The Prestigious Military Forces Protecting America Right Now

With an insanely large defense budget, cutting-edge advancements in military technology, and a global presence in over 70 countries, the American military maintains a strategic edge. The U.S. military consists of six branches in particular: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and the recently established Space Force. Except for the Space Force, each branch has its own elite special forces unit, trained for the most challenging and high-stakes missions.

Each of these elite military units are highly exclusive squads dedicated to sensitive missions that include special reconnaissance, covert surveillance, and undercover raids. To compile a list of the nation's most elite military units, 24/7 Tempo consulted multiple sources, including the Armed Forces History Museum, CBSNews, Special Ops Magazine, and Military.com. Details about these units came from their websites or the American Special Ops site.

This post was updated July 4th, 2025, to reflect additional information.

Here are America's most prestigious military forces.

• Service branch: Central Intelligence Agency
• Type: Covert paramilitary operations unit
• Also known as: Formerly Special Activities Division (SAD)
• Role: Counterterrorism, deniable covert operations, direct action, espionage, targeted killing, hostage rescue, and more

• Service branch: Army
• Type: Army intelligence unit
• Also known as: Gray Fox, ISA, USISA, The Activity
• Role: HUMINT (human intelligence), SIGINT (signals intelligence), direct action

• Service branch: Army
• Type: Special operations aviation
• Also known as: Night Stalkers, 160th SOAR
• Role: Insertion/extraction of special operations forces, reconnaissance

• Service branch: Air Force
• Type: Special reconnaissance airmen
• Also known as: Formerly SOWT
• Role: Commando unit for multi-domain reconnaissance and surveillance

• Service branch: Coast Guard
• Type: Maritime security unit
• Also known as: (MSST)
• Role: Counterterrorism

• Service branch: Army
• Type: Special operations forces
• Also known as: Green Berets
• Role: Counterinsurgency, unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, special reconnaissance, counterterrorism, security force assistance

• Service branch: Navy
• Type: Special operations forces
• Also known as: SWCCs
• Role: Insertion and extraction of personnel from Naval vessels, direct action, mobility in shallow water areas

• Service branch: Air Force
• Type: Special operations force
• Also known as: CCTs
• Role: Specialized airmen providing air control and combat support

• Service branch: Navy
• Type: Special operation forces, special missions unit
• Also known as: Naval Special Warfare Development Group, DEVGRU, ST6
• Role: Special operations, counterterrorism, hostage rescue, direct action, special reconnaissance

• Service branch: Marine Corps
• Type: Allied and foreign support
• Also known as: ANGLICO
• Role: Direct support to Joint, Allied, Coalition, and Special Operations forces and coordination and deconfliction required in air-to-ground support

• Service branch: Marine Corps
• Type: Security force
• Also known as: FAST
• Role: Part of Marine Corps Security Force Regiment (counterterrorism) and capable of rapid deployment

• Service branch: Army
• Type: Special mission unit
• Also known as: Delta Force, 1st SFOD-D, Combat Application Group (CAG), "The Unit"
• Role: Special operations including direct action, counterterrorism, hostage rescue, urban warfare, reconnaissance

• Service branch: Navy
• Type: Special operations force
• Also known as: SEALs
• Role: Special operations, special warfare, direct action, counterterrorism, special and underwater reconnaissance, amphibious reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, hostage rescue, and demolition

• Service branch: Air Force
• Type: Special operations force
• Also known as: Pararescue Jumpers (PJs), STTs – AFSOC's Battlefield Airmen
• Role: Combat search and rescue and medicine

• Service branch: Army
• Type: Light infantry special operations unit
• Also known as: Army Rangers
• Role: Airborne/air assaults, direct action raids, counterterrorism

• Service branch: Marine Corps
• Type: Special operations
• Also known as: MARSOC
• Role: Direct action, special reconnaissance, counterterrorism, foreign internal defense, security force assistance, counterinsurgency, support to combating weapons of mass destruction, support to unconventional warfare

• Service branch: Marine Corps
• Type: Special operations
• Also known as: Force Recon
• Role: Amphibious reconnaissance, deep reconnaissance, direct action, maritime interdiction, visit board search and seizure