Special Forces Qualification Course
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The Special Forces Qualification Course, or "Q-Course", is an intensive selection and training course conducted by the United States Army for the purposes of preparing soldiers to function as members of the United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets. The course lasts anywhere from one to three years, depending on the soldier's chosen SF Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) and foreign language instruction. Enlisted soldiers are trained in one of four MOSs: weapons (18B), engineering (18C), medical (18D), or communications (18E). Officers are trained in career management field 18A while warrant officers are 180A.
As of late 2006, the course consists of six different phases:
- Phase IA: Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS), paperwork, entry level tests, navigational skills (24 days)
- Phase IB - II: 5 weeks Small Unit Tactics, 3 weeks SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape)
- Phase III: 15 weeks, Language Block II, MOS Training (e.g. MOS18B takes 13 weeks)
- Phase IV: 12 weeks (Language Block III, Unconventional Warfare with Culmination Exercise "Robin Sage")
- Phase V: Language Block IV, (4 weeks)
- Phase VI: Graduation, administrative processing
Language training is now administered throughout the Q-Course, with trainees being assigned their language packets immediately following succesful completion of SFAS.
Training is conducted at Camp Mackall, outside of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
After completion of the course, active duty soldiers are assigned to one of the five active Special Forces groups. National Guard soldiers return to their home units, either the 19th SFG(A), or the 20th SFG(A).
