SEAL Team 6, officially known as United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), and Delta Force, officially known as 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), are the most highly trained elite forces in the
United States Navy SEALs are perhaps the finest special operations forces in the world.
1. Marine Raiders. Marine Raiders are the rank and file of the Marine Special Operations Command. MARSOC fields three Raider battalions that conduct special reconnaissance, counterinsurgency, and direct action missions.
The military branch with the toughest basic training is the Marine Corps. The hardest military branch for non-males because of exclusivity and male dominance is the Marine Corps.
1. The US Navy SEALs is arguably the top special operations force. Created in 1962, the Sea-Air-Land operators go through years of training and, especially after 9/11, endure an incredible operation tempo. Many foreign militaries base their special ops on the SEALs.
Return of the Raiders
Now, an elite branch of the U.S. Marine Corps will officially be known as Raiders. The Marines will rename several special operations units as Marine Raiders at a ceremony Friday, resurrecting a moniker made famous by World War II units that carried out risky amphibious and guerrilla operations.
The Marines are often the first on the ground in combat situations, leading the charge when conflict arises. They also serve on Navy ships, protect Naval bases and guard U.S. embassies. Marines patrol during a simulated embassy reinforcement.
Marine Corps training is considered one of the toughest to scale through because they are an offensive force. Marines go through a grueling 13-week boot camp training that tests physical stamina, mental toughness and moral integrity.
In 2022, China had the largest armed forces in the world by active duty military personnel, with about 2 million active soldiers. India, the United States, North Korea, and Russia rounded out the top five largest armies respectively, each with over one million active military personnel.
The United States
With a budget of $738 billion and 1,388,000 men and women in the armed forces, it boasts an awe-inspiring 6,125 nuclear weapons, 11 aircraft carriers, 68 nuclear submarines, 3,761 military aircraft, 867 attack helicopters, 6,209 tanks and 113 warships.
La Escuela Militar de Lanceros. The Colombian Lancero course is one of the toughest foreign special-operations courses US commandos get to attend. Army Green Berets usually attend, but Navy SEALs and Army Rangers will occasionally go too.
China wields by far the world's largest military, with 2.8 million soldiers, sailors and airmen—twice the American number. (The United States is number two; the only other countries with more than a million active duty troops are China's neighbors—Russia, India and North Korea.)
Easiest Boot Camp / Basic Training
Though boot camp / basic training is considered challenging, yet mandatory, for every branch of the military, the easiest among them would most likely be the Air Force.
Marine Corps Basic Training
Largely considered the toughest basic training program of the United States Armed Forces, Marine training is 12 weeks of physical, mental, and moral transformation. Special attention is given to close combat skills and master marksmanship training (every Marine is a rifleman, after all).
So the safest military branch in terms of man-to-man combat and machine-to-machine accidents is the Space Force.
Soldiers on active duty in the Army deploy more than any other branch, with the possible exception of the Navy (although most Navy deployments are on ships at sea).
If you want to travel, every branch of the service has overseas locations and the Navy is probably the most traveled branch of service. Other branches have permanent bases overseas in places like Europe, Japan, and Korea.
Although the Marines are highly respected and considered one of the most elite fighting forces, the Navy SEALs training is far more rigorous and demanding than that of the Marines.
No, a Marine can not become a Navy SEAL.
For an individual to become a Navy SEAL, they must first be an enlisted member of the Navy.
U.S. Navy SEALs are an elite unit, more exclusive and harder to be admitted to than the U.S. Marines.