In the past few decades, warfare has changed in more ways than we can count. Gone are the days of vast organized armies facing off in a series of battles until one of them is decisively defeated, settling the matter once and for all. Modern war is asymmetric and unending, waged by nameless, stateless actors with unclear goals that lack the traditional structure of an army; just take a look at any major war of the last 30 years or so.
To deal with this new type of global, asymmetric warfare, many nations have moved away from the traditional, mass-recruitment style of military organization, instead focusing on training multiple small, specialized units that can be deployed much faster. Over the years, some of these special forces have earned a reputation as the most fearsome fighters in the world.
This is an encore of one of our previous lists, as presented by our YouTube host Simon Whistler. Read the full list!