What is the difference between military elites and special forces?

I noticed that books specializing on military subjects call the U.S.M.C.,the 101st Airborne Division,the 82nd Airborne Division,the British Parachute Regiment,the Royal Marines,and the French Foreign Legion and other amphibious assault,paratrooper,and Air Mobile assault units military elites but not special forces.





So what is a military elite and what seperates them from special forces?


I mean what seperates a SAS commando or Navy Seal from a US Marine and 82nd Paratrooper or French Foreign Legionnaire?|||Military elite groups still operate in "normal" operational style. You put the Marines in front while storming the beach, but it is still a frontal assault.





A special forces group is typically small, and operates semi-independently. A Navy SEAL force will go someplace quietly, and conduct a mission behind enemy lines.|||i was 101st before 1st Infantery division. A super magai elititus. i not yeat regrated it.

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|||simple, special forces is for the army lol

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|||The theory behind special forces is that a small team of men with specialist training and specialist equipment have more of a chance of fulfilling certain objectives than an entire battalion of regular soldiers.





Elite forces, such as Marines and Paratroopers (Royal Marines are commandos) are still conventional forces.





They perform different roles, Elite forces are usually used to take land, Special Forces are often given more specific roles, which could be anything from reconnaissance to destroying specific targets, sabotage, assassination, storming an embassy, etc.





Selection is slightly different aswell. It is quite possible to pass all of the selection tests, but still not gain selection if they don't like you, or if they think that you wouldn't fit in. I know that this is certainly true of the SAS.|||Mainly the size of the force. The elite forces are combat forces numbering thousands of troops in regimental and division sized forces whose job in combat is to kill as many of the enemy as the can, and securing an area. SAS and Seals are made upof 15 to 25 men combat teams that parachute or go by boats in a single area to capture or kill one or more of the enemy and then leave. Sometimes they are used to gather intelligence and then get out.|||French Foreign Legion as a whole is an elite formation. It has its' own special forces. They are soldiers of various units within the 2nd regiment.