The recruiting program that enlists civilians to become Green Beret candidates “is critical to Special Forces,” the commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command said.

Known by the MOS 18X, the Special Forces candidate program enlists young people to help build the force rather than recruiting only from within the ranks, Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga said. Soldiers who joined the Army through the 18X program and made it through the long and arduous path to become Green Berets, he said, “make up over 50% of the force.”

“We had a different model 20, 25 years ago when it was only from the Army, but it’s a critical life blood to our Special Forces Green Berets,” Braga said Feb. 26 in testimony before the House Armed Services subcommittee on intelligence and special operations.

Noting that Army Special Operations Command is a “high-standards organization,” Braga explained that “four of five, both Special Forces Green Berets and Rangers, do not successfully make it through our rigorous assessment and selection, yet they end up being successful noncommissioned officers in the United States Army, which is a benefit for the Army and recruiting efforts.”

Braga, who testified alongside his counterparts from the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, told lawmakers that retention among special operations forces is “very high” because of the “sense of purpose and family support,” highlighted by data gathered in polls of retiring members of special operations, he said.

He cited a “high satisfaction level” among special operations forces who said in polls that working with and being surrounded by people who want to “perform above the mid-standard” and participating in “missions of consequence and purpose” drive them to serve, Braga said.

While the 18X program yields a good number of soldiers who meet the high standards to become Green Berets, Braga said Army Special Operations Command “needs help” with recruiting, urging the lawmakers to  “get the word out” among their constituents.

“We need to do a better job of telling our story, both nationally and at the local level, and we’re working with the Army to do that, we haven’t always been good at that,” he said. “We do have some work to do to improve our recruiting numbers, but retention is as high as it’s ever been.”