You Wouldn't Believe The Difference In These US Army Standards

There's nothing special about Special Forces. There is, however, a difference between a Green Beret and everyone else. According to retired Command Sergeant Major Rob Abernethy and host Fran Racioppi, that difference is standards.

Spending nearly four decades in Army Special Operations, Abernethy explains why Special Forces operates at a different level and how that mindset spreads across an entire organization. Excellence isn't created by a single leader or a high-performing ODA. It becomes part of the culture when every soldier, team, company, and battalion takes ownership of the standard.

From leadership development to organizational culture, Abernethy breaks down why elite performance is built through consistency in the fundamentals. Because long before combat tests a unit, its standards already have.

Watch, listen, or read our full conversation with (Ret.) CSM Rob Abernethy. Episode 197: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EKTRRJQqn8

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Green Berets are built over time. Special Operations Truth #3: SOF cannot be mass produced. America’s most elite warriors are developed through experience, through leadership, and through the responsibility of developing others. This is the job of the Special Forces Noncommissioned Officer.
In this episode, Fran Racioppi sat down with retired Command Sergeant Major Rob Abernethy to dissect the evolution of the Green Beret NCO, and their officer counterparts, to show how that development shapes the effectiveness of Army Special Operations and national strategy.
CSM Abernethy served nearly four decades in the Army and across special operations from a junior 18E communications sergeant, to the Command Sergeant Major of US Army Special Operations Command and United States European Command. Rob breaks down the role of the NCO as the backbone of the Regiment, the importance of regional alignment in building partner forces, and where Special Forces fits into military strategy from the pre-9/11 period, through the Global War on Terror and into today’s Large Scale Combat Operations.
We also explore the rapid evolution of technology and the challenge of integrating new tools without losing the fundamentals of leadership and warfighting. From artificial intelligence to modern battlefield systems, Rob emphasizes that technology must support the force, not replace the mindset that defines it.
Finally, after retiring as one of the longest serving Green Berets in the Army, CSM Abernethy shares his perspective on transition after service and his current role continuing to develop soldiers through his work at AUSA.
This is a conversation about leadership, evolution, and the responsibility to prepare the next generation of Green Berets for the fight ahead.


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The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation.

Learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video versions on YouTube.

The opinions presented on the The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are the opinions of our guests and creator and host Fran Racioppi. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Green Beret Foundation and the Green Beret Foundation assumes no liability for their accuracy; nor does Green Beret Foundation endorse any political candidate or any political party.

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