From the South African Recce Association, on Special Forces Selection
Pre-selection Phase
The South African Special Forces Pre Selection Phase - referred to through the years by various names - is equivalent to most other Special Forces Selections. It duration is six weeks or more. During this period, potential candidates may at any time ask to leave the course, or they will be removed from the course by the instructors if they fail any of the weekly academic and physical tests, or display indiscipline or any other undesirable personality or psychological characteristics under pressure. Other than providing the students with basic infantry training to ensure that the potential candidates are all brought onto the same standard militarily, the Pre -selection Phase has two primary aims, they being:-
To place the potential candidates under consistent extremely stressful physical and mental circumstances for an extended period, which will further reduce the number of potential candidates for Selection, as only the most strongest potential candidates physically and mentally and those who possess great resources of determination and stamina, can possibly complete the Pre-selection Phase.
To build up the physical strength and stamina of the potential candidates to the highest possible level prior to Selection, as otherwise the very real possibility would exist of death occurring amongst potential candidates during Selection, due to the incredibly extreme physical exertion experienced during it.
For the duration of the Pre-selection Phase, potential candidates undergo a 6-and-a-half day week, of up to 18 to 20 hours a day. The routine includes basic infantry lectures and training, extreme and continuous PT sessions, increasingly long route marches with increasingly heavy kit, and other similar challenges including daily and weekly PT and academic tests that must be passed. Every day, steadily increasing PT tests must be passed or the potential candidate will be taken off course. Similarly, the route marches are speed marches, which must be completed in the given time, or the candidate is taken off course. Weekly written examinations on relevant subject matter must be passed, or the candidate is taken off course. Other than the extreme and continuous PT and other extreme physical pressure, the Phase is planned and implemented to as to apply the most extreme and consistent psychological pressure on the potential candidates too. This, combined with very little sleep, ensures that only potential candidates who can remain calm, focused and stable under very extreme circumstances, and who really have the strongest possible patience, will, self-confidence, self-discipline and determination to continue and succeed under any circumstances, and who have tremendous physical and psychological strength and stamina, will complete the Pre-selection Phase, and be allowed to attempt the Special Forces Selection. Usually, less than a third of the potential candidates who are allowed to attempt the Pre-selection Phase will successfully complete it, and be allowed to attempt the Special Forces Selection.
Selection
Selection is an event during which candidates are placed in an extremely mentally and physically demanding set of situations and circumstances through which they must pass. It is approximately a week long.
Selection is carefully and specifically designed so as to be impossible for a human being to complete on finite physical resources alone. In order to be able to complete selection, one has to draw on the infinite resources of the mind, as well as resources of will and spirit, to possibly continue and complete.
For the duration of Selection, the candidates do not sleep or eat, and have no rest period at all.
At all relevant stages of Selection (most of Selection) potential candidates are accompanied by Qualified Operators, as well as psychologists, who monitor and control the potential candidates at all times. Psychometric tests are also given to potential candidates at various stages of Selection.
Any candidate who exhibits signs of overt aggression, hostility, inability to work in a team, or other undesirable characteristics will be immediately removed from the course by one of the qualified Operators or Psychologists accompanying the candidates. This is in addition to candidates who request to leave the course or fall out.
The purpose of the selection is to simulate the most extreme physically and mentally stressful conditions that could ever possibly be experienced by a human being operationally,in order to see how the potential candidates. will adapt to the situations. This is done to ensure that only the most stable, disciplined, self-disciplined and resourceful persons - who are able to tap into the infinite strength of the mind as opposed to merely physical attributes - are able to succeed and pass. Many persons who pass selection have a physically small or weak appearance and many who fail are physically immensely strong.
As mentioned, Selection is designed to be physically impossible for a human being to complete on finite physical resources alone, forcing the candidate to utilize all of his physical and mental capabilities in order to succeed in completing the seclection.
However, once the subtle barrier to the mind has been passed, the candidates are able to using this infinite power of the mind - control all feelings of fear, anxiety, stress, exhaustion or any other aspect and are able to will their bodies to continue indefinitely under any circumstances, while undergoing physical conditions and demands that would otherwise be humanly impossible to achieve.
Once a candidate reaches this stage, nothing will stop him and he would be able to continue under these circumstances indefinitely. Also, once a candidate reaches this stage where he has effectively completed and is completing the impossible the concept of something being “impossible” is broken forever. This is why the South African Special Forces are able to undertake operations and endure physical and mental conditions that for others are impossible because after Selection nothing is impossible for us anymore.
Only an extremely small percentage of persons who begin Selection ever pass it. On occasion no candidate has managed to pass Selection,and there are other instances where or only 1 or 2 persons out of an entire Selection group manage to pass.
About 95% to 100% of persons who complete Selection will go on to complete the rest of the Special Forces Operators Basic Training Cycle.
