My 21 SAS Reserve Application: Alpha, Bravo and No Selection

By Deepak Shukla · Historical account and source-led commentary · Updated 16 October 2026

I recall applying to 21 SAS Reserve around autumn 2014, then undertaking British Army preparatory training in 2015–2016. I completed Alpha and Bravo, but did not continue through CIC. I never attempted or passed SAS selection and never served as an SAS operator. This is the historical chronology of an applicant, not an insider account of UKSF.

Why I wanted to apply

I was drawn to a difficult test of commitment while pursuing demanding physical goals outside work. At the time I had a lot of enthusiasm and endurance experience, but no reason to assume that being able to run long distances meant I understood soldiering. That difference between general fitness and learning what a military commitment entails became one of the important lessons of the process.

Autumn 2014 onwards: application, then early assessment

My recollection places the initial application around autumn 2014. The original diary describes the decision to apply; Part 2 records the early assessment at Pirbright. Those are separate moments, not a selection course. The recruitment process also involved the less dramatic work of medical administration, planning around civilian commitments and responding to the unit's instructions. Those records matter because they fix the sequence in time. They should not be mistaken for an up-to-date guide to applying today: the Army itself is the authority on current eligibility and requirements.

Training around ordinary civilian life

Part of what made the reserve route challenging for me was the interaction with civilian work. When you are self-employed, weeks set aside for training are also weeks when you need to reorganise income and responsibilities. It was not simply a question of whether I could run or carry weight. It was whether I could sustain the commitments in the context of the rest of my life.

Alpha, Bravo and holding troop

I went through Alpha and Bravo preparatory training and participated in the holding-troop environment. Contemporary messages from the time discuss course arrangements, attendance and my Bravo pay. Those messages corroborate the broad outline of my recollection, but they are private records, not documents I intend to publish or quote wholesale. The important point is accuracy: these were stages on an applicant's pathway, not evidence that I passed UK Special Forces selection.

A separate chapter: ten days of private training in Georgia

I also arranged a ten-day experience in Georgia with a man introduced to me as a former Georgian special-forces sniper. The original story records that private introduction and preparation. It was not a British Army qualification, an official Georgian course or proof of the trainer’s service record. The title belongs to my historical account; it does not imply military endorsement.

The course I did not continue through: CIC

Alpha and Bravo are the preparatory Army training I completed. I did not continue through CIC. An intended next course is not a completed course, and an early Army assessment is not SAS selection. Naming the stopping point matters more than describing everything under the vague phrase ‘special forces training’. My application ended on the preparation side of that boundary.

June 2016: preparing for another course, then reconsidering

I was arranging kit and discussing the next course when I made the decision to step away. My own message to the unit in June 2016 stated that I did not believe selection was right for me at that point. The unit acknowledged my decision and we arranged the administration associated with leaving. My preparation was real, as was the decision to stop. Neither should be rewritten as a selection success or failure.

What the experience gave me

Training exposed gaps that endurance sport alone could not address: working in a military system, preparation for a collective task and the practical discipline of showing up ready. I also learned that motivation is not a substitute for deciding whether an ongoing commitment fits the life you are building. My personal account can help another applicant think through that question, but it does not replace information from the recruiting unit.

What this history does not establish

I did not complete SAS selection, did not become an SAS operator and do not offer official military selection coaching. My private experience in Georgia was a separate undertaking; it was not an Army course. Historical messages and photographs are useful for checking the chronology, but the contents of private military correspondence and identifiable third-party images should not be republished as proof.

Where to go next

For the original story, read my application article and the account of ATC Pirbright. For the separate Georgian journey, read my account of the privately arranged training in 2015. If you are considering joining now, begin with the British Army's official UK Special Forces Reserve pages. If you are looking for general fitness preparation, my free guide offers an educational starting point rather than a test of military readiness.

My 21 SAS Reserve application and Army preparation: what I did and did not do

Historical training ledger