Infantry Article Index : Current 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
 Latest
 News 		  Most
 Read 		  Most
 Commented		  Hot
 Topics

October 16, 2002

Reviving a procedure not used since the early days of the Cold War, the U.S. Army Special Forces is considering recruiting foreigners in order to obtain people with the right cultural and language skills. In the early 1950s, the Special Forces recruited men from Eastern Europe nations that had recently fallen under communist rule. Today, the potential recruits are from Arab nations. Actually, the army has recruited some Arab nationals over the last decade, although one was found and convicted of supporting terrorism, and others were suspected. But the need for Arab speaking Special Forces troops is acute. Getting the recruits through the intense Special Forces training is another problem, as fewer than half the volunteers make it. This may be gotten around by using men, who can't make it through the training, just as translators, rather that fully qualified Special Forces operators.