Why I chose not to continue towards 21 SAS selection
By Deepak Shukla · Historical account and source-led commentary
In June 2016 I told the 21 SAS recruiting team that I no longer believed pursuing selection was right for me. I had undertaken Army preparatory training, including Alpha and Bravo, but I did not attempt and fail SAS selection. I made the decision before proceeding to it.
The difference between wanting the challenge and wanting the commitment
I had been attracted to the idea of doing something very difficult. I had already pursued ambitious endurance goals and wanted to test myself in another environment. But military service is not a race entry or a personal expedition. It carries ongoing responsibilities, affects civilian commitments and asks for far more than enthusiasm for a hard physical challenge.
What I had actually done by that point
I had been through the application and recruitment stages and had undertaken Alpha, Bravo and holding-troop preparatory training. My original articles recorded the earlier application journey, while records from 2015–2016 help me check the dates and distinguish scheduled courses from courses I actually attended. These experiences were meaningful, but they were not a completed SAS selection course.
The decision in June 2016
By early June I was discussing the next stage and arranging equipment. On 9 June 2016 I wrote to the unit saying I had thought about it and did not believe selection was for me at that point. I thanked the people who had invested their time in the training. The response explained that pausing the application was not available under the rules applicable to me then, and we proceeded with the administrative next steps. That is a historical account, not advice about current age limits or recruitment policy.
Why I don't present myself as a special-forces veteran
Because I am not one. I applied, trained and left before selection. Those facts are more useful to a prospective applicant than a more dramatic story that implies a qualification I do not have. People deciding whether to pursue this pathway deserve a distinction between firsthand application experience and the experience of someone who completed the process.
The lesson I would pass on
Before building your preparation around a single event, understand the commitment behind it. Speak directly to the official recruiting organisation about the process as it exists today. Work out what sustained preparation would mean for your employment, relationships and health. Ask whether you want the role itself, not merely the challenge of trying to earn it.
Preparation without bravado
My later ultramarathon experience taught me a great deal about consistency, pacing and recovery. Those lessons can inform general endurance work, but no private fitness plan can guarantee military readiness, and hard training for its own sake can be counterproductive. Any individual training programme should be tailored by appropriately qualified professionals with your health and injury history in mind.
Where the original account lives
This page supplements rather than replaces the articles I wrote about applying and attending the assessment centre. I have kept the historical diary pieces available so readers can distinguish what I wrote at the time from what I think now. The current Army website remains the source of truth for entry requirements.
What is current policy, and what is my own experience?
I applied to 21 SAS and completed preparatory British Army training in 2015–2016, but did not attempt SAS selection or serve as an SAS operator. My private Georgian training was a separate experience. Military requirements belong to the Army, not to this independent personal website.
Published sources
- British Army Jobs — SAS Reserve role, entry requirements, selection and locations
Primary source for the role and the five publicly described phases; checked 15 October 2026.
- British Army — UK Special Forces Reserve overview and recruiting contact
Official route to the latest unit advice; checked 15 October 2026.
- British Army — 21 and 23 Special Air Service Reserve
Official regiment information; use the Army for current recruitment, not my historical diary.
- Soldier magazine (October 2025) — SAS Reserve recruiting feature
Dated official magazine article. Some eligibility wording differs from the Army Jobs role page; confirm with recruiting.
The Army Jobs listing and the October 2025 Soldier article use different age wording. That is a reason to ask the recruiting unit, not to pick the most convenient figure. These references are checked as of the date above, not monitored automatically.
Read next
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