Soldier vs operator

>>32803035
>do I understand this meme correctly
Get out

>>32803035
You need training.

So you guys don't know either, eh?

>>32803035
>it seems that these days, an operator is just another soldier.
it's just a common mistake from ignorant anons who don't know any better

it means a special forces soldier

>>32803079

I did google first. I know. Then I see pictures of people in uniform who look like they stole it because they plan to eat it later, be posted in here and referred to as operators. I am just wanting to get the term right, AS USED IN HERE.

>>32803064
Its more part of the progression towards ambiguous terms to help mentally detach from the act of killing.
'Shoot him in the chest' became 'aim at the centre of mass', 'the enemy' became 'hostiles/tangos/combatants', 'kill him' became 'neutralise the threat' etc.
Similarly, in line with corporate 'intelligencia investment', in terms of making boring jobs sound more prestigious, i.e a mechanic is now a Automobile Repair & Maintenance Specialist, a callcentre phone-drone is now a Consumer Marketing Product Advisor, and so forth.
This ambiguation of terms bled through, and thus, the term operator used to refer to 'surgical operators', i.e small special forces teams conducting recce and deep raiding, but as the progression rolled on, terms became ambiguous, from soldier, gunfighter, warfighter, operator, to the point now whereby any soldier who does something during an operation can be said to have 'operated operationally on operations', thus being 'an operator'.

>>32803106
don't be so autistic about it

when people post a fat operator it's obviously a joke

>>32803106
>I googled autistic /k/ memes
What that guy said. You said it in your OP, it's a meme. It's been bastardized here to pretty much doing anything with a weapon. Usually a gun, but noguns countries would probably say it about a knife. Do yourself a favor and lurk moar.

Wasn't operator specifically Delta back in the day?

A soldier is someone who is in the army.

An operator usually refers to someone with extra combat training, they are not necessarily in the military. For example: SWAT, FBI HRT, US Navy SEALs

Okay, I get it so far - an operator is essentially a soldier on the front line; someone in a combat role. So what soldiers are not operators; lorry drivers, cooks, tank crews, downed pilots, helicopter crews?

Take Black Hawk Down. As far as I can understand, ever last man who left the home base is definable as an operator?

>>32803147
I still maintain that they must be sf to be operators. I see no reason to deviate from the official definition that the military use. In the military operator = sf.

>>32803164

So a US Ranger is not an operator?

>>32803147
Well not really, its more the fact that the general public has confused the term operator with soldier.
A standard infantry bloke isnt considered an operator. As said above, only really those with specialised training or skillsets are considered operators.

Black Hawk Down isnt really a good example, yes SFOD-D is operator, as is SOAR technically, with the Rangers it depends who you ask. They are technically 'special forces' but mass deployable special forces, thus lacking the 'surgical operator' element. Depends who you ask.

A soldier is someone who is in the Army branch of the armed forces.

Marines are in the marines,
Sailors in the navy and coast guard
Airmen in the chair force
Soldiers in the army

>>32803035

It's just corporate speak to pussify the process so people don't think of babbykilling when they hear about military operations.

>>32803171
you can probably get away with calling them operators because they are somewhat close to sf, these things aren't written in stone per se, use your own judgement here

So the most precise definition of an operator is someone who operates individually or in squads as most? Like SWAT teams, sniper pairs and such - while larger groups like details and platoons are not.

>>32803205
well.. a sniper team from a conventional unit aren't operators

>>32803142
>they are not necessarily in the military

The goal post constantly changes with this word. It used to only be for guys in Delta. Then it moved to only guys in SOF. Now they don't even have to be in the military.

The word becomes meaningless when it becomes so broad.

File: Inside Delta Force.jpg (50KB, 333x500px) Image search: [Google]

50KB, 333x500px

This book explains it very well. It's a legal term to describe the personnel in Delta Force. Other people started using it afterwards because they think it sounds cool.

I personally only use it to describe people in SOF because that's how I've always heard it used. Calling a cop or some other civilian an operator doesn't sound right to me.

>>32803205
The most precise definition is that it originally refereed to members of Delta force and was chosen to differentiate themselves from the CIA, who called their people "operatives" (sauce: Eric Haney), but has now been diluted into meaninglessness by people either being mocking (see: the endless shitposting when Medal of Honor 2010 released, which used the term "Tier-one operator" extensively in its marketing almost to the point of self-parody) or grossly unself-aware (see: every single "am I operator /k/?" thread of the last decade posted by overweight mallninjas/airsofters wearing ill fitting milsurp).
TL:DR: It meant something once, now it means effectively nothing. Stop obsessing over memes you autist.

While a soldier merely needs to be employed in the armed forces of his country a true operator must consistently operate operationally in the field of operations while maintaining consistent operational security throughout the duration of the operation.

File: 1484990507770.jpg (1MB, 1856x1264px) Image search: [Google]

1MB, 1856x1264px

>>32803118
good explanation, thanks.