"The Best Fighting Force in the World" Topic

Who is the best military force in the world, at least battalion level in numbers. By best I mean in your HO whom is the best trained, motivated, equipped, etc. What others would you add to the list?

Russian Spetznaz
US Marine Corps
US Army Rangers
French Foreign Legion
Gurkas
South African Recce Commandos

Are Spetznas deployed in battalion level numbers? I ask because I really don't know.

Of the remainder, I'd have to give the nod to the FFL on the basis of more relaxed "rules of engagement". Ergo, more lethality when it matters.

Best trained and equipped for…. What?

The answer to that makes a big difference. For example a Ranger BN is VERY well trained and equipped for their mission. But they could not do the mission of a Combined Arms BN from a HVY BCT, which is very well equipped and trained for their mission… An Army Special Forces BN is very well trained and equipped for another mission set.

Jake

EXACTLY what CPT Jake says.

For light Infantry conflicts it's hard to beat a US Army Ranger Battalion.

In particular, you need to take it in the context of experience. Right now the US Army has LOTS of veteran troops with Infantry and COIN experience that most other forces do not have.

It's the Bongolesians, of course. I can't believe you didn't list them!

Other than them, it's as CPT Jake says. Trained for what? Storming the beach with combined arms? US Marines. Small team covert ops? US Navy Seals, SBS and SAS are all groups you don't want to be on the wrong side of.

Do the Gurkhas get a mention here?

Do the Gurkhas get a mention here?

Yes, in the very first post.

Soldiers' wives.

For straight leg infantry, USMC. I remember a remark from the siege of Khe Sanh. Col Lownds was worried about India company holding in a hand to hand battle against the NVA. One of his staff told him not to worry. Nobody was gonna take that hill away from a bunch of 19 year old Marines. That's Morale with a capital M.
Weaselhoffen.

Israeli paras?

Chinese Sedgeway Komandos.

picture

I reckon it would have to be the USMC. A large force of REALLY good troops.

If you were going to limit it to the spec ops troops, I think the SAS, Delta, Green Beret etc. are all pretty much at the same high level.

The US Marine Corps all the way!

Stupid question. Best at what?

A battalion of marines wouldn't be up to much if the mission involved parachuting, would they?

Take a battalion of each, set them against alien invaders-biggest souvenir and headcount wins(multiple heads count as one).

Seriously, what is the point of these "who's the best…." posts? Other than to kick a hornet's nest that is….

Every first-line SpecOps or elite unit in the world is the best in the particulars they train to do, and honestly to compare them would be apples to oranges. Most western, NATO and commonwealth units cross-train regularly, so Poland's GROM for instance would have some skills of the SAS and US Navy SEAL'S. Moving away from counter-terror, several "light infantry" units can be classified as elite, but then again, parameters are at play here.

Now, for sheer brutality I would have to give a nod to Russian trained elite units, given their rather "unique" training, which the west could never get away with. Spetsnaz and Desant (VDV) units in particular are not someone I would relish facing on the battlefield. However that by no way means they are "better" than western units, just they have a different way of fighting and looking at the battlefield.

Any poll on this will also strongly reflect regional bias, since this is a large US, UK & Commonwealth site, once could easily predict the results beforehand. Again, apples and oranges, a poll on this would be utterly meaningless IMHO.

Gadhafi's 40 Lipsticked Virgins

"Best" – let's define:

1. "Best" at shooting down ducks and other avians with their AK-47s when not actually looking "up" as they fire their weapons – Libyan Rebels (or most other Middle Eastern forces)

2. "Best" at replacing the Dictator of the Hour with another more "fresh" DotH – Bongolesian Freedom Fighters

3. "Best" at getting shot while unable to hit the broad side of a barn – Imperial Stormtroopers

Many more where those come from!

My vote is in for the Bongolesian Special Forces.
They're so special, they don't even know they are in the unit.

Derek H, Unless the Marines were all Force Recon who have mandatory jump qualification at fort Benning Georgia.
Regards
Russ Dunaway

Do the Gurkhas get a mention here?

Yes, in the very first post.

Misssing an H somewhere. I can never figure out where.

EDIT: By gum, there IS an H there!
Never mond…

Pennsylvania National Guard

Go Bloody Buckets!

I'm partial to the Golden Cross, myself, John. But I appreciate the source of your bias.

Vatican Warlock Assassins?

No, Vatican NINJA Warlock Assassins

Bah. Chuck Norris would devastate Vatican NINJA Warlock Assassins -and- their goddesses.

Abe Vigoda, on the other hand, would smear Chuck Norris on a cracker as a light snack. No poll needed: Abe Vigoda is, without question, the finest battalion-level special forces outfit in the known galaxy, and he's only one guy.

Despite being an American, I must nominate the British Royal Marines.

IVAN DBA

best at naked roll mat fighting and they still needed our CII to give them a bit of extra support against some nasty T-55 that were heading down the Al Fawr!!

There has been plenty of action in both Iraq and Afg involving both "elite" and standard line Infantry and support troops of both the UK and USA that rises above best trained, motivated, etc.

Tally Ho!

Chinese Women Militia in hot skirts

certainly would motivate their opposition and mpst opponents would gladly surrender

Probably drunken British paras on a friday night out on the town.

Best equipped and best gear USMC
Best trained overall British Army

Best of the best – SAS,SBS,Green Berets, Spetznatz, IDF etc.

"Best equipped and best gear USMC"

Really? I don't think they would agree, and for good reason. They are not close to the best equipped US forces. For example, look at their tanks vice the army.

"Best of the best, …. IDF"

Really? Maybe some of their SOF type units but their regulars are not going to be any better that current combat tested US Army regulars by any means, let alone the 'best of the best'.

Hungarian Naval Cavalry

Its very unlikely that anyone posting here has any real knowledge of more than one of the above listed.

The joke answers are probably as valid as the real answers.

Anyone that includes Spetnatz in the top 20 is probably getting their info from the history channel or youtube. Your local Eagle Scouts could probably give them a run for their money.

I would make two divisions. Technically proficient (not just high tech toys, do they know their battle drills, fire commands, METL tasks, how easily can they adapt to unexpected situations and change of mission/circumstances) and "hard" (conditioning, morale, physical toughness). For example Gurkhas are hard as nails, not technically proficient. SF/Green Berets are at the top of the very top of technically proficient, lower end of hard.

Perhaps I shouldn't say SF are at the lower end of "hard", just a good example of well trained, flexible and proficient but no longer 19 and Y.D. and full of C.

John,
Is that the 42nd Division?
Weaselhoffen.

Never met too many 19 year olds who were what I would consider 'hard'. The hard men were always guys who had been around the block and knew they could keep going around a few more times. More times than the other guy could.

Cpt Jake,

I cannot speak for the US as I do not know of the average age of their troops on the ground, but certainly with the British there have been plenty of 18/19 year olds who have been around the block quite a few times both in Iraq and currently in Afghanistan,

Tally Ho!

18-19, still early in their first enlistment.

Get out of high school or get GED at about 18. Spend a few months waiting for a basic/AIT date. Spend a few months in Basic and AIT. Get to unit you are 18 or early 19. Even if you deploy right on arrival to your unit (which is rare, happens but is rare for several reasons). By the time you finish your first tour you are at best 19 going on 20.

All the guys I truly think deserve the label 'hard' were well beyond that level. Just my opinion, but I base it on experience with some guys who were HARD.

Lets not get wrapped up on age. Just like the Spetz/Eagle Scout thing I was grossly exaggerating to make a point.

People get confused, they know that Gurkhas are tough or their cousin Earl was in the Corps, confuse a journalist for a military expert or read a post on TMP.

There are dead hard units that have a very low level of sophistication due to high proportion of illiteracy, lack of training, lack of NCO corps or effective officers.

There are units that have a high level of training but just dont have the same mental or physical toughness.

There are units that have it all, are extremely tough, have the professional NCOs and Officers, very expensive, realistic and dangerous training.

Public at large would have a hard time telling any of these apart, but like all of us would still be quick to offer an opinion ;)

Clearly these boys are:
YouTube link

Sun Tzu said "The acme of skill is not to win a hundred victories in a hundred battles, the acme of skill is to win without fighting at all".

On this basis, my old battalion, 6/7th Queen's(V), is clearly the best. We never fought at all, and yet with us standing ready for years in the bars of Sussex, Surrey and Kent, the West won the Cold War. Coincidence? I don't think so.

All the best,

John.

If you don't kill enough of them so they realize they've been beat, they'll only come back again.
Weaselhoffen.

There is no such thing as an "HO". by definition, an Opinion is never Huble, or it would never be offered.

Now that we have dispensed with worthless emotions like Humilty and the pretense thereof:

"To err is human;
To forgive is Divine.
Neither is Marine Corps policy."