jan/Feb winter which is a grind and it also pretty much guarantees you a 2nd shot at RS if you do not pass. But it also lengthens the time before your go to your unit as you do an additional prep school (RTAC).

There is specific prep assigned to cadets selected for early ranger, and it's a big commitment.

When it's all said and done, the prep is largely the same... The things you'd do to be good at Sandhurst are the things to prepare for IBOLC /RS /SFAS /RASP-II, etc. And to a certain extent, to be a strong IN officer in a competitive light unit. (82nd, 173rd, etc).
 
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I share your passion for the Green Berets, buddy. Ever since I've considered becoming an officer I've known that I ultimately want to become an 18A.
I had the same doubts about SFAS at West Point, but I cleared them up at SLE, when I asked if we could try out for it while being a cadet. The answer was NO. But, we can take SERE school and if you want to be a diver, there is combat diver school, and we can take Airborne and participate in the small unit tactics team while at west Point to give us an edge in our career choice.
Also, Ranger school was closed to cadets because a cadet died a couple of years ago while participating in it. At least, that's what I was told at SLE last year. But we can do all of that once (if) we graduate. (That's the whole idea anyways, lol). I would suggest first, gain admission to WP, then, join any clubs and teams that will give you extra experience and knowledge on tactics and infantry. It would be favorable to branch infantry (it's not necessary though, green berets come from different branches, but infantry might give you an edge since you'll be put in charge of an infantry platoon and that looks well on the selection process for SFAS). Make sure you keep to date all of the requirements for SF, like the secret clearance, the promotable 1Lt status, the courses and skills (Airborne, Ranger, etc) for becoming an 18A.
I've been investigating the Special Forces for quite some time, since it's also my dream to become an 18A. It's nice to hear of someone else sharing the same path that I want to take. (WP, SFAS, FULL HOOAH!)

PM me if you want to stay in touch. @Andromeda
 
Just so you two know there is a club that a friend of mine is part of where they learn about this kind of thing, sometimes guest speakers. It's called irregular warfare group and if you guys are interested in this kind of thing or just want to learn more about the military it is a good source of info. Ive been to a couple of their briefs and they were all very cool.
 
civic29 said:
Just so you two know there is a club that a friend of mine is part of where they learn about this kind of thing, sometimes guest speakers. It's called irregular warfare group and if you guys are interested in this kind of thing or just want to learn more about the military it is a good source of info. Ive been to a couple of their briefs and they were all very cool.
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Thanks for the info! I'll be sure to check it out as soon as I earn my appointment (hopefully).
 
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