Special Air Service Regiment Selection - How to Become a Special Air Service Operator

The SASR regiment has high personnel standards, and selection into the regiment is considered the most demanding of any entry test in the Australian Army. Members of the SASR are required to work in small teams for extended periods and often without support, and are specially selected for their ability to work in this environment, rather than as individuals. Selection is open to all serving Australian Defence Force personnel. After initial screening candidates must complete the "Special Forces Barrier Test", which tests their physical fitness. About 80 to 85 percent of applicants pass this phase. Successful candidates then continue on to the 21-day SASR selection course conducted at Bindoon, Western Australia which assesses both the individual's strength and endurance (mental and physical), as well as overall fitness, ability to remain calm in combat, and to work effectively in small teams. The course is conducted by staff from the Special Forces Training Centre, which was established in 1998. Only 25 to 30 percent pass selection. These candidates then progress onto the 18 month reinforcement cycle, during which they will complete a range of courses including weapons, basic patrolling, parachuting, combat survival, signaller / medic, heavy weapons, demolitions, method of entry, and urban combat, before posting to a sabre squadron if successful. Officers must complete additional courses to qualify as an officer in the regiment, with requisite expertise in operations, administration and command. Most candidates are generally in their late-20s and are on average older than most soldiers. Despite a possible reduction in rank, SASR operators receive significant allowances, which make them among the highest-paid soldiers in the Australian Defence Force, with a trooper (equivalent to a private) earning about $100,000 per annum.

All members of the SASR are parachute qualified, and each member of a patrol has at least one specialisation, including medic, signaller, explosive expert or linguist. Each of the three sabre squadrons works on a three-year training and operational cycle, although the system is flexible and can be accelerated or varied depending on operational requirements and deployments. In the first year new members of the regiment develop their individual skills and practice the new techniques they have been taught, while more experienced members undertake advanced courses. In the second year mission skill sets for conventional warfare are trained, while in the third year clandestine tasks are practiced and the squadron becomes the online counter terrorist squadron. Counter terrorist training includes close quarters battle (CQB), explosive entry, tubular assault (in vehicles such as in buses, trains and aircraft) and in high rise buildings, as well as room and building clearance. This training is conducted in a range of advanced facilities, including electronic indoor and outdoor CQB ranges, outdoor sniper range, and urban training facilities at Swanbourne. Additional facilities include a special urban complex, vertical plunging range, method of entry house, and simulated oil rig and aircraft mock-ups in order to provide realistic training environments for potential operational scenarios. SASR personnel also provide training in weapons handling and the use of explosives to intelligence agents and members of elite police units at Swan Island in Victoria.