From Military To Civilian Life : The Case of Retired Special Forces Operators

Almost all states with relatively sophisticated armed forces possess a specialist element, which is often referred to as “Special Forces”. Almost without exception, Special Forces are considered to be the elite element or the “sharp edge” of the national armed forces. The reasons for this are that selection criteria set high physical, psychological and intellectual standards that have to be fulfilled by soldiers who aspire to be in the Special Forces; recruits have to undergo the most challenging and rigorous training within the armed forces; the missions on which qualified Special Forces soldiers are deployed tend to be the most difficult, dangerous and challenging of military operations; and the equipment and technology they use are of a specialist nature.

Research paper by Guy Lamb

• pdf, 24 pages