United States Special Forces, commonly referred to as Green Berets, are some of the most skilled operators U.S. Special Operations has at its disposal. From learning a second language to having a diverse knowledge of weapons systems around the world, all the way to being able to independently sustain and operate deep within foreign territory for months at a time, these operators have just as much brains as they do brawn. It’s no secret that they are known for their exceptional skill and professionalism in modern warfare.
While the title Green Beret holds its own weight, there are opportunities for them to elevate to a level few can ever reach. Imagine everything a Green Beret is, but add in a mastery of direct action, assaults, and the ability to partake in and excel in some of the U.S. military’s most secretive and intense missions. That would be a Green Beret in the renowned Delta Force, one of the U.S. Army’s elite Tier One units.
That begs the question, if Green Berets are so capable, why do they have a Tier One counterpart? What are the differences between a Tier One Green Beret and a Tier Two Green Beret? And most of all, what do they both contribute to the world of special operations? We’re going to answer all of those questions for you and much more.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: THE TIER SYSTEM
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: WHO ARE GREEN BERETS?
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: GREEN BERETS’ ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: GREEN BERETS’ COMBAT ROLE
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF DELTA FORCE?
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: DELTA FORCE'S ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: HOW TO BECOME A GREEN BERET
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: HOW TO BECOME A DELTA FORCE OPERATOR
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: CONCLUSION
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: THE TIER SYSTEM
Before we jump into the fascinating complexities and differences between Tier One Green Berets and Tier Two Green Berets, let’s make a few things clear first - and this is important. First off, while we know Delta Force pulls from every branch in the U.S. military, and you don’t necessarily need to be in special operations to try out for it, a large portion of them are Green Berets. For the purposes of this blog post, we’re going to be focusing on the Green Berets, who are Delta Force Operators.
Additionally, outside of the tier one units, military units aren’t really referred to by their numbered tier. You’re not going to see the Green Berets referring to themselves as a Tier Two unit, nor would you really see Delta Force refer to themselves as a Tier One unit. The tier system is generally an unsaid or unwritten way of “organizing” or marginalizing military units. In a nutshell, the Tier Two and Tier One terms are more for simplicity’s sake. Don’t let the number define the unit - Green Berets and Delta Force Operators are more accurately represented by their respective missions, purposes, and funding.
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: WHO ARE GREEN BERETS?
As we’ve said, U.S. Army Special Forces are known to the public as Green Berets — but they call themselves The Quiet Professionals.
A U.S. Army Green Beret is an expert in foreign internal defense and unconventional warfare. This means that they can be in South America training military police to fight drug cartels or assembling guerrilla armies in Vietnam. In other words, they can deploy deep behind enemy lines with little to no outside support and turn local guerrillas into a small army. And doing that is no easy feat. In order to mesh well with their partners, they train to be experts on the culture and language, able to win their hearts and minds.
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: GREEN BERETS’ ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Each Green Beret fulfills an important role within their 12-man Operational Detachment Alphas, or ODA’s, by leveraging their unique skill sets derived from their own training and MOS. Not counting 18X, there are 8 MOS’s within the Green Beret community. They range from weapons guys to medics to senior enlisted officers. While there are areas of focus for these MOS’s, every Green Beret conducts cross-training to be as versatile as possible.
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: GREEN BERETS’ COMBAT ROLE
Green berets are very unique in that they can be utilized throughout the three stages of the operational continuum: Peacetime, Conflict, and War. Naturally, this enables them to operate in places no one would even expect. They could be preventing something from popping off, mitigating another circ*mstance halfway across the globe, or actively engaging in conflict somewhere else. Green Berets have a lot on their plate and pursue seven doctrinal missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, special reconnaissance, counterterrorism, counter-proliferation, and information operations.
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF DELTA FORCE?
Tier One Green Berets, on the other hand, work in the capacity of Delta Force operators. They do their work in the shadows, as the Department of Defense rarely ever comments publicly on the highly secretive unit and its activities.
Delta Force operators are tasked with performing complex, classified, and dangerous missions ranging from hostage rescue, counterterrorism, direct action, special reconnaissance, capturing high-value targets, and dismantling terrorist cells. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as they can be utilized in a multitude of other unique, high-stakes missions. They are trained in a vast array of skills, ranging from CQB, direct action, hand-to-hand combat, and advanced marksmanship, meaning they can be ready for whatever comes their way. As such, Delta Force operators have been involved in numerous high-profile operations, including the capture of Saddam Hussein, assisting with the evacuation of personnel from the embassy during the 2012 Benghazi attack, and capturing drug kingpin El Chapo.
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: DELTA FORCE'S ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Instead of 12-man ODAs, Tier One Green Berets operate in slightly different elements. Among others, Delta Force has four assault squadrons, named A, B, C, and D, respectively. Each of these has two direct action assault troops, which consist of shooters, and a recon and surveillance troop, which has shooters and snipers. This structure is inspired by the British Special Air Service.
Tier One Green Berets and Tier Two Green Berets leverage their skill sets differently. Because Tier Two Green Beret units tend to focus more on sustained operations revolving around foreign internal defense and unconventional warfare, they will typically operate in a designated geographical environment with less of a combat-oriented mission, whereas Tier One Green Berets are heavily involved with direct action and assaults and are capable of worldwide deployment at a moment’s notice wherever they are needed.
This isn’t to say that Tier Two Green Berets aren’t trained up to be shooters if need be—quite the contrary. Because every Green Beret is trained to be able to operate deep within enemy lines or foreign territory, they must possess marksmanship skills and have the requisite knowledge to utilize a whole slew of weapons systems that exist out there.
If you were to boil it down to one thing, you could say that the main difference between a Tier One and Tier Two Green Beret is experience. Think about it: a Green Beret goes through a rigorous two-year pipeline and constantly trains and deploys throughout their career. Because Delta Force typically pulls seasoned Green Berets to try out for their selection process, most, if not all, of the Green Berets within the unit, have multiple deployments under their belt and years of experience operating in that capacity. They excelled as Green Berets and were hand-picked based on their individual traits, leadership skills, and ability to stand out amongst their peers. That’s not to say Tier Two Green Berets aren’t also seasoned and experienced; there are plenty of them who serve their time without any interest in Delta Force and are still the best of the best.
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: HOW TO BECOME A GREEN BERET
So, with that explained, how does one become a Tier One Green Beret? You might be surprised to read this, but you have to become a Tier Two Green Beret first! As we said, becoming a Green Beret requires you to go through a difficult and arduous training pipeline that is roughly 2 years in length. After attending Army Basic Training, Advanced Individual Training, and Airborne School, candidates attend the Special Forces Preparation Course, then the Special Forces Assessment and Selection referred to as SFAS, which is a four-week gut check used as a filtering process to see who really wants to be there. After that, they move onto the Special Forces qualification course, known as the “Q” course, where they receive the meat and potatoes of their training to become a Green Beret, such as their language proficiency training and MOS-specific training. The time to finish the Q course varies here, as it really depends on the candidate’s MOS. After this, they don the Green Beret and go on to train, operate, and excel as Special Forces soldiers.
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: HOW TO BECOME A DELTA FORCE OPERATIVE
If they’ve proven themselves to be a suitable candidate, they can apply or get tapped to try out for Delta Force selection. Delta Force’s selection has a reputation for its arduous land navigation and rucking evolutions. From 18-mile land navigation courses to a 40-mile ruck march, candidates who have already proven themselves must now do it again at a level they’ve never had to before.
But it’s not just about how in shape they are; they must also prove that they are mentally suitable for the rigorous work of a Tier One operator. They’re put in front of a board of psychologists, instructors, and the Delta Force commander and are heavily scrutinized with questions, tests, and evaluations. The odds of passing selection are slim, as the attrition rate is known to be upwards of 90 percent, and that’s really saying something because we can’t stress this enough. Most of the candidates are special operators who have already proven themselves in both selection and combat.
If selected, they move on to the six-month Operator Training Course. Here, they learn the fundamentals of being a Tier One operator in Delta Force. OTC is said to have six training blocks, which are: marksmanship, demolitions and breaching, combined skills, tradecraft, executive protection, and then a culmination exercise.
So next time you hear about, or someone mentions, Delta Force, you could let them know just how much these operators have to go through to be the best of the best.
GREEN BERETS vs. DELTA FORCE: CONCLUSION
Tier One or Tier Two, Green Berets are some of the most unique and capable special operators in the world of SOF. While Tier One Green Berets might go through some additional training and undertake some more high-speed missions, don’t walk away from this blog post thinking that a Delta Force Operator is “better” or more badass than a Green Beret; just appreciate that both go above and beyond to serve and protect the United States honorably.
If you want to read about other Tier One and Tier Two comparisons, we've got blog posts on the Army Rangers and Navy SEALs. You should definitely go check them out if you want to learn more about special operations. There’s also our blog post detailing what the various MOSs do in the Green Berets.
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