Updated

They are the elite of the elite. Special Operations warriors: The Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces, Air Force Special Operations and Marine Special Operations.

Just this week, it was the Navy SEALs who captured the world’s attention after Somali pirates hijacked an American ship and held her captain hostage in the Indian Ocean. The Navy SEAL snipers of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) sprang into action and freed Richard Phillips in a precise “capture-kill” mission. The SEALs combine intense training with an ability to deploy at a moment’s notice. As you will see when we go inside their training, steely nerves are the qualities required of a Special Operations warrior. Out of 100 candidates, less than 25 make it as a Navy SEAL.

With exclusive access, you’ll see what happens when "War Stories" cameras were allowed to embed with an Army-Marine Special Forces team when they went into combat with the 207th Afghan Commandos in Western Afghanistan. FOX News was entrusted to keep the identity of the unit and its warriors secret unless otherwise permitted.

Currently, there are 38,000 American servicemen and women on the ground in Afghanistan and President Barack Obama has ordered an additional 21,000 troops to deploy there.

FOX News cameras and producers with Oliver North were granted a ride-along with the elite Iraqi Hillah SWAT Team, which is modeled after U.S. SWAT teams and brings security to the region. Witness firsthand as American and Iraqi Special Forces apprehend a hard-target terrorist in Baghdad’s notoriously violent Sadr City.

Find out what it takes to become a Special Operator and the courage, determination and sacrifice required to undertake some of this country’s most dangerous missions around the world.

Staff:

Executive producer: Pamela K. Browne
Written and produced by: Gregory M. Johnson
Producer: Greg Ebben
Associate producer: Andrew Stenner
Primary field camera: Chris Jackson and Mal James
Editor: Steve Prohaska