The U.S. Military’s Elite Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 Units Explained

U.S. military units are broken down into three different tiers. Tiers One, Two, and Three. 

Tier Three units, also known as white elements, consist of entities such as the U.S. Army’s 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, Marine Corps Recon Battalions, Navy Riverines, Air Force 142nd Fighter Wing, etc.

Tier Two units, also known as grey elements, consist of entities such as the Navy SEALs, Navy SWCCs, Marine Raiders, Air Force Combat Controllers, PJ’s, Army Rangers, Army Special Forces, Night Stalkers, etc.

Tier One units, also known as black elements, consist of Delta Force, DEVGRU, 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Intelligence Support Activity, and the Regimental Reconnaissance Company. 

But what makes these units different? Why the different tiers? What’s the difference between a Tier One and a Tier Two unit? Keep reading, and we’re going to answer all of those questions for you, and much more.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THREE TIERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY: OVERVIEW

THREE TIERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY: FUNDING

THREE TIERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY: TRAINING AND SKILLS

THREE TIERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY: MOVING UP THE TIER SYSTEM

THREE TIERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY: CONCLUSION

THREE TIERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY: OVERVIEW

The first thing we need to explain is that outside of Tier One units, military units don’t really refer to themselves by their numbered tier. You don’t see Navy SEALs or army rangers referring to themselves as Tier Two units, nor would you ever catch the 82nd Airborne calling themselves a Tier Three unit. 

The tier system is generally an unsaid or unwritten way of “organizing” or marginalizing military units. In fact, you’ll hardly ever see the use of these terms outside of the five Tier One units that exist, and even then, you hardly hear about those either due to the nature of their classified missions and purposes.

THREE TIERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY: FUNDING

You might be surprised to find this out, but the different tiers generally have to do with funding. And it goes even deeper than that, too. It has to do with funding per capita, or per person. In scenario 1, if you give a team of 100 people $100 million, that’s a million dollars a piece to gear them up for operations and missions, however, in scenario 2, if you give 10,000 people $100 million, that’s only $10,000 a piece for each person, and you can do the math there. Scenario 1’s people have some gnarly gear, and Scenario 2’s people will have hand me downs. 

You’ve probably heard the saying “Follow the money”. Following the money works the same way in the military. Tier One units get the most money, which in turn gets them the best gear, resources, and people to work in the units. 

THREE TIERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY: TRAINING AND SKILLS

While funding may be the main difference between the tiers, another difference is the level of skills and training. A Tier One operator is going to be more trained and capable of doing a lot more than someone from a Tier Three unit. The Tier One operator most likely has several years and deployments under their belt with a Tier Two SOF unit, making them the tip of the spear when it comes to being an operator. There is a clear distinction in training and capabilities when you look at a Tier One unit versus a Tier Three unit. 

Take, for example, a Marine Infantryman or Army Infantryman. They’re no special operators, but they know how to fight, and depending on the experience of the individual, they may have a lot of combat experience. Some infantrymen can even become snipers and go to Ranger school, and they still have plenty of fulfilling career opportunities if the stars align for them. Compare these guys to a Delta Force operator, though, which could very well be a Green Beret with years and years of experience, going through multiple, strict selection processes, and we’re sure you can see the difference. 

But the lines are blurred a little bit when you compare Tier One to Tier 2. Tier 2 SOF operators are still highly capable warriors on the battlefield, and should not be mistaken for being completely inferior to every aspect of a Tier One operator. Tiers One and Two have a lot of overlap in their skill sets.

To elaborate a bit more,Tier One units, like Delta Force and DEVGRU, typically pull from the best of the best of the Tier Two units, such as the Green Berets, Rangers, and SEALs. While it can be argued that Tier One units are more capable and equipped than Tier Two units, they can’t just be boiled down to being "better.”. They have a more intense mission set, they have different objectives, and they serve different purposes. 

To summarize what we have said above, Tier One units are composed of the best of the best of the Tier Two units; Tier Two units consist of SOF operators from your typical SOF units, and Tier Three units are considered large and conventional warfare units. 

THREE TIERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY: MOVING UP THE TIER SYSTEM

Now that you have a basic grasp and understanding of the three tiers, you’re probably asking, do you have to move up the tier system? Do you have to go from Tier Three, to Tier Two, to Tier One? Not really. You could very well find yourself in a Tier Three unit, try out for a SOF force and be in a Tier Two unit, and then further down your career, find yourself in a Tier One unit. You could join off the bat into a Tier Two unit and make your way into a Tier One unit, or you could jump from a Tier Three unit into a Tier One unit. Delta Force has been known to take soldiers from conventional forces on rare occasions. As a matter of rule, however, you typically need extensive experience in a Tier Two SOF unit before you’re able to try out or be recruited into a Tier One unit. You really only see people getting recruited straight into a Tier One unit in the movies, so don’t think that SEAL Team 6 is going to come knocking on your door because you’re interested. 

What is true, however, is that it is much easier to join a Tier Three unit as compared to a Tier Two unit. Tier Three units’ selection processes aren’t as grueling as Tier Two units' because Tier Three units need people, and they are different entities with different goals all together. While at the end of the day, any unit will want and need people who are qualified and able to do the job, Navy SEALs aren’t looking for numbers like the 101st Airborne Division is. 

A shared component of the three tiers is their need and use of support personnel. While support personnel might not be doing the coolest job out there, they are a necessity, and highly relied on. SEALs couldn’t get the job done without their support personnel, just as Delta Force or MARSOC couldn’t. Not everyone can be an operator, but operators can’t do everything. Support personnel can be pulled from conventional forces into roles for Tier One, Two, and even Three. While the roles and specific jobs of support personnel widely vary, they typically boil down to areas such as logistics, maintenance, and administration, but there’s plenty of other roles, such as EOD techs for MARSOC and DEVGRU. 

THREE TIERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY: CONCLUSION

So, if you’re interested in working with one of these elite units, but not  in being an operator, there’s a role you can play. Operators aren’t any better than their support personnel, again, it all comes down to a different purpose. 

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