Special Forces Officers: Career Overview
Lead elite teams that implement unconventional operations by air, land, or sea during combat or peacetime. These activities include offensive raids, demolitions, reconnaissance, search and rescue, and counterterrorism. In addition to their combat training, special forces officers often have specialized training in swimming, diving, parachuting, survival, emergency medicine, and foreign languages. Duties include directing advanced reconnaissance operations and evaluating intelligence information; recruiting, training, and equipping friendly forces; leading raids and invasions on enemy territories; training personnel to implement individual missions and contingency plans; performing strategic and tactical planning for politically sensitive missions; and operating sophisticated communications equipment.
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What Tasks Do Special Forces Officers Do?
Other Special Forces Officers Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Advanced Seal Delivery System
- Combatant Diver Officer
- Combatant Diver Qualified (Officer)
- Commanding Officer, Special Warfare Team
- Control and Recovery, Combat Rescue
- Control and Recovery, Special Tactics
- Executive Officer, Special Warfare Team
- Parachute/Combatant Diver Officer
How Many Special Forces Officers Are There?
There are roughly 30,319 special forces officers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +5.1% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Special Forces Officers Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $73,745 |
| Hourly median | $35.45 |
| 10th percentile | $41,733 |
| 25th percentile | $57,739 |
| 75th percentile | $89,750 |
| 90th percentile | $105,756 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Degree Programs
Future special forces officers typically earn programs in:
Military Technologies and Applied Sciences
4 programs across 2 majors
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services
3 programs across 2 majors
1 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 55-1017.00 (Special Forces Officers).
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