MARSOC, Navy SEALs, and Army Rangers: SOF by the numbers

January 17, 2024

How big is a SEAL team? How many Green Berets are there? We have answers.

The U.S. military’s special operations forces (SOF) are home to some of the most highly trained soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen in the world. They must undergo grueling assessments and selections before they make it into one of the prestigious SOF units under the umbrella of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

But exactly how big is a SEAL team? Are Army Rangers the largest unit in SOCOM? How does MARSOC, a relative newcomer to the SOF world, compare in size? Cold, hard numbers aren’t easy to come by, but they do exist.

Each unit’s assessment and selection allows only the best to serve within their ranks, so only a few graduate out of the many that try out. That’s why there are not hundreds of thousands of service members in each SOF unit, but numbers alone don’t explain why they are elite. Special operations units are masters of the fundamentals of warfare, and they generally have better funding, better training, fewer restrictions, and a near carte blanche to select the very best while getting rid of anyone who no longer maintains the standard.

We aren’t discussing the number of personnel in units that fall under the secretive Joint Special Operations Command, as that information is still a close-held secret. But almost everyone else? We got you.

How many Navy SEALs are in a SEAL team?

The U.S. Navy’s Navy Special Warfare Command (NSW) is staffed by both SEALs and their sister unit, the Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen. As of Nov. 2023, there are over 10,000 people assigned to NSW, comprised of SEALs, SWCC, civilian employees, and Navy Reserve personnel.

There are ten different Navy SEAL teams. Each team is composed of a headquarters element and eight 16-man SEAL platoons. Odd-numbered teams 1, 3, 5, and 7 are assigned to NSW Group One in Coronado, California, while the even-numbered teams 2, 4, 8, and 10 are under NSW Group Two in Little Creek, Virginia.

An O-6 Navy Commander generally commands a SEAL team, and an O-3 commands each platoon. As of November 2023, approximately 2,900 active duty Navy SEALs are assigned to NSW, and around 200 SEALs are on Reserve or Selected Reserve status.

To earn the SEALs’ coveted trident, sailors must undergo a grueling training pipeline starting with the notoriously difficult BUD/S course.

How many Green Berets are in an A-Team?

U.S. Army Special Forces break down into active duty groups numbered 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10. 19th and 20th Groups are on the U.S. Army National Guard side. Each group has a Headquarters and Headquarters Company, a Group Support Battalion, four Special Forces Battalions, and a Battalion Support Company.

Each group contains around 1,100 Green Berets who have endured the 12 to 24 months long Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) after they were selected during Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS). The length of the SFQC can vary by military occupational specialty (MOS). The support staff — who are not authorized a Special Forces tab or green beret — brings each group’s number up to approximately 3,000.

It’s important to understand that not everyone assigned to a group has earned the “long tab.” Support personnel cover down on a range of functions like counterintelligence and other capabilities. That’s not to be confused with the other Army SOF units, Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs, that may attach to an ODA during deployments and training.

Within each Special Forces battalion, there are six Special Forces Operational Detachments – Alpha (ODA), also known as an A-Team or SFOD-A. When fully staffed, Each A-Team is comprised of 12 soldiers: the team leader (usually a captain), a warrant officer who is the assistant commander, the team sergeant (usually a master sergeant), an intelligence sergeant, then two weapons sergeants, two medical sergeants, two communications sergeants, and two engineer sergeants.

Green Berets cross-train so that each member of an A-Team knows how to do another’s job — or multiple other jobs. It’s a testament to the highly diverse capabilities they bring to the battlefield.

They are supported by a 12-soldier Special Forces Operational Detachment – Bravo (SFOD-B), and one Special Forces Operational Detachment – Charlie (SFOD-C, or ODC) is the command and control element over the whole battalion.

How many Army Rangers are in the 75th Ranger Regiment?

Not to be confused with soldiers from across the military who have graduated Ranger School and returned to their units, Rangers are the premiere special operations direct action raid force. They are also among the only SOF units to make their support personnel undergo the same selection process as their “shooters.” So, everyone assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment has attended either Ranger Assessment and Selection Program 1 or 2, and earned the prestigious Ranger Scroll and tan beret.

Staff sergeants and above will attend RASP 2, while sergeants and below will attend RASP 1, which has a historical attrition rate of 47%. RASP 2 has a 28% attrition rate, but it should be noted that most soldiers attending RASP 2 are already serving in the 75th, and are assessing for a higher leadership role in the Regiment. Once you graduate, you don a tan beret and are assigned to one of five battalions. As of November 2023, just over 3,500 Rangers are assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment.

There are five battalions:

1st Ranger Battalion
2nd Ranger Battalion
3rd Ranger Battalion
Regimental Special Troops Battalion
Regimental Military Intelligence Battalion

Additionally, there is a Headquarters and Headquarters Company, which oversees the entire 75th Ranger Regiment.

There are generally four companies per battalion. Each line battalion is staffed by approximately 800 Rangers assigned to one of three rifle companies: A, B, or C. D company was originally a fourth rifle company but now is home to the specialty platoons like snipers and the mortar section, among others.

The Regimental Special Troops Battalion, Regimental Military Intelligence Battalion, and the Headquarters Company are staffed differently than the line battalions, and numbers fluctuate.

How many Marine Raiders are there?

Marine Raiders are organized as a single regiment comprising three battalions. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Raider Battalions rotate as the responsible party for conducting operations under AFRICOM, CENTCOM, and INDOPACOM.

Maj. Timothy Irish said approximately 1,000 Marine Raiders currently serving have undergone assessment and selection, including officers and enlisted. They are assigned throughout the three battalions. Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is staffed by 3,500 personnel in a variety of support roles. All sailors and Marines assigned to MARSOC are referred to as a Marine Raider, regardless of whether they have attended the assessment and selection process.

How many Air Force Combat Controllers and Pararescuemen are there?

Air Force Combat Controllers, known simply as CCTs, go through one of the most challenging training pipelines available in the U.S. military. Airmen undergo over two years of training to become one of the most lethal assets on the battlefield. CCTs can call in pin-point air strikes from fighter jets, naval gunfire, or even nuclear warheads.

There are approximately 660 CCTs on active duty, and in the Air National Guard and Air Reserve. They have a unique job that routinely takes them into the joint special operations environment throughout their entire career. They can be assigned to a Ranger strike force on one deployment and deploy with a SEAL platoon the next.

Pararescuemen, regularly referred to as PJs, endure arguably equally challenging training as their CCT brothers. They also can be attached to other SOF units or work independently on combat search and rescue missions out of various locations state-side and overseas. There are over 800 PJs on active duty, in the Air National Guard, or in reserve status.

Some PJ units are assigned to special tactics squadrons in the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), while others are assigned to Guardian Angel units. These specialized units are comprised of Combat Rescue Officers, Pararescuemen, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) Specialists, and other uniquely trained support personnel.

AFSOC breaks down into one active component Special Operations Wing, two active Special Operations Groups, one active Special Tactics Group, and two reserve Special Operations Wings. You can learn more about the infrastructure of all the different units under AFSOC here.

FAQs about special operations forces

You have questions, Task & Purpose has answers.

Q: Are there any female special operators?

A: There are both female Rangers and Green Berets. Capt. Kate Wilder was the first female to earn the coveted Special Forces “long tab” of the Green Berets. Multiple women have graduated from RASP and served in the 75th Ranger Regiment as well.

Q: How do you become a Special Forces soldier?

A: It depends on what your actual goal is. If you want to join the ranks of Army Special Forces, then you must graduate from Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) and the subsequent Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC).

Q: What are special operations forces?

A: Special operations forces, or SOF, is a general term that describes the various special operations units and personnel assigned to the U.S. Special Operations Command (US SOCOM).

Q: What SOF unit has saved the most SEALs?

A: Rangers have rescued SEALs more times than anyone can remember. Rangers lead the way.

by Patty Nieberg

A day of training with the Carl Gustaf rifle, according to one soldier with significant experience with it, can be like a full-contact football practice.

“I would equate it to getting a concussion in football, where you have headaches, nausea,” a senior non-commissioned officer told Task & Purpose. “I mean, I’ve literally seen people throw up after so many rounds.”

Long-term brain and head injuries have long been a concern for soldiers who absorb repeated shock waves in routine training with powerful weapons. A new Army study will examine how different exposures to firing .50 caliber rifles, the Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle and howitzer cannons impact soldier health. Researchers will also try to determine if factors like the type of job, medical history or sleep patterns put soldiers at higher risk for chronic health issues like those common among football players.

The research differs from previous studies in that it will not consider single, severe head injuries but instead examine the effects of many small ones over time.

“There’s been a lot of research on impacts following moderate to severe TBI and even mild TBI because that’s so common in the military,” Megan Douglas, clinical research psychologist for the Walter Reed Institute of Army Research, told Task & Purpose. “But things like repetitive head injuries, those subclinical groups, I don’t think we’ve looked as much about them.”

TBIs are among the most common injuries for soldiers

More than half a million troops have suffered traumatic brain injuries, TBIs, since 2000, according to Department of Defense estimates. Nearly 82% of those service members have been diagnosed with mild TBIs, which are diagnosed with confused, disoriented states or memory loss lasting less than 24 hours or a loss of consciousness for up to 30 minutes.

The congressionally funded Army studies will help researchers better understand “dose-specific effects of exposure to weapons” and how blast overpressure impacts the risk of long-term health issues. The findings could help add to existing Department of Defense guidelines that lay out safe distances and considerations for troops exposed to blast overpressures and help develop prognostic tools for more serious head and brain injuries, according to Douglas.

“The goals can be across many different potential intervention points, whether we prevent exposure because of risk factors or we mitigate exposure through safety measures,” she said.

One study will examine the effects of chronic repetitive head injuries and mild TBI from ‘tier 1’ weapons, which include shoulder-mounted weapons that launch rockets and grenades, .50 caliber sniper rifles and machine guns, howitzers and mortars, and specific explosive weights for breaching wall and door charges. To do this, researchers will compare soldiers in jobs like special operations, infantry and field artillery, who have more training around tier 1 weapons to others with limited exposure like combat medics.

Understanding blast overpressure

The blast overpressure exposure for infantry, artillery or special operations soldiers can vary widely because of different units’ training frequencies, soldiers told Task & Purpose on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the press.

Special operations soldiers overall get more training by the nature of their missions and smaller unit sizes, a senior enlisted soldier in charge of weapons training said.

“There were days that we would get dozens and dozens of Carl Gustaf rounds and then at the end of it, you’re ‘like my head hurts,’” the soldier said.

And with more frequent training comes more blast exposures. A special operations soldier might be required to train on wall and door breaches 21 days every quarter, with five to 10 charges each day. But regular armed forces might train with just 10 charges annually, according to a former special forces engineer who was an instructor at a demolitions range.

Using training rounds versus live ammo can also make a huge difference, an active duty artillery officer said. “For the mortar and artillery rounds, it’s 90% concrete with a small flash so on the shooting end of the mortar and artillery systems, it doesn’t make a difference because it’s the same propelling charge. But on the receiving end, it’s a lot different,” he said. “For the shooting of the shoulder-fired weapons, that’s where you get the best difference because you’re basically shooting a pistol as opposed to shooting an explosive rocket.”

The artillery officer said he’s noticed a cultural shift in considering how all troops experience blast overpressure, including fire supporters or forward observers who are farther away from the weapons or explosions. The artillery officer also noted that training ranges vary and have different layouts, which could also be a factor in blast exposures.

“Although an artillery section will only fire 30 rounds in a batch of training, the people observing the explosions, albeit a mile away, are observing dozens of guns, and so it’s hundreds of rounds that they’re exposed to,” he said.

Drilling down into the individual

Existing research has shown long-term exposure to low-level blasts from breaching and shoulder-fired weapons can lead to higher rates of concussion and post-concussion symptoms. But with these new studies, Douglas said they’re hoping to drill down to the level of individuals and find out if certain people are at higher risk or are predisposed to brain or head injuries.

“In the past, the Army has implemented guidelines based on testing to be like, maybe this is the kind of person we want to keep out of certain roles because they might have a risk or predisposition towards these aspects,” Douglas said. “The goals can be across many different potential intervention points, whether we prevent exposure because of risk factors or we mitigate exposure through safety measures, or maybe even have potential therapeutic targets based on our data.”

Investigators will then take the data and determine if certain individuals are at higher risk for long-term health issues like traumatic encephalopathy syndrome, also known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE — a common degenerative brain disease affecting professional football players.

“It’s similar to what we’ve seen with TBI or sports concussion research where we know that they’re at risk for these neurodegenerative issues later down the road, but they will actually be doing a blinded adjudication where they are looking at these aspects and saying whether they think they would be at risk.”

The artillery officer who spoke with Task & Purpose was previously assigned to special operations and said he noticed a difference in the health outcomes because of the communities’ emphasis on holistic health.

“There were people in special operations with multiple IED hits, severe TBI, multiple Purple Hearts that were in far better mental shape simply because they prioritize sleep for their two-decade career or eating right,” he said. “Whereas you’ll see conventional soldiers say they’re burned out after a short amount of time because they’re not probably as healthy.”

Mental health privacy

Despite ongoing efforts across the military services to combat the stigma, there are existing privacy concerns around troops’ mental health records and its impact on their careers.

Douglas acknowledged that soldiers might be worried about sharing personal information on these subjects but emphasized that the data is coded and kept private to protect research integrity. Soldiers’ mental health information will not be shared with commanders, except in situations with immediate safety concerns.

“What you say is not gonna be shared with others outside of very specific safety issues like if they intend to take their life or something like that. It will not be documented in their medical chart,” she said. “This is not for clinical purposes. It’s not for career decision purposes.”

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