SPECOPSLAB
OFFICIALlast verified 2026-10-18

Speciālo uzdevumu vienība (SUV) — kaujinieki un reindžeri
SUV entry test (ievadtests): circuit + 10 km march

The Special Tasks Unit (Speciālo uzdevumu vienība) is part of Latvia’s Special Operations Command (SPECOP) and recruits for two qualifications: the operator (kaujinieks, “Green Berets”) and the ranger (reindžers). Candidates for both take the same entry test: a seven-task circuit — 800 m run, 30 hand-release push-ups, 100 m sprint, 16 lifts of a 20 kg sandbag onto a 1.5 m platform, a 50 m farmer’s walk with two 20 kg jerrycans, 20 squats with a 20 kg sandbag and another 800 m run — within 14 minutes, then a 10 km march with a 15 kg pack within 1 h 30 min.

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minimum 14:00
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minimum 90 min

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Pay · free · rates from 1 Jul 2023 (unchanged in 2026)

What a SUV operator earns

Pay grade
6.–7.
Gross · Seržants · OR-5 (II kategorija) · 6.–7.€1,493 per month, before tax
Base pay grows with service — tap a bar
Not included in the total
  • Food allowance when no meals are provided (uzturdevas kompensācija)€14 per day
  • Rapid-reaction or NATO-assigned unit, by readiness: 45 days or more 74, 11–44 days 147, 1–10 days 210 (MK 509, 2.1 pielikums)€74 – €210 per month
  • International operation allowance: 1,932 × coefficient 1.0–2.0 by type of operation, pro rata (MK 509, 2. pielikums) provisional€1,932 – €3,864 per month
  • During an international operation: allowance for conducting special operations (MK 509, 2. pielikums, 4.3)€285 per month
  • Glasses or contact lenses, up to€150 per year

Rates from Cabinet Regulation No. 509 as worded from 1 July 2023, still in force in October 2026. The monthly salary is the rate for rank and total service multiplied by a post coefficient; which coefficient SUV posts get is not public, so we show the range the Latvian armed forces give for soldiers (from 1.10, up to +30%) — our calculation. Current law has no special-forces, parachute or diving allowance (the 85-euro SUV allowance ended in 2014); the discretionary allowance of up to 30% and the long-service bonus every 5 years (3 monthly salaries) are not included.

provisional = official source with a provisional legal status, a secondary source or our own calculation; see the sources.

The test, event by event

EventTime limit
Entry circuit, 7 tasks: 800 m, 30 push-ups, 100 m, 16 × 20 kg sandbag, 50 m carry, 20 squats, 800 m (ievadtests)14:00
10 km march with a 15 kg pack (pārgājiens)90 min

Also required

  • Latvian citizenship; health category A6 or B5 (as required by SUV); secondary education (specialised secondary or higher preferred); up to 35 years old for combat and combat-support sub-units.
  • Path: after the Infantry School (Kājnieku skola) or from another NBS unit → entry test → Basic Operator Course (Kaujinieku pamatapmācības kurss) → the operator qualification. The ranger sub-unit was formed in 2025 and is open to men and women; its first level-1 course lasted 6 months.
  • Test dates in 2026: 21 Feb, 16 May, 13 Jun, 26 Sep, 24 Oct and 28 Nov. The circuit is done in sportswear; candidates register by e-mail at least one working day before the test.
Sources:

Questions

Are there points or a time per station?

No. The official descriptions give only the fixed task loads and two time limits: 14 minutes for the whole seven-task circuit and 1 h 30 min for the 10 km march with 15 kg. They publish no points table and no split time per station.

What happened to the old swim and 10 km run standards?

The 2020 SUV fact sheet and the 2023 SPECOP recruiting brochure listed a 1,500 m swim within 50 min, 12 pull-ups, 60 sit-ups in 2 min, 45 (2020) or 60 (2023) push-ups in 2 min and a 10 km cross-country run within 50 min. These have been replaced by the current entry test and are not used in the calculator.

Where do the numbers come from?

From the Latvian armed forces page “Speciālo uzdevumu vienība” on mil.lv, section “Atlases pārbaudījumi” (read on 18 October 2026), and the defence ministry portal sargs.lv (7 November 2025), which describes the same test.

Compare with

NORWAYForsvarets spesialkommando (FSK) — SpesialjegerSpesialjegeropptak — physical requirements (fysiske krav)DENMARKJægerkorpset — Operatør (jægersoldat)Fysisk test niveau 5 + 2nd selection minimumsGERMANYKommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) — KommandosoldatPFV Phase 1 — minimum standards (Kommandosoldat)