Toughest combat unit

[IceFire]

Ok, I saw a thread below about someone who was trying to decide whether to join the Navy or Army.

This leads me to some other questions that I am curious about, who has the toughest/well trained combat unit in the U.S. military.

I know the Marines are tough, but are they really that much tougher/well trained than for example Army infantry? What about Army Special Forces?

Can an Army grunt later join the Marines/vice verca? What about in the Navy?

[Harnu]

The Marines are the toughest standard branch. ***Of the special units, I'd say SEALS would beat out the Ranger units. ***I'm not sure if the Marines has their own Special Ops unit. ***If they do I don/'t know the name of it. ***But Probably not, thenagain there was some dark stuff during NAM that maybe we had more well trained marines to do dirty work.

But the MEU's serve as an all purpose force. And since most are SOC (Special Operations Capable) i'd assume they that are.

[Red Oct]

i think Rangers are the toughest. they are the brute force of the US army. and maybe have the most challaging training. they also have very good survivle abilities.

[IceFire]

Yeah, I hear alot about Marines being a tough force.

What about the Army, they have any tough units other than Rangers or Special Forces?

Now that I think about it, what IS the Army used/known for?

Marines are the combat people. So what does the Army do?

[Red Oct]

i think the army uses the heavy weapons while the marines are more of fast mobile attack force. im not totally sure.

[[TU]$33ker]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Red Oct @ Mar. 14 2003,23:11)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">i think the army uses the heavy weapons while the marines are more of fast mobile attack force. im not totally sure.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
in my eyes the marines are like the army. they have artillery, tanks, and choppers. but they are even more. they have their own planes and they&#39;re used in amphibious operations. so what&#39;s the army good for??

[NavyEEL]

the basic Marine definitely has the upper hand when it comes to being well-trained. as far as basic (non-specialized) training goes, i&#39;d say the Marines are the best. every Marine knows how to run, shoot, and swim, and in combat, these are very valuable assets.

as for what the Army does... the Army is the premier ground fighting force. they do the "ground-pounding" so to speak. the majority of US Special Operations Forces are part of the Army. The Army has Rangers, Special Forces (aka Green Berets), the 160th SOAR, and the 1st SFOD Delta (aka Delta Force).

as for the Navy and Air Force, the Navy has Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams. the Air Force has Pararescue Jumpers as well as various special operations aviation units.

as far as what each unit does... Army Rangers are trained to "kill people and blow stuff up". plain and simple. Rangers are the gung-ho, fearless, high testosterone-level, super-Hooah Army soldiers. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) are trained to basically go into a foreign country and build up relations with its resistance fighters. they are well-educated and well-trained, and must be able to operate on their own for weeks and months at a time. the 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment) is the Army&#39;s special ops helicopter unit. they are tasked with providing helicopter support and transport for various US special operations units. their aircraft include MH-47 Chinooks, numerous variations of MH-60 Blackhawks, and AH/MH-6 Little Birds. 1st SFOD Delta, commonly referred to as "Delta Force," is the Army&#39;s premier counter-terrorist and hostage rescue unit. Delta operators are all quick, agile, intelligent, and expert marksmen. Air Force Pararescue Jumpers are mainly combat rescuers. they often go into enemy territory alone to recover downed pilots or other missing personnel. Air Force special operations aviation units include aircraft such as the MH-53 Pave Low, the MH-130, and the AC-130. Navy SEALs are the Navy&#39;s covert unit. trained to operate on "Sea, Air, or Land", they specialize in unconventional warfare, primarily in maritime environments, and are well-known for their ability to work completely undetected.

Well, this basically sums up US Special Operations Forces. if i&#39;ve left anything out, please let me know

[IceFire]

Yeah, is it true that soldiers and Marines can switch beteen the Army and Marines?

I heard that once, I didn&#39;t think that was realistic.

[Tex [USMC]]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (IceFire @ Mar. 14 2003,23:30)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Yeah, is it true that soldiers and Marines can switch beteen the Army and Marines?

I heard that once, I didn&#39;t think that was realistic.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
The only instance I know of where a soldier &#39;switches&#39; between services is occasionally when top-ranked service academy cadets request a transfer to their branch of choice (i.e. a West Pointer transferring to Annapolis, or vice-versa).

That being said, there is an enormous amount of crosstraining that goes on. I know a recon marine who has gone through Ranger and Airborne school, for example.

[edc]

The best-trained is probably Delta.