United Kingdom of Bankampar SOF Selection

United Kingdom Special Forces Selection is the selection and training process for members of the United Kingdom's Operations Forces.

Candidates complete a Personal Fitness Test (PFT) upon arrival, which consists of at least 50 sit-ups in two minutes, 60 press-ups in two minutes, and a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) run in 10 minutes and 30 seconds. They then complete an Annual Fitness Test (AFT), which consists of marching 8 miles (13 km) in two hours while carrying 25 lb (11 kg) of equipment. Candidates then march cross-country against the clock, increasing the distance covered each day; this culminates in an endurance test known as the Endurance, in which candidates march 40 miles (64 km) with full equipment before climbing up and down the mountain Pen y Fan (886 m; 2,907 ft) in 20 hours. By the end of this phase, candidates must then be able to run 4 miles (6.4 km) in 30 minutes or less and swim 2 miles (3.2 km) in 90 minutes or less.

Following mountain training, the jungle phase takes place in Belize, Brunei, or Malaysia. Candidates are taught navigation, patrol formation and movement, and jungle survival skills. They then return to the UK to begin training in battle plans and foreign weapons, and then take part in combat survival exercises, ending in week-long escape and evasion training. Candidates are formed into patrols and, with nothing more than a tin can filled with survival equipment, are dressed in World War II-era uniforms and told to head for a particular destination by sunrise. The final selection test, resistance to interrogation (RTI), is arguably the most gruelling and lasts for 36 hours.

Typically, 15–20% of candidates make it through the initial selection process. From a group of approximately 200 candidates, most will drop out within the first few days, and less than 30 will remain by the end. Those who complete all phases of selection are transferred to an operational squadron.

After Selection

After passing selection, troops will then advance to the next part of their training. All troops are required to attend the Military Free Fall Parachutist Course, while the rest will depend on the needs of the unit each individual is being assigned including:

• Combat Diver Q-Course
• Special Operations Target Interdiction Course (Sniper School)

Troops who graduate top-5 in their class are given the option to proceed straight to Tier 1 Selection. They are given the choice between Army or Navy SMU's, or being an Air Force CCT or PJ.

• Combat Control Operator Course
• Combat Control School
• Joint Terminal Attack Controller Qualification Course (CCT's required to attend)
• Army Special Mission Selection
• Navy Special Mission Selection
• (PJ) Special Operations Combat Medic Course
• (PJ) Pararescue Recovery Specialist Course