From 1967 to 2009, Spain’s Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (UOE) formed the elite force of the Spanish Navy and Marines to perform special operations. Since 2009, the special forces unit merged with the new Naval Special Warfare Force. In order to join the UOE and attain the much-coveted green beret, candidates need to run through extensive physical, psychological, and medical basic and advanced tests to secure their place in the special forces unit. It is no easy feat to pass the selection courses, and sometimes the failure rate of candidates is up to 100%. The motto of UOE is “He who can enters, not he who wants,” proving how high profile this naval and military unit really is.
