Abstract
The Danish Special Operations Forces (SOF) unit Jaegercorp this year set up a working group to investigate if the unit’s selection process could be optimized. This master thesis explores how and if the Jaegercorp can optimize its selection of highly qualified personnel in a changed security environment. It does so by examining which personal characteristics and formal and informal qualifications are needed by the applicants to succeed to become a SOF operator. It incorporates theory from Ryan and Deci’s self-determination theory. It investigates how the applicant’s expectations and demands correspond with those of the Jaegercorp. The empirical research is derived from document studies of current studies of the subject and from qualitative research methods including participant observation during selection to the Jaegercorp and semi structured focus group interviews with four different groups of SOF personnel ranging from 1 year to 25 years of experience. Other quantitative research was done by written interviews to build substantial empirical data to conduct the analysis. The findings of the paper are that the demands of the Jaegercorp in general corresponds with those of the applicants. The research suggests that the Jaegercorp could put focus on selecting on the applicant’s social skills, since these social skills are crucial to become a successful SOF operator. A perspective found in the study is that if Danish SOF should increase its personnel to counter the increased security threats in the future further studies could use the findings in this thesis as starting points for further research.