The Biggest Differences Between The Green Berets And Delta Force

Military special forces have a mystique all their own. Who are these nameless, faceless, elite few who prowl the globe conducting super-secret operations that the rest of us will never know about? Barring the occasional, high-profile, "We killed Osama bin Laden" kind of case that an outfit like SEAL Team Six can take credit for. Each branch of the military has Special Operations Forces (SOF) like Marine Raiders, Air Force Pararescuemen, and Navy SEALs. Some of these are better known than others, and sometimes it's not clear what the differences are between them, like in the case of Green Berets vs. Delta Force.

For those in the know, the differences between Green Berets and Delta Force will be obvious. But even so, there are similarities. Both are contained within the U.S. Army, for instance, rather than another branch of the military. Both handle unorthodox missions beyond that of a typical rank-and-file soldier (no disrespect intended). Both are highly trained in specialized domains requiring equal parts technical skills, physical endurance, intellectual acuity, and keen decision-making. And, both demand some seriously top-end fitness from their members.   

But beyond such broad strokes, differences accumulate. Green Berets recruit from the Army or directly from the civilian population, provided civilians sign a special forces 18x contract and complete all Green Beret training. Delta Force, however? You've got to have a four-year active duty minimum, and they usually recruit from other special forces — like Green Berets. There are plenty of other differences, some of which possibly never know. That's because the U.S. government has never even admitted that Delta Force even exists. 

Right now, you can go to the Go Army website and apply to be a Green Beret. And we say "apply," because the site lays out and describes Green Beret requirements like a job application. There are different sets of strict requirements depending on if you're a civilian or if you're already in the Army. These include age, physical fitness, passing the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test with a score of 110 or higher if you're a civilian, having a certain military rank if you're in the Army, etc. Then there's the MOS 18x Special Forces Candidate site that goes even deeper, has info on pay and bonuses, a list of current open positions like "Indirect Fire Infantryman," descriptions of training, and more. There's a procedure, follow the procedure, and the procedure produces known outcomes. Bam: You're a Green Beret. 

So how about Delta Force? Where's the recruitment website, the pay info, the details regarding requirements and training? Womp, womp: You won't find it. That's because, officially, a strange detail about Delta Force is that it doesn't exist. Yes, despite everyone knowing that Delta Force exists, and despite there even being a 1986 Chuck Norris movie about "the Unit," the U.S. government has never once openly stated, "There is this crack team of special military operatives known as Delta Force." All information we have about Delta Force comes from the lips of operatives who've popped up in interviews to tell combat tales, describe their training, discuss operations, and more. So much for military secrets, huh?

We already mentioned that the Go Army website is the Green Beret recruitment portal. That's because Green Berets are one of the Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the U.S. Army, like Rangers and Night Stalkers. We also mentioned that each branch of the military has its own SOF, like the Navy SEALs and Air Force Combat Controllers. Each group operates under a certain command structure like Marine Raiders reporting back to Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC), which itself has a support unit and office staff equaling about 3,500 people. All of these various military special forces outfits, Green Berets included, ultimately report back to the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), a joint military government organization.

And Delta Force? Once again, they're different. No matter that Delta Force is officially an Army outfit, it recruits from all military branches. It's so elite, in fact, that it pulls from other special forces. Retired Delta Force operative George Hand IV told Insider that Delta Force was "about 60% Green Berets, 39% Rangers, and 1% random guys, such as cooks, chaplain assistants, and mechanics" back when he was in active service. Over time, he said, there's been a greater influx of special forces operatives like Air Force Pararescuemen and the aforementioned Marine Raiders. And no matter the secrecy surrounding Delta Force, we know that they have strict recruitment guidelines like any other SOF, including non-officers needing a rank of sergeant and everyone needing a four-year service minimum.

Normal, pre-special forces Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) requirements encompass things like sprinting, dragging, throwing, planking, and also exercises you'd find at a gym, like deadlifts and push-ups. To make it into the Green Berets you've got to push further. There are minimum, very exact scores on various physical tests needed to quality as a Green Beret, like doing 66 sit-ups and finishing a 2-mile run in 14:24. "Top candidates," as the Army National Guard says, will do much better than that. Then, as Go Army says, you've got a six-week Special Forces Preparation Course and 53-week Special Forces Qualification Course (that's a year, folks) that culminates in a, "staged invasion of the fictional country of Pineland." 

As for Delta Force, think about it like this: Delta Force pulls candidates from outfits like the Green Berets, and 90% of them fail. Yes, 90% of utter badasses from the Green Berets, Navy SEALs, Marine Raiders, Air Force Pararescuemen, etc., fail the physical requirements to get into Delta Force. As far as we know (super secret organization, remember), these requirements include some of the same tests you'd find in the ACFT, plus things like swimming 100 meters in boots and a timed, 40-mile hiking route through tough terrain while carrying a 45-pound rucksack. That's just the first step — the three-to-four-week Assessment and Selection (A&S). Then, there's a six-month Operator Training Course (OTC). Then, you're monitored to see if you can hack it.

Because Green Berets and Delta Force are both so elite, you could rightly assume that neither outfit is going to be tasked with rank-and-file battlefield activities. That being said, there's got to be a difference between their specializations, otherwise, why do both exist? The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) doesn't exactly broadcast the details of its operations — nor should it. So, we've got to speak in generalities when talking about the differences in missions between both outfits.

When looking at the Green Berets, "unconventional" is the byword. Go Army says that Green Berets do all sorts of high-IQ military activities like reconnaissance in hostile territories, counterinsurgency actions, atypical combat actions like equipping a local resistance cell, and so forth. The Green Beret Foundation says much the same and emphasizes the versatility of Green Berets by pointing out that they currently operate in 80 countries worldwide. Also, Berets have to mandatorily learn a foreign language suited to their deployment.

So what areas does Delta Force tackle? Well, we know that they specialize in hostage rescue, an assertion confirmed by multiple former Delta Force members in an interview with David Hookstead (via YouTube). Reaperfeed also has multiple, older pictures of Delta Force members in undercover situations amongst locals in Afghanistan. Yet other times, like when they provided escort for General Norman Schwarzkopf during the Gulf War in 1991, they dressed like office dudes wearing collared, button-down shirts and eyeglasses. So what does Delta Force do? Whatever's required, it seems.

Given the general theme of this article so far — Green Berets are highly specialized and elite, and Delta Force even more so — you'd be correct in assuming that there are more Green Berets in existence than Delta Force members. Exact numbers are a bit difficult to suss out, but we can get a close approximation.

As Task and Purpose describes, Green Berets are separated into numbered groups labeled 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10. Each group is further split into four segments: a Headquarters and Headquarters Company, a Group Support Battalion, four Special Forces Battalions, and a Battalion Support Company. Groups 19 and 20 also operate within the National Guard, which means they stay domestic. Taking all support staff into account, down to the guy who prints PDFs in offices, each group contains about 3,000 people, so the combined groups equal roughly 21,000.

That's a lot more people than Delta Force, however, even considering support and office staff. As far as we know, Delta Force consists of about 2,000 total individuals across all functions and a mere 300 to 400 combatants. Modeled after the U.K.'s Special Air Service (SAS), My Base Guide says that Delta Force has six squadrons — A, B, C, and D (assault), Squadron E (aviation), Squadron G ("clandestine" activities), and the Combat Support Squadron, a catch-all that consists of intelligence and medical personnel, amongst others. The quantity of personnel in each squadron is unknown.