War is hell. Soldiers must face fear and hardship on a scale beyond reason if they want to survive. This is why Special Forces training is as gruesome as its goal is singular: to create the perfect human weapon. Most aspirants break. Only the strongest, toughest warriors emerge from the gauntlet. The training regimens below are nothing like “weekend warrior” online training courses. They will test you, and they will punish you. But they will also give you the skills you need to make it back home to enjoy your veteran benefits.

US 10th Special Group: K9 Paratroopers

This US Airborne Special Forces unit was first deployed in the 1950s, under the command of “the father of Army Special Forces”, Colonel Aaron Bank. Their unconventional warfare training is notorious, which is exactly what you’d expect from warriors so fierce that they’ll even field war dogs to hunt their enemies.