Special Forces

We proudly welcome the Texas National Guard's first Special Forces Unit: Charlie Company, 5th Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) C-5-19 SFG(A). If you would like to become a Special Forces Soldier in Texas, or just want to learn more, we invite you to look around.
Texas Special Forces

About SF Soldiers

Special Forces Soldiers:

  • Are part of a unique, unconventional combat arms organization.
  • Are known as the "quiet professionals" and sometimes referred to as "green berets".
  • Are the most versatile Special Operations (SO) Soldiers in the world.
  • Are highly trained and tested, and must pass a rigorous qualification course at Fort Bragg.
  • Are the world's premier Unconventional Warfare (UW) operators.

The life of a Special Forces Soldier is rewarding, but is also stressful and challenging. Here are a few of the skills you must have and challenges you must manage to be successful:

  • Ability in military operations and intelligence
  • Communications
  • Medical aid
  • Engineering
  • Weapons
  • Ability to teach, train, advise, and assist partner-nation forces.
  • Ability to learn and adapt to an area's native language and culture.
    The National Guard SF Soldier:
  • Is held to the exact same standard as their active duty counterparts
  • Must find time away from their civilian jobs to attend mandatory schools, some of which can last nearly a year.
  • Must attend monthly drills and deployments well beyond "one weekend a month - two weeks a year".
Seven Core Tasks

Unconventional Warfare Operations (UW): UW is a broad spectrum of military and/ or paramilitary operations and activities, normally of long duration, conducted through with or by indigenous or surrogate forces who are organized, trained, equipped, supported and otherwise directed in varying degrees by an external source. UW can be conducted across the range of military operations against regular and irregular forces, state-sponsored or not

Foreign Internal Defense (FID): SF asses, train, advise, and assist host nation military and paramilitary forces in order to enable these forces to maintain the hostís nationís internal stability, to counter subversion and violence in their country and to address the causes of instability.

Direct Actions (DA): DA missions are short-duration strikes and other small scale offensive actions conducted in hostile, denied, or politically-sensitive environments. These missions employ specialized military capabilities to seize, destroy, capture, exploit, recover personnel or equipment or damage designated targets.

Special Reconnaissance (SR): SR actions are conducted in hostile, denied, or politically-sensitive environments to collect or verify information of strategic or operational significance, employing military capabilities not normally found in conventional forces. SR includes target acquisition, area assessment and post-strike reconnaissance

Counterterrorism (CT): CT operations include the offensive measures taken to prevent, deter, preempt and respond to terrorism. SF Soldiers apply specialized capabilities to conduct these operations in environments that may be denied to conventional forces because of political or threat conditions

Counter-proliferation (CP): CP actions are designed to locate, seize destroy, render safe, capture or recover weapons of mass destruction, or WMD, in order to prevent the acquisition of WMD and delivery systems, to roll back proliferation where it has occurred, and to deter the use of WMD and its delivery systems.

Support of Information Operations (IO): IO actions are taken to affect adversary information and information systems while defending one's own information and information systems in order to affect or defend information and information systems to influence decision making. IO includes electronic warfare, computer network operations, PSYOP, military deception and operations security in concert with targeting, special technologies and modeling capabilities to facilitate mission accomplishment across the range of military operations.

Special Forces FAQ

Q: What is SFPC?
A: Special Forces Predatory Course: 25 days long conducted at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Read the Accession Policy Memo.

Q: Do I have to be in the Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG) to attend Special Forces Assessment Drill (SFAD)?
A: All military personnel can attend SFAD. That includes: Army and Air Guardsmen from Texas or other States; Active Duty from any branch; Reservists from any branch; and Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR) personnel from any branch. Caveat – Active duty that are committed to ETSing need to talk to their Reserve Component Career Counselor (RCCC) first. IRR personnel need to talk to their manager and it may be that one will attend on their own, financially. All will need a memo signed from their commander (part of the SFAD packet). Civilians and Prior Service not on IRR status cannot attend until after enlistment.

Q:Is Special Forces the same as Delta Force, Navy SEALs, Para Rescue/Combat Controllers and Force Recon?
A:No. We all fall under Special Operations Command (SOCOM), but we all have our own unique mission. There is only one Special Forces, but we are all part of the Special Operations Community. Many times we work together.

Q: Is there a waiver for a GT Score of less then 110?
A: Yes. We can accept a waiver to 100. Caveat – It is in your best interest to re-test and increase your score. It will help if you are border-line in Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) or in the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC).

Q:Can I come straight into C Co 5-19th SFG(A) when I join the TXARNG?
A:If you are already qualified, yes. If you are not qualified, you will be assigned to another unit in the TXARNG. After successful completion of the SFQC, you will be transferred to C Company.

Q: What happens if I pass SFAS but do not finish SFQC?
A: If you are selected but you are removed from SFQC never to return; you will complete your enlistment obligation with your unit. If you are selected but are removed from the course under other circumstances; the command group will decide with the recommendation from the cadre, case by case basis on when you can return. You will continue to serve with your unit until after you return and complete the SFQC at which time you will be transferred to C Company.

Q: Will I move my family to Fort Bragg during training?
A: REP-63 personnel are the only ones that are PCS’ed. All others are mobilized for training with extended family visitation.

Q:What schools are afforded to SF?
A:The ones most inquired about are Ranger School, MFF, and SCUBA. These are not the only ones but the list is extensive. You will go to Airborne School, if not already qualified, before you go to SFQC.

Q: Will I get HALO or SCUBA school?
A: There is a possibility but no guarantee.

Q: Will I deploy?
A: Yes. At some point you will. You need to be prepared and you need to prepare your family.

Q: How long will it take to become a Special Forces soldier in C Co 5-19th SFG(A)?
A: From first serious contact/commitment to SFAD 1-3 months
SFAD to SFPC and SFAS 3 months
SFAS to Airborne School and SFQC 3-6 months
SFQC 14-16 months for 18A, 18B, 18C, and 18E
SFQC 19 months for 18D

Q: Is there an age limit?
A: Currently there is not an age limit for Special Forces, but Airborne School has an age limit of 47 years old.

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A Texas National Guard Recruiter is your best source of information on the benefits, terms, and obligations of joining.
Those who are interested can meet with a Recruiter using the Path to Honor program at NationalGuard.com