Career Overview
Lead elite teams that implement unconventional operations by air, land, or sea during combat or peacetime. These activities include offensive raids, demolitions, reconnaissance, search and rescue, and counterterrorism. In addition to their combat training, special forces officers often have specialized training in swimming, diving, parachuting, survival, emergency medicine, and foreign languages. Duties include directing advanced reconnaissance operations and evaluating intelligence information; recruiting, training, and equipping friendly forces; leading raids and invasions on enemy territories; training personnel to implement individual missions and contingency plans; performing strategic and tactical planning for politically sensitive missions; and operating sophisticated communications equipment.
Alternate Job Titles
- Advanced Seal Delivery System
- Combatant Diver Officer
- Combatant Diver Qualified (Officer)
- Commanding Officer, Special Warfare Team
- Control and Recovery, Combat Rescue
- Control and Recovery, Special Tactics
- Executive Officer, Special Warfare Team
- Parachute/Combatant Diver Officer
- Parachutist/Combatant Diver Qualified (Officer)
- Sea-Air-Land Officer
- Seal Delivery Vehicle Officer
- Special Forces Officer
- Special Forces Warrant Officer
- Special Weapons Unit Officer
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.