Army Ranger vs Green Beret: Difference and Comparison

The armed forces of the United States of America are well known. They have various divisions and ranks which had different training and specializations.

The Army Rangers and Green Berets are the two special operation forces of the United States of America. Both of them have rigorous training routines but differ slightly.

Key Takeaways

1. Army Rangers specialize in direct action operations, while Green Berets specialize in unconventional warfare.
2. Army Rangers focus on quick strikes and raids, while Green Berets focus on building relationships with local populations.
3. Army Rangers are assigned to the US Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, while Green Berets are part of the US Army Special Forces.

Army Ranger vs Green Beret

Army Rangers are an elite light infantry unit tasked with missions like direct action raids, airfield seizures, reconnaissance, and personnel recovery, while Green Berets are the US Army unconventional warfare apparatus involved in Combat Search and Rescue, Psychological, and peacekeeping missions.

Army Rangers, characterized by the Green khaki or camouflage outfit, are small units of infantry that are called upon to take part in missions such as raids, direct action, airfield attacks and so on.

They have a rigorous training routine, however, not as much as Green Berets, who are taught more skills than them.

Green Berets are considered to be one of the toughest infantry units in the world. They are trained for sniper attacks, guerrilla attacks, and other forms of unconventional modes of warfare.

They are recognized by their dark green outfits with medals on their shoulders. They are trained to attack and kill in times of emergency.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Army Ranger	Green Beret
Motto	The motto of Army Rangers is Rangers Lead the Way.	The motto of Green Berets is To Liberate the Oppressed.
Uniform	Army Rangers have camouflage print Green uniforms.	They have dark green uniforms.
Founded In	This unit of infantry was first established in 1943.	This unit of infantry was first founded in 1952.
Headquarters	The Army Ranger Headquarters is in Carolina.	The Green Beret headquarters is in Georgia.
Commanding Officer	Commanded by US Army Special Operations Command.	Commanded by 1st Special forces Command.
Functions	Invasions, direct actions, counter-terrorism, foreign international defence and so on.	Direct actions, reconnaissance, sniper attacks, guerilla attacks and so on.

What is Army Ranger?

Army rangers are a part of the US special operating forces helping restore the country’s peace and stability and maintain it.

Founded in the year 1943, they have served in various wars such as the Vietnam War, Panama War, Kosovo War, Persian Gulf War, Operation Anaconda, Operation Enduring Freedom and so on.

On their camouflaged suit lies their logo, which is Green, blue and red with a lightning sign. They are commanded by the US Army Special Operations Command.

There are around 3600 army rangers present in the states. They follow their motto of Rangers Lead the Way.

Women are allowed to be recruited in their army. A minimum of 1 year of college is required to be part of the Army Rangers. They are taught various skills such as swimming, gunfight, barehanded tackle, and so on.

Their physical fitness is checked in the form of pushups, pull-ups, sit-ups and running.

Once qualified, they have to undergo Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) for about 10 weeks, followed by Training. Skills like swimming, scuba diving, jumping, airlifting and so on are specially taught during these training sessions.

As their responsibility, they are called upon when in need of any conventional form of warfare. Army Rangers thus command this high respect in the US.

What is Green Beret?

Green Berets are part of the US special operating forces helping restore the country’s peace and stability and help maintain it as well.

Founded in the year 1952, they have served in various wars such as the Cold War, Korean War, World War II, Iraq War, Gulf War, Afghan War and so on.

On their dark green suit lies their logo, which is a black and white logo of a bow and two arrows. They are commanded by the First Special Forces Command.

There are about 7000 Green berets present in the United States. They follow their motto of “To Liberate the Oppressed”.

Women are allowed to be part of Green Berets as well. A minimum of a graduate degree is needed to be part of the Green Berets.

They are taught various skills such as swimming, gunfight, sniping, jumping, barehanded tackle and so on. Their physical fitness is checked in the same way as army rangers.

Once qualified, they have to undergo Special Forces Preparations and Conditioning (SFPC) and other pieces of training such as Special Forces Assessment and Selection, Advanced Skills Courses for military free fall, diving, sniping, parachuting, combat and other special requirements specific to the Green Berets.

Main Differences Between Army Ranger and Green Beret

1. Army Rangers engage in normal warfare and are more commonly called upon for action, while Green Berets are more specialized in tackling the enemy with different methods.
2. Army Rangers have a lower salary later than the Green Berets.
3. Army Rangers are trained slightly at a lower specification than the Green Berets, who are trained more vigorously.
4. The motto of army rangers is different to that of the Green Berets.
5. There are fewer Army Rangers in the country than the Green Berets.
6. The Army Rangers are an older organization of soldiers than the Green Berets.

References

1. http://cothommagazine.com/CoThompdf/CT75/CT75E.pdf
2. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=QU-bCwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA3&dq=army+rangers.&ots=gXQJnJ__do&sig=aRJxz4SVtJfvGvT9oMQk73i6CR0

Last Updated : 17 August, 2023