How important is it to learn a 2nd language if you want to go SEALs, FR, Delta, etc.

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Subject: How important is it to learn a 2nd language if you want to go SEALs, FR, Delta, etc.
colts 2/9/2007 6:00:05 PM

I am just wondering how important, if at all is it to learn a language before you try out for the teams etc. Or does it not even matter? What SOF goes undercover? Do any? Is it usually CIA, or someone else? just wondering, if ya'll have an wisdom on the subject I would love to hear.

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SCCOMarine 2/12/2007 8:44:51 PM

Yeah they have to age the Corps to feel more secure about pushing more responsibility to Sq & Tm Ldrs w/ Distributed Ops coming. Once its incorporated Battalions will command the same Battle Space as Regimental Combat Teams and in some areas like Afgh or the Asian Pacific, Divisions. Companies will have the Area of Responsibility of Battalions. Plts=Companies, and Squads the responsibility of Plts & sometimes Co’s.

The Corps is excellent at training Jr Ldrs, but the training isn’t Institutionalized. Meaning some units are better than others. The Marine Corps relies on high standards, hard training, and the tradition of Hard SNCO+Hard NCO+Hard FIELD/Barracks Life=Hard Jr Marine, and it works. Its just not even across all units.

Working w/the Brits on DO, the Corps realized it didn’t have a Corps wide leadership standard for Jr Marines. Partly due to the Decentralized nature of the Corps giving BN Comms freedom to run their own units.

The Brits and the Aussies on the other hand have 2 of the best examples of structures for educating young Mar/sold. service wide.

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Horsesoldier 2/13/2007 11:26:36 AM

I am just wondering how important, if at all is it to learn a language before you try out for the teams etc. Or does it not even matter? What SOF goes undercover? Do any? Is it usually CIA, or someone else?

just wondering, if ya'll have an wisdom on the subject I would love to hear.

Army SF has required language training relevant to your Group assignment for years, which remains part of the training pipeline unless you can test out with existing language skills.

SEALs used to do something similar, until they realized you did not have to speak indigenous languages to botch operations, so they dropped it to focus more on sleeping, eating, and lifting.

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Yimmy 2/13/2007 3:12:53 PM

SEALs used to do something similar, until they realized you did not have to speak indigenous languages to botch operations, so they dropped it to focus more on sleeping, eating, and lifting.

Hey, that sounds 66% my kind of unit!

Where do I sign?

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GOP 2/13/2007 3:37:05 PM

I am just wondering how important, if at all is it to learn a language before you try out for the teams etc. Or does it not even matter? What SOF goes undercover? Do any? Is it usually CIA, or someone else?

just wondering, if ya'll have an wisdom on the subject I would love to hear.

SEALs used to do something similar, until they realized you did not have to speak indigenous languages to botch operations, so they dropped it to focus more on sleeping, eating, and lifting.

Hs, you are definitely one of my favorite posters, but posts like this absolutely pisses me off. Who the f*ck are you to knock Navy SEALs? You aren't a special operator, you haven't BTDT, you have never worked with any SEALs, you don't know what goes on inside of SOCOM (as the missions are classified), etc. Come on, quit being Mr. SF's b*tch and realize that you have no basis on which to knock SEALs. SCCO Marine has worked within a SOF unit, so his opinion is respected, and so has Mough/Bob the Brit, etc...but from what you have written on this site, you haven't. When you get into Army SF and start working with these guys in SOCOM and you still have a problem, then that's fine. But as of now, you have absolutely no basis on which to speak your bs. Did a SEAL f*ck your girlfriend/wife or something? Now, you can get back to your regularly scheduled love making to SF.

As far as why SEALs dropped the indigenous language, it was obviously because they have been so active lately that no one team is assigned a geographical area, so for let's say Team 2 to be assigned an AOR of South America and learn Spanish when they will spend most of their time in the middle east, then it is useless. It's also not really important for SEALs to learn the local language, because of the difference in mission tasks. SEALs will be out searching for HVT's in A'stan trying to kill the enemy, whereas Army SF will be building a rapport with the local populace to gather intel on the enemy, and to win hearts and minds. Totally different mission tasks.

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timon_phocas SEAL language skills 2/18/2007 8:15:20 PM

My daughter graduated from the Monterey Military Language Institute last year (valedictorian of her Arab language class, thank you very much). She said that language specialists who are not SEAL operators are assigned to teams as they train and deploy. They will, sometimes, accompany them on operations.

The military has always been very eager to find people with language skills. I remember the reactions when people at the entrance processing station saw me reading something German. It was sort of like someone had yelled, 'grenade!'

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GOP 2/18/2007 8:46:49 PM

Hope the linguists like eating, sleeping, and lifting. Looks like that is their new life

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colts 2/27/2007 1:56:00 AM

Hope the linguists like eating, sleeping, and lifting. Looks like that is their new life

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ingnoway Languge 5/16/2007 8:20:11 PM

It's a big world out there, and surprizingly :) many speak very little english, regardless of branch or unit, a second language is always a commodity commanders love, even if in a country there is no one near that speaks english,m there may be some one who speaks french, spanish or polish a second language can quickly become a force multiplier

Since war is in the"Middle East," you need to learn at least: Some Arabic and Farsi.

Otherwise, you would be useless to the civilians and friendlies of the country.

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ingnoway Languge 5/16/2007 8:26:28 PM

I am just wondering how important, if at all is it to learn a language before you try out for the teams etc. Or does it not even matter? What SOF goes undercover? Do any? Is it usually CIA, or someone else?

just wondering, if ya'll have an wisdom on the subject I would love to hear.

Its funny how my Greek learning, is making Arabic almost understandable itself! Arabic has a lot in common

with Greek, especially Egypt, who created it etc.

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Horsesoldier GOP 5/17/2007 1:57:27 PM

Sorry, I missed this comment from some months back:

To clarify -- I do not hold an 18 series MOS, but am assigned to a Special Forces unit and have been for three or four years now. Without trying to secret squirrel up my resume (I'm a support guy, not a team guy, and do not claim to be such), I will note that I most definitely have an informed viewpoint about the inner workings of SOCOM. I work daily with 18 series guys, share an office with a bunch of them, train with team guys to their standards frequently, support ODAs and individual training events even more frequently, and work with assorted other SOCOM assets several times throughout the year.

Whatever you happen to think of my "bs," it's an opinion that is coming from firsthand experience and knowledge most of the time, and secondhand stuff from current and former coworkers (many of them working as contractors, a few having moved on to other parts of SOCOM, etc) that usually doesn't find its way into Dick Couch's and Marcinko's latest books. I do tend to reference open source books and such to demonstrate points when I know of such, because a source you (or anyone else) can verify and explore is obviously of better value than me or any other anonymous person on the internet telling you SEALs/whatever are/are not the best/worst/smartest/dumbest/etc with "take my word for it" being about the limit of the backing.

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