Surviving the Cut

To earn a spot in the training for this elite group, sailors must pass a five week course designed to weed out the weak with pool confidence events, beach runs, obstacle courses and a 50 hour pain session in chilling waters.

The best soldiers learn the craft of shooting from extreme distances and are put to the test to see if they can make the critical kill shot. Miss by an inch and they're shipped home. Half of them will not survive the cut.

Air Force Divers must survive some of the toughest training in the world, pushing the limits of the human body. Students are pushed to the limit as they struggle to learn the art of staying calm in adverse underwater conditions.

To become an Army sapper, soldiers suffer through weeks of demolitions testing and physical torment, then fight through a week of nonstop missions with less than 10 minutes of sleep a night. Half will not survive the cut.

When elite forces need assault and attack helicopter support, there's one unit they want to provide it: the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. To qualify, students must pass a barrage of mental and physical stress tests.

They have been training for months and have seen their numbers dwindle to only the strongest. Now they face hostile water rescue tests, brutal team building events and small boat operations in extreme conditions to finish.