The Army's Special Forces are some of the most highlly trained Soldiers in the Army. Special Forces are experts in conducting operations that don't call for conventional military tactics. A Special Forces Operations Sergeant is the senior enlisted member in a 12-man team, known as an Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA).

ODAs are deployed around the world in rapid-response situations whether it's during peacetime, crisis or war.

Special Forces Operations Sergeants' responsibilities may include:

• Employing conventional and unconventional warfare tactics during peacetime, crisis, or war
• Supervising and instructing all members of the Army's Special Forces
• Overseeing the training and preparation for Special Forces operations
• Performing joint, interagency, multi-national, combined and coalition planning
• Supervising operations for higher headquarters, major commands and joint commands

Requirements

Special Operations Forces have very demanding physical requirements. Good eyesight, night vision, and physical conditioning are required to reach mission objectives via parachute, land or water. Also required is excellent hand-eye coordination to detonate or deactivate explosives. In some instances, Special Forces team members are required to be qualified divers and free fall parachutists.

Additional requirements for Special Forces Operations Sergeants are:

• Completion of the Basic Noncommissioned officer course (BNCOC)
• Completion the Advanced Noncommissioned officer course (ANCOC)
• 10-14 years of service on average

Helpful Skills
Being a leader in the Army requires certain qualities. Leaders exhibit self-discipline, initiative, confidence and intelligence. They are physically fit and can perform under physical and mental pressures. Leaders make decisions quickly, always focusing on completing the mission successfully, and showing respect for their subordinates and other military officers. Leaders lead from the front and adjust to environments that are always changing. They are judged by their ability to make decisions on their own and bear ultimate moral responsibility for those

Related Civilian Jobs

While there is no directly related job for a Senior Special Forces Sergeant in the civilian world, the leadership skills you acquire as a Senior Special Forces Sergeant will help you in many types of civilian careers. A Senior Special Forces Sergeant in the Army is most closely related to a vital manager in a corporation that would specialize in human resources, training, or labor relations.