Quote:
Originally Posted by Sinister
The Army/DOD rules covering a resident alien say you may enlist and serve to the end of a second enlistment before either qualifying for citizenship or be administratively separated from the service.
Citizenship is required for the base Special Forces prerequisite of a Secret security clearance.
You would be enlisting for the Army first, and later qualifying as an in-service Special Forces volunteer (at grade E-4) and not as an 18X.
There are no guarantees or contracts for anyone who does not qualify or is waived for the baseline.
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I recently sat down with the CSM of USSOCOM. He mentioned that one of the more effective ways that SF Command is sourcing successful 18X recruits was siphoning off the "top percentages" at OSUT (he also emphasized that all candidates were infantrymen). I got the impression that this was a recent means of accessing candidates, and I have no idea whether it will be formalized. It certainly is not a sure thing upon which you could depend. Literally, it was not much more than the recruiters talking to three or four candidates in each class and asking them if they would like to try out for SF.
In any case, the clearance issue stated above is probably your primary obstacle.
The SF recruiters are probably absolutely sincere. Keep in mind that they may rotate to new assignments before you are ready to work for them. New guys who have never heard of you may be sitting at those desks the next time that you walk in.
In my opinion, you should be prepared to put your butt on the line as an infantryman in combat before you attend SFAS. If you get lucky and get a shot at SFAS instead, fine. But you are seeking exceptions to exceptions, and the odds are heavily stacked against you on many levels.
Good luck, and thanks for considering service in the US Armed Forces.
No matter what happens, I guarantee that serving in my Army will change your life forever, and for the better.