>>I can't find much info on them (at least, not in books, magazines, or the CIA website...other than they were in TF 121 that helped capture Saddam Hussein and are mostly made up of former US SOF), and of all the SOF groups that the US operates, they certainly seem to be the least known or least publicized. I am considering emailing the CIA, but I doubt I'd get a response on such a classified group. I've always been curious as to what goes at The Farm, but my best guess is they are sort of a 'splinter' group of the US government who acts both as traditional SF (training indigs, etc), CT (raiding houses), and acting as spooks (collecting intel)...so basically like US SFOD-D. << They don't have a particularly stellar reputation among actual SOF units.

>>They don't have a particularly stellar reputation among actual SOF units.<< Why not? It wouldn't suprise me, the CIA as a whole doesn't seem to have a stellar record doing actual intelligence work :)

>>Why not? It wouldn't suprise me, the CIA as a whole doesn't seem to have a stellar record doing actual intelligence work :)<< All the stories I've ever heard about them revolve around two basic issues: a) They have lots of money and really cool kit (which they apparently don't have to keep up with like the military, since they'll just give stuff away if they like you) and b) As shooters and operators they just don't cut it. Which is sort of strange, since most or all of them are, apparently, former operators, but once they cross over to the OGA they must get lobotomized or something, since they turn into drooling idiots when it comes to doing actual SOF sort of missions. All that is from a military perspective, however. There are some books out that I think discuss the Afghanistan from a CIA perspective ("First In" comes to mind, though I haven't read it and don't know if it is strictly about SAD) that might shed some light on how they see themselves and what they do.

GOP The Secret Service and US Marshall Service have some good opportunities also.The Marshall Service has a Special Operations Group that has its training center in your neck of the country Camp Beauregard LA.The CIA may sound impressive but there are a lot of better opportuniies to be had.

I agree, there are ALOT of better opportunities to be had then the CIA. I am certainly not interested in working for them. I agree on the US Marshall and Secret Service, but my goals have changed somewhat as I have gotten a little older and done more research. I have looked into the USMC reserve...it give me and opportunity to go to college (so I can get a criminal justice degree), then join my Police Dept (and try to work up to SWAT after a few years), and after a few years in the reserve I can go to the BRC and tryout for Recon. Of course, this could all change as I get older, but that is the plan as of now :) ...either way, I am going to join the military, either active duty or reserve

If you are unsure of which to do GOP, I would reccomend joining the reserves first. It gives you an opportunity to get a feel for it, without having to wake up to it every morning. Concerning SWAT, I have chatted to a few Americans in law enforcement, and I am fairly sure you have to have a lot of experience, and a decade or so on the clock, to get into it. I may well be wrong there though. Either way, your only 16 arn't you? So still time to make your decisions. I am still trying to make similar sorts of decisions at 20! ;)

>>I agree on the US Marshall and Secret Service, but my goals have changed somewhat as I have gotten a little older and done more research. I have looked into the USMC reserve...it give me and opportunity to go to college (so I can get a criminal justice degree), then join my Police Dept (and try to work up to SWAT after a few years), and after a few years in the reserve I can go to the BRC and tryout for Recon. Of course, this could all change as I get older, but that is the plan as of now :) ...either way, I am going to join the military, either active duty or reserve << As I think I may have suggested before, if you are looking at a reserve component approach to things, you're located in the middle of the bulk of the 20th SFG(A), with Group and 1st Battalion in Alabama, 2nd in Mississippi and 3rd in Florda. Going straight into the 18 series pipeline or starting out in one of the support units would likely be superior in terms of training possibilities, etc., to being in some conventional USMCR unit . . .

GOP some other elements of Law Enforcement that might interest you.Dive Teams,Marine Units,Aviation,Accident Reconstrution,Hostage Negotiator,and Tech Teams who track internet crimes.You should check in your area and see if there is an explorer program you could get involved in now.The gaurd/reserve route would pay your tuition for college.A degree is needed to advance in law enforcement and a requierment for entry into many positions.College may not make you any smarter but will always open doors that would otherwise be shut.

Yimmy... >If you are unsure of which to do GOP, I would reccomend joining the reserves first. It gives you an opportunity to get a feel for it, without having to wake up to it every morning.< Good point. >>Concerning SWAT, I have chatted to a few Americans in law enforcement, and I am fairly sure you have to have a lot of experience, and a decade or so on the clock, to get into it. I may well be wrong there though.<< No problem there, I am in no hurry :) >>Either way, your only 16 arn't you? So still time to make your decisions. I am still trying to make similar sorts of decisions at 20! ;)<< Turn 16 soon, so I have at least 2 years to make a choice about college, and then from there I will have another 4 years. Horsesoldier... >>As I think I may have suggested before, if you are looking at a reserve component approach to things, you're located in the middle of the bulk of the 20th SFG(A), with Group and 1st Battalion in Alabama, 2nd in Mississippi and 3rd in Florda. Going straight into the 18 series pipeline or starting out in one of the support units would likely be superior in terms of training possibilities, etc., to being in some conventional USMCR unit . . . << I have looked into that, but from what I have heard, the National Gaurd is not the place I want to be...although I just finieshed reading "Hunting al-Qaeda" which is about a Virginian NG SF unit serving in Afghanistan, and they did better than most other SF units (they captured 4 HVTs, blew up 80% of all enemy weapons during their trip, etc)...so they are pretty equal. irsrng... >>Dive Teams,Marine Units,Aviation,Accident Reconstrution,Hostage Negotiator,and Tech Teams who track internet crimes<< Don't know much about them, I'll look into them. >>You should check in your area and see if there is an explorer program you could get involved in now<< I am pretty sure that there isn't one, I am from a pretty rural area (a city of about 3,000), and I doubt they would have one. >>The gaurd/reserve route would pay your tuition for college.A degree is needed to advance in law enforcement and a requierment for entry into many positions.College may not make you any smarter but will always open doors that would otherwise be shut. << My college is already payed for, but I agree 100% about college opening up doors that would otherwise be shut...my Dad owns his own company and sometimes hires people himself, and a college degree is very necessary if you want to get into a management position. Great advice guys, thanks

>>I have looked into that, but from what I have heard, the National Gaurd is not the place I want to be...<< There's a high level of hit-or-miss with National Guard units, in my experience -- some very good ones, some very bad ones, usually owing to the command environment and such to a greater degree than one sees in the active army. The units that fall under USASOC, however, have greater adult supervision to go along with their higher priority for funding and such, though, and are generally good. (USMCR would be similar on the adult supervision angle, as I seem to recall they have a couple full time USMC advisors per company; no idea on how well they are funded though, which is something to look at when dealing with reserve units -- i.e. do they have money to train, send you to schools, etc.) >>although I just finieshed reading "Hunting al-Qaeda" which is about a Virginian NG SF unit serving in Afghanistan, and they did better than most other SF units (they captured 4 HVTs, blew up 80% of all enemy weapons during their trip, etc)...so they are pretty equal.<< How'd you like it? I don't know the team sergeant who wrote it, but have worked a lot with "Rock" and "Smilin' Joe," and have met some other former members of the team along the way ("Ringo" and "Mongo" if I'm remembering all the nicknames in the book correctly). It's fairly controversial with guys who were on the team, with some of them being very unhappy about it being written and being out there in the world with their picture(s) in it with little black bars over their eyes and such . . .