Pakistan’s “Black Storks” has made it to the list of world’s top ten special operations forces. The list was compiled by the Armed Forces History Museum in Florida. Countries across the globe train special ops forces within their military, so it was quite challenging coming up with the list of top ten. Special operations forces are best of the best in a country’s military; they take impossible challenges and make it possible. Here goes the list of ten best special ops forces.
10- Spetsnaz of Russia
Russian Spetsnaz is different from other special ops forces in that they are exposed to harsh physical punishment every day. They are trained to endure physical pain and “enjoy” it because they can’t ignore it. Many of the bodyguards for top politicians in Russia are chosen from the Spetsnaz.
9- Pakistan Special Service Group
They are the best of the best in Pakistan. The Pakistan SSG is popularly known as “Black Storks.” That name is derived from their unique headgear. They are trained for hostage rescue, direct action, counter-terrorist, asymmetric warfare, personnel recovery, foreign internal defense and unconventional warfare. The Armed Forces History Museum compared Pakistan SSG to the U.S. Army’s Green Berets.
8- Eko Cobra of Austria
This unit is involved primarily in counter-terrorism activities. Despite their quick involvement in the war against terrorism, the Eko Cobra retains a low profile. Their covert missions receive little media coverage, but they are still considered among the best and most efficient.
7- French Army Special Forces Brigade
The French special ops group has one of the “most rigorous qualification training programs in the world.” The group is divided into specially-trained areas.
6- GROM of Poland
Poland activated GROM in 1980 in response to terrorist threats. They are trained to handle a variety of unconventional warfare roles and threats. The nation didn’t even acknowledge their existence until 1994. But the group has converted into a special military formation, and is today considered among the best commando units in NATO.
5- Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (GSG9) of Germany
GSG9 is the special ops group of German federal police. They specialize in counter-terrorism. The unit was formed after German police failed to free 11 Israeli athletes who were kidnapped during the Summer Olympics Games in 1972.
4- Israeli Shayetet 13
This group shares the “Never Again” motto of Israeli Army, which refers to the Holocaust. Though Israel also has two other special ops units, Shayetet 13 resembles the Delta Force of U.S. Army. They are specially trained in counter-terrorism and rescuing the hostages. Shayetet 13 remains an extremely secretive group.
3- U.S. Army Delta Force
Delta Force is the only official U.S. unit focused on counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency and hostage rescues. An individual has to go through rigorous physical test to get selected for this special ops force.
2- U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6
United States created this team in October 1980 after a failed attempt to rescue American hostages held in Iran. The Team 6 consists of four lines of squadrons: red, blue, gold and silver.
1- British Special Air Service (SAS)
The SAS’s training is similar to that of U.S. SEALs, but the British group’s training in counter-espionage is far more complex. SEALs and SAS get similar training as they sometimes work together.
