My son enlisted last November for the 18X contract which is for a CHANCE to go to Special Forces selection. He has already gone thur OSUT and will graduate Friday from Airborne School. I know you have to have a high ASVAB with a GT score of at least 110, pass a PT test and a Language test, which my son said one was of the hardest test that he has ever took. Just because you have SF in your contract doesn`t mean you will be SF. The training is very hard, physically and mentally and over 2 years long and you could fail out at any time. If you fail then the Army puts you in any job that they want. I know my son`s ASVAB score was 86 and almost all of his line scores were above 120 and his final PT score in basic was 293. There are more qualifications, but no they don`t just hand the contract out to anyone. My son knows that he could fail out at any time but he has the attitude that he will die trying. I have some reservations about his choice of wanting to do SF but it is his life and I support him 110%. I wish you all the best if this is what you truly want and go into it with the right attitude and maybe you will succeed.

Similar to the Navy’s SEAL/BUDS enlistment option; this is a way for the Army to fill Infantry slots with all of those that fail to complete SFAS. You’re right it is in your contract but it is up to you to make it, if not you’re another trained 11B for a line unit.

Good luck.

There a couple of different factors at work here.

First, every recruiting station (and every recruiter, for that matter) has a little bit different technique and style. Some recruiters tend to sell the adventure side of the Army more effectively than others. This would result in a lot of applicants signing up for more adventurous jobs, like 18X. On the other hand, some recruiters sell the technology side of the Army more effectively, so they get more applicants to sign up for Signal and Military Intelligence type jobs.

Also, recruiting has been going very well recently. This means that the “easy” jobs in the Army tend to fill up very quickly, leaving only the jobs that are difficult to qualify for, like 18X.

The initial qualifications for 18X are not terribly difficult to achieve. It is certainly more difficult to intially qualify for 18X than regular infantry, or even Airborne Ranger; but it is not impossible to achieve. The real test comes when you are going through your training, and you go through selection. The secret here is that the Army does not really expect everyone who enlists as an 18X to actually make it through selection, at least not on the first try. Still, you do get a guarantee of Infantry Training and Airborne School. Even if you don’t make it through selection on the first try, you can re-apply for SF later on (I believe every 6 months). You could also apply for assignment to the Ranger Regiment.

The other factor at work here is that the Army really does need a lot of 18Xs. SF has been expanding somewhat, and senior SF folks have been leaving the Army in pursuit of high-paying civilian jobs. The Army has 5 (I believe) SF Groups, which all need to be fully manned.

So, to summarize:
Your recruiting station is selling 18X effectively.
SF is a high priority job for the Army.
The Army over-sells 18X, somewhat.
An 18X Contract with the Army is not a guarantee of becoming Special Forces, but it will put you on the track to become SF, and guarantee you combat arms.

I hope that helps.

Good Luck

You can get it in the contract. However it is up to YOU to make sure you have the will and want to EARN a green beret. The Army is full of options and since the start of the 18X program the special forces have had a new way to get recruits to enter thier training programs. If you choose to go into the program good luck.

The Army is bigger so there are more avenues. The Army is offering this but most do not make it. You can.

Sit in your living room and think about what is important.

The day you make it will be the finest day of your life.