The baptism of fire occurred on November 11, 1942, when 16 divers from the Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) opened the way for the Allied landings in Africa. Other commands acted at the same time on pacific ocean, and in June 1944 UDT men cleared beaches and harbors before landing in Normandy.
Most of the teams were disbanded at the end of the Second World War, but the few remaining in the ranks took part in the Korean War and in sabotage and reconnaissance operations in the ports of communist China. In 1955, the Submarine Demolition Teams, formerly based on the Tai Chun Islands in Taiwanese territory, were transferred to the Subic Bay base in the Philippines. At the same time, the command came to the conclusion that the combat missions of the teams needed to be expanded, taking scouts as a model. marines, which, after landing on the shore, enter the battle.
The Vietnam War allowed the SEALs to show themselves. In five years, they successfully conducted 153 combat operations, destroying more than 1,000 Viet Cong, capturing the same number and losing one fighter. After returning to the United States after Vietnam, SEAL teams took part in many NATO exercises. Gradually, all UDT teams were converted to SEAL teams. In 1983, the SEALs took part in Operation Just Cause in Grenada, in 1989 they captured a military airport in the capital of Panama, and in February 1991 they became the first soldiers of the anti-Iraq coalition to enter the capital of Kuwait.
SEAL teams are part of two US Navy Special Operations Groups (Naval Special Warfare Groupe) - 1st (Pacific, based in Coronado, California) and 2nd (Atlantic, based in Little Creek, Virginia) - and reporting directly to the High Command of the Fleet (USSCOM). Each group consists of three SEAL teams, three special boat fleets, one supply detachment, and one light attack helicopter squadron. The 6th SEAL team specializes in counter-terrorist operations; she is permanently assigned to Delta Force and Joint Special Operations Command Control. In addition, separate SEAL teams are stationed in Scotland, Portugal and the Philippines. The total strength of all SEAL units is about 2900 people. The SEAL combat team consists of 27 officers and 156 soldiers, divided into five platoons.
The SEAL training and selection program is rigorous. Only half of those 20% of candidates who passed the initial selection manage to overcome it. The course requires iron endurance and willpower. During the infamous "hell week" (sixth week of the course), fighters can sleep four hours in six days! SEAL fighters have been trained for several years and during this time master all the intricacies of coastal reconnaissance, organizing combat raids and landing from the air with parachute opening at high and low altitudes. The American SEALs are the true elite of the amphibious assault and enjoy well-deserved respect from the fighters of other special forces.
The U.S. Naval Special Operations Command provides a U.S. citizen with the opportunity to become a combat swimmer (SEAL).
The SEAL training program includes more than 12 months of training after initial training, 18 months of additional training for operations, intensive specialized training sessions to improve your physical and mental capabilities.
If you are lucky, you will become a member of a SEAL group and take part in missions and operations that most people can only dream of.
Minimum Requirements
By law, only men are eligible to train in SEAL programs. After joining the Navy, you must:- meet specific vision requirements.
- earn at least a minimum score in the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) program.
- be no older than 28 years old.
- be a US citizen.
- undergo a medical examination for diving activities.
- at the end of the physical examination, fulfill the requirements of the Program, which are as follows:
- swim 500 yards in at least 12 minutes 30 seconds
- rest 10 minutes.
- Perform 42 push-ups in 2 minutes.
- rest 2 minutes.
- Perform 50 squats in 2 minutes.
- rest 2 minutes.
- perform 6 pull-ups (no time limit).
- rest 10 minutes.
- run 1.5 miles in 11 minutes.
- pass the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEALS (BUD/S) physical examination at Boot Camp and complete introductory program(DEP) to qualify for a contract.
STEP 1: SELECT A SEAL RATING (SO)
STEP 2: TRAINING:
(BUD/S) Medical Examination: (5 weeks - Coronado, California)(BUD/S) Stage I: Physical Training (2 months - Coronado, California)
(BUD/S) Stage II: Diving (2 months - Coronado, California)
(BUD/S) Stage III: Weapons, Weapons and Small Unit Tactics (2 months - Coronado, CA)
Skydiving school: (1 month - Fort Benning (BENNING, GA)
Advanced Sea, Air and Land Training Program: (5 months - Coronado, California)
STEP 3: ADDITIONAL PREPARATION / DISTRIBUTION
Naval Special Operations Command SEAL - (NEC) graduation and qualification and opportunities for advanced training.Assignment to First SEAL Troop or Delivery Vehicle Squad (Virginia Beach, VA; Pearl Harbor, HI, or Coronado, California).
Individual training in a specialty (6 months), when assigned to a platoon or SDV task force.
Training as part of a unit, as part of a platoon or SDV task force (6 months).
Training as part of a tactical group (6 months), as part of a platoon or SDV task force (6 months).
STEP 4: DEPLOY AND PARTICIPATE IN COMBAT OPERATIONS
Typical SEAL operations may include submarine, helicopter, high speed boat, parachute drop, march, or swim. Fighters can also use special equipment and equipment based on high technology. Most combat services last 6 to 8 months.SEAL programs will reliably prepare you for the extreme physical and mental conditions that are typical of SEAL missions. If you are qualified for this task, then you are in incredible physical shape and have the necessary confidence, determination and experience. teamwork for success in a combat mission.
BASIC UNDERWATER ENDURANCE EXERCISES
Program (BUD/S) is seven months training sessions that develop your mental and physical endurance and leadership skills. Each stage includes control physical condition over time, every week the requirements become more stringent. Speak with your Hiring Agent and discuss the physical entry requirements.(BUD/S) - Initial training (8 weeks)
Think: are you in a good condition? Think again. In the first stage (BUD/S), SEAL candidates are assessed in terms of physical fitness, ability to operate in the water, teamwork, perseverance, and mental health. Physical training consists of running, swimming and gymnastics. The load increases every week. You will have to participate in weekly cross-country races for a distance of four miles in boots, overcome an obstacle course at a certain time, swim up to two miles in the ocean and drive a small sea boat.First three weeks preparatory course prepare you for the fourth week, known as "hellish". During this week you will study for five and a half days continuously and sleep for a maximum of four hours at a time. The purpose of this week is the final test of your physical and mental capabilities. Those who go through her trials will prove that a person is able to withstand ten times more stress than is considered possible. During the "hell week" you will learn the value of composure, perseverance and, above all, teamwork.
The remaining four weeks of preparation will be dedicated to learning different methods of hydrographic orientation.
(BUD/S) - diving (8 weeks)
The Diving Stage (BUD/S) gives SEAL candidates the qualities of a competent diver fighter. During this period, physical training continues and the loads become even more intense.At this stage, the focus is on mastering the breathing apparatus (SCUBA). You will recognize two types of SCUBA: open circuit (compressed air) and closed circuit (100% oxygen). The emphasis in training is on overcoming long distances under water in order to prepare candidates for the activity of a combat swimmer, mastering the technique of diving and swimming from the landing point to the designated object. This is what sets the SEAL apart from all other special operations forces.
(BUD/S) - land combat (9 weeks)
The Land Combat Training Program equips SEAL candidates with basic weapons, weapons, and small unit tactics. Physical training continues and becomes even more strenuous as the distance increases and the minimum allowed time for the route, swimming and overcoming obstacles decreases.At this stage, orientation on the ground, tactics, methods of action, hand-to-hand combat, sniper training and explosives are taught. Candidates spend the last three and a half weeks on San Clement Island, where they will have to apply all the knowledge and skills they have gained in the course of their studies.
ADDITIONAL TRAINING
Graduates (BUD/S) have a few more courses to complete before being assigned to the unit. These are the courses:- basic parachute training.
- diving medicine and medical training medical courses(for medical personnel).
Training, conditioning, and exercise are part of the life of a SEAL. After you have completed the SEAL Initial Training Program, you may choose to take other continuing education courses (learning foreign language, tactical communications, sniper business, sapper training, skydiving, free landing and much more).
SPECIAL REMUNERATION
SEALs receive regular military pay and benefits, as well as incentive bonuses for special skills and assignments. All fighters receive payments for jumping, diving and using explosives, plus payments for performing special operations. This makes combat swimmers the highest paid enlisted category among the US military.EQUIPMENT
Combat swimmers are considered by many to be the most highly trained navies in the world. It is quite natural that they use the latest equipment from everything in service.The abbreviation SEAL consists of the first letters of the names of the elements of the environment in which combat swimmers work - sea, air, land - and their equipment, vehicles and weapons, which are selected depending on the nature of the mission. Given the inherently secretive nature of many SEAL operations, some information about their equipment is still classified. However, below are a few photos showing the high tech weaponry and vehicles you will use if you decide to become a SEAL.
SEA
You will meet a new generation of naval vessels.
Experimental 80-foot Stiletto M-hull catamarans could be one of the most important components of a future SEAL mission. They are capable of speeds of 50-60 knots. The draft of a fully loaded boat is only 3 feet. In the future, this will allow the Stiletto to ideally carry out missions in the coastal zone.
Quiet and close to the coast. Sailors of the Naval Special Intelligence Team No. 1 prepare to enter the deck of the Stiletto experimental boat off the coast of San Diego during an exercise.
The catamaran's patented M-shaped hull design provides a stable yet fast platform for mounting electronic surveillance equipment or weapons for special operations. The hull does not require the installation of additional devices for securing loads, as it provides smooth movement at high speeds in all conditions. Its shallow draft allows it to operate in riverine conditions and potentially enables "dry" beach landings.
Rigid keel inflatable boats (RIBs) are used by SEALs to disembark and evacuate fighters from enemy shores. This fast, rigid hull inflatable boat comes in two sizes - 24' and 30' - and is highly buoyant, making it suitable for even the most extreme weather conditions. The 30-foot model is equipped with a jet propulsion system, which makes it possible to land directly on the shore and provide fire support to the SEAL platoon close to the shore.
When the distance of the water surface or the way to overcome it becomes one of the main factors of the mission, SEALs use a unique mode of transport - underwater self-propelled projectiles (SDVs).
Initially stationed on a nuclear submarine, SDVs provide the combat swimmer with full life support after undocking. Early models allowed each SEAL to be connected to an onboard air supply and filled with water during operation, but in the next generation the swimmer is transported in a dry compartment. Each type of self-propelled underwater projectile operates from an autonomous power supply and, in addition to the engine and life support equipment, is equipped with navigation and communication facilities.
AIR
Fear of heights is not for combat swimmers. In the photo, fighters descend from a HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt (Nimitz class).
This method of landing from a Sea Hawk helicopter or the free jump method is often used in operations related to delivery to the front line. Designed for search and rescue, as well as for conducting special combat operations at sea, the HH-60H operates high-tech equipment: night vision devices, flash suppressors, infrared interference devices. The helicopter is armed with M-240 or GAU-17 machine guns to suppress enemy fire or use during special operations.
In addition, the Sea Hawk is equipped with the Advanced Infrared Surveillance System (FLIR), is capable of using Hellfire anti-ship missiles, and can be used to combat small ships and the mine threat of the US Navy and merchant shipping.
In combat, the Sea Hawk uses weapons consisting of two M-60D/M-240 machine guns or two GAU-17A cannons. In addition, a GCAL-50 machine gun can be mounted and 2.75 inch rockets, Stinger or Maverick can be suspended.
When jumping from an altitude above 12,000 feet, additional oxygen supply to the skydiver is mandatory. In both jump options: High Altitude/Low Opening (HALO) and High Altitude/High Opening (HAHO), the skydiver leaves the aircraft at high altitude and navigates the compass and terrain to land at the intended point. Since it is possible to lose consciousness due to lack of oxygen even at lower altitudes, skydivers are equipped with a pressure sensor that automatically activates the lanyard release device. Your parachute will open automatically at a predetermined height.
EARTH
SEALs work as a team. But sometimes single actions are used in the operation: a fighter is landed behind enemy lines behind the front line or in enemy encirclement. Even in such dangerous situations, fighters are equipped with powerful satellite communications. Trust us, you can't buy the rest of the contents of a SEAL backpack at a junk shop.
Equipment for each operation is selected based on its purpose, but most often SEAL fighters have at their disposal: binoculars, GPS, CAR 15s with an M-203 underbarrel grenade launcher, SASR 50 caliber sniper rifles and pistols if close combat is expected.
"Loyalty to country, team and commander" is the SEAL code. In the photo, a team member ensures the safety of colleagues during the implementation of the evacuation during the Desert Rescue XI exercise at Fallon Naval Air Station. The exercise simulates the rescue of helicopter crews shot down behind the front lines, allowing other crews to practice search and rescue techniques, as well as experiment with new methods based on real scenarios.
There are no roads, but you need to drive. In the photo, SEALs train in movement tactics in Group 2 of the training unit of the Special Operations Command.
The all-wheel drive diesel HumVee is equipped with a 50 caliber machine gun mount. This vehicle is highly regarded for its versatility and endurance and is ideal for moving units in low threat environments.
Do you think this is a desert buggy? The Special Patrol Vehicle (DPV) is equipped with a 50 caliber M-60 machine gun, a 20 mm cannon and a launcher for launching two AT-4 missiles. DPV vehicles are ideal for long-term reconnaissance and combat use. Fast and reliable, it easily handles obstacles in rough terrain.
The US Navy SEALs have special exercise: a person is tied with his hands behind his back, his ankles are tied and he is thrown into a pool 3 meters deep.
His task is to survive for five minutes.
As is often the case in SEAL training, the vast majority of recruits fail. Many immediately panic and start screaming to be pulled out. Some try to swim, but go under water, and they have to be caught and pumped out. Over the years of training, there have even been deaths on numerous occasions.
But some people manage to cope with the task, and the knowledge of two rather contradictory rules helps them in this.
The first rule is paradoxical: the more you try to keep your head above the water, the more likely you are to drown.
With tied hands and feet, it is impossible to keep yourself on the surface of the water for five minutes. What's more, your erratic twitching will only help you drown even faster. The trick is to allow yourself to sink to the bottom of the pool. Then you should forcefully push off with your feet from the bottom and, when you are thrown to the surface, inhale quickly and start the whole process again.
(At the age of 8, not yet knowing about the existence of the US Navy SEALs, I thus saved the sea in Zatoka, when I was at a depth and missed the inflatable ball that I had previously held on to.) I sank to the bottom and pushed my feet up and into side of the coast. So leaps and jumped to the shallows)
Oddly enough, this technique does not require any superhuman strength or special endurance. You don't even have to be able to swim, rather, on the contrary, you are required not to even try to do it. You should not resist the laws of physics, you should use them to save your life.
The second lesson is a little more obvious, but also paradoxical: the more you panic, the more oxygen you need, and the more likely you are to pass out and drown. The exercise turns your survival instinct against you: the more intense your desire to breathe, the less opportunity you will have to breathe. And the more intense your will to live, the more likely you are to die.
Thus, this exercise is not for physical strength, and not for willpower. It is aimed at the ability to control oneself in a critical situation. Will a person be able to suppress his instinctive impulses? Can he relax in the face of potential death? Will he be able to risk his life for the sake of some higher task?
The ability to control oneself is much more important than the ability to swim. It is more important than physical strength, endurance or ambition. It is more important than intelligence, education and how good a person looks in a luxurious Italian suit.
This skill - the ability to not give in to instincts when you most want it - is one of the most important skills that any person can develop in himself. And not only for service in the Navy. Just for life.
Most people believe that effort and reward are directly related. We believe that if we work twice as hard, the result will be twice as good. And if we pay twice as much attention to our loved ones, then we will be loved twice as much. And if we shout twice as loudly, then our words will become twice as convincing.
That is, it is assumed that most of what happens in our lives is described by a line graph, and that there is a “unit” of reward for a “unit” of effort.
But let me tell you (me, who was hoping that if you drink twice as much Red Bull as usual, then this article will be finished twice as fast) - this is almost never the case. Most of what is happening in the world does not follow linear laws. Linear dependence is observed only in the most primitive, monotonous and boring things - when driving a car, when filling out documents, when cleaning a bathroom, etc. In all these cases, if you do something for two hours, you get twice as much as if you did it for an hour. But this is due to the fact that there is no need to think or invent.
Most often, a linear relationship is not observed precisely because monotonous mechanical actions make up a smaller part of our life. Most of our activities are complex and require mental and emotional effort.
Thus, most activities follow a diminishing returns curve.
The law of diminishing returns states that, after a certain point, an increase in investment does not bring an equivalent return. The classic example is money. The difference between earning $20,000 and $40,000 is huge and completely life changing. The difference between earning $120,000 and $140,000 only means that your car will have nicer seat heaters. The difference between earnings of $127,020,000 and $127,040,000 is generally within the margin of error.
The concept of diminishing returns applies to most of all developments that are complex or new. The more often you shower, the more chicken wings you eat at dinner, the longer you stick to the ritual of annual trips to your mother - the less significant each of these events is (forgive me my mother).
Another example: productivity studies show that we are only really efficient during the first four or five hours of our working day. This is followed by a dramatic decline in performance - to the point where the difference between working for 12 hours and working for 16 hours is almost invisible (except for sleep deprivation).
The same rule applies to friendship. A single friend is always vital. Having two friends is always better than having one. But if the 10th is added to 9 friends, then this will not change much in your life. And 21 friends instead of 20 brings only problems with remembering names.
The concept of diminishing returns applies to sex, eating, sleeping, drinking alcohol, exercising at the gym, reading books, vacations, hiring employees, consuming caffeine, saving money, scheduling business meetings, studying, playing video games, and masturbating - the examples are endless. The more you do something, the less reward you get for each subsequent action. Almost everything works according to the law of diminishing returns.
But there is another curve that you have probably never seen or heard of before - this is the inverse (inverted) yield curve.
The inverse yield curve shows cases where effort and reward are negatively correlated, meaning the more effort you put into something, the less you achieve.
And it is precisely this law that operates in the example of the fur seals. The more effort you put in to stay on the surface, the more likely you are to fail. Similarly, the stronger your urge to breathe, the more likely you are to choke.
Perhaps now you are thinking - well, why do we need to know all this? We're not going to dive into the pool with our feet and hands tied! What do we care about inverse curves?
Indeed, there are few things in life that work according to the law of the inverse curve. But the few that do exist are extremely important. I even dare to say that all the most important experiences and events in life work according to the law of the inverse curve.
Effort and reward are in direct proportion to the performance of primitive tasks. Effort and reward work according to the law of diminishing returns when the action is complex and multidimensional.
But when it comes to our psyche, i.e. about what happens solely in our own minds, the relationship between effort and reward is inverse.
The pursuit of success takes you even further away from it. The search for emotional peace is only more exhilarating. The desire for more freedom often makes us feel even more unfree. The need to be loved prevents us from loving ourselves.
Aldous Huxley once wrote: “The more we force ourselves to do something against our will, the less often we succeed. Knowledge and results come only to those who have learned the paradoxical art of doing without doing, of combining relaxation with activity.”
The fundamental components of our psyche are paradoxical. This is due to the fact that when we consciously try to evoke a certain mood in ourselves, the brain automatically begins to resist it.
This is the “Law of Converse”: the expectation of a positive result is in itself a negative factor; readiness for a negative result is a positive factor.
This applies to most (if not all) aspects of our mental health and relationships:
Control. The more we strive to control our own feelings and impulses, the more we worry about our intemperance. Our emotions are involuntary and often uncontrollable, the desire to take control further strengthens them. Conversely, the more relaxed we are about our own feelings and impulses, the more opportunities we have to direct them in the right direction.
Freedom. Ironically, the constant desire for more freedom puts more and more barriers in front of us. The willingness to accept freedom within certain limits allows us to define these limits for ourselves.
Happiness. The desire to be happy makes us less happy. What makes us happy is reconciliation with failure.
Safety. The desire to feel safe creates insecurity in us. Coming to terms with uncertainty makes us feel safe.
Love. The more we try to make others love us, the less likely they will be. And, more importantly, the less we will love ourselves.
Respect. The more we demand respect for ourselves, the less we will be respected. The more we ourselves respect others, the more respect will be for us.
Confidence. The more we persuade people to trust us, the less often they do so. The more we trust others, the more trust we receive in return.
Confidence. The more we try to feel confident in ourselves, the more we worry and worry. The willingness to admit our shortcomings allows us to feel more comfortable in our own skin.
Self improvement. The more we strive for perfection, the more we feel that this is not enough. At the same time, the willingness to accept ourselves as we are allows us to grow and develop, because in this case we are too busy to pay attention to secondary things.
Significance: the more significant and profound we consider own life the more superficial it is. The more we value the lives of others, the more important we will become to them.
All these internal, psychological experiences work according to the law of the inverse curve, because they all originate at the same point: in our consciousness. When you desire happiness, your brain is both the source of that desire and the object that should feel it.
When it comes to these high, abstract, existential reasoning, our brain becomes like a dog chasing its own tail. To a dog, this pursuit seems quite logical - after all, if with the help of the chase he gets everything else that is necessary for his dog life why should it be different this time?
However, a dog can never catch its own tail. The faster she catches up, the faster her tail runs away. The dog lacks the breadth of his gaze, he does not see that he and the tail are a single whole.
Our task is to wean our brain from chasing its own tail. Give up the pursuit of meaning, freedom and happiness, because they can only be felt when you stop chasing them. Learn to achieve your goal by giving up the pursuit of that goal. To show ourselves that the only way to reach the surface is to let yourself sink.
How to do it? Refuse. Surrender. Surrender. Not because of weakness, but because of the understanding that the world is wider than our consciousness. Recognize your fragility and limitations. Your finiteness in the endless stream of time. This refusal to try to control speaks not of weakness, but of strength, because you choose to give up those things that are beyond your control. Accept that not always and not everyone will love you, that there are failures in life, and that you will not always find a clue what to do next.
Give up fighting your own fears and insecurities, and when you think you're about to drown, you'll hit the bottom and be able to push yourself off of it, that's where the salvation lies.
The US Navy SEALs, formerly known as SEAL Team 6, aka Navy SEAL, and today operating under the name DEVGRU SEAL, which is best known for the elimination of Osama bin Laden, has been transformed by the leadership into a global assassination tool with limited external control.
Despite the fact that the Navy SEAL special forces unit is subordinate to the US Special Operations Command (abbreviation USSOCOM), it is structurally part of the US Navy or the US Coast Guard.
Their activities are aimed at conducting sabotage, eliminating enemy command units, reconnaissance operations, rescuing hostages, countering maritime terrorism and piracy. In many ways, Navy SEALs are similar to the Delta Force unit of the Ground Forces, which we wrote about earlier.
In order not to get confused by the names, you should know that Navy SEALs those. United States Navy SEALs is the unofficial name for a special forces unit that has become firmly entrenched in colloquial speech. Until 1987, the group was called SEAL Team 6, after which the official designation of this special unit appeared as "Naval special group quick deployment" ( U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group, abbreviation NSWDG or DEVGRU). Therefore, to eliminate confusion in abbreviations, the combined designation DEVGRU SEAL is used, and briefly the special unit continues to be called United States Navy SEALs - Navy SEALs.
However, the combined name of these special forces is being used more and more often - SEAL DEVGRU- one of the most closed paramilitary communities in the US Armed Forces.
The history of the creation and activities of the US Navy SEALs
The forerunners of the Navy SEAL were the Underwater Demolition Teams and the Naval Combat Demolition Units, which operated during World War II, carrying out sabotage on land and at sea, reconnaissance from the sea of coastal fortifications and other operations.
After the start cold war, the Caribbean crisis, the governing body of the US Armed Forces - the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported to the President of the United States, at that time John F. Kennedy, on the need to create a Navy US special unit for sabotage. This need was caused by the growing threat of attacks from the USSR and Cuba; the unit could also show its usefulness in Vietnam.
In 1980, the Navy SEALs failed Operation Eagle Claw in Tehran. After that, the question was raised of creating a special anti-terrorist unit within the US Navy SEALs. This issue was assigned to deal with Richard Marcinko, the initiator of the creation of the anti-terror unit, one of the members of the Special Operations Command. It was he who was also appointed the first commander of the Sixth Mobile Detachment of the Special Operations Forces of the US Navy - SEAL Team 6.
Over time, the functions of the SEAL DEVGRU function have been expanded, from sabotage at sea and land, the seizure of ships and the release of captured ships, to conducting reconnaissance operations, rescuing hostages, eliminating US enemies.
The number six in the name of the unit remains a mystery, just like the activities of such a unit today are a mystery. At the time of the creation of the sixth detachment, there were already two detachments in the structure of the MTR of the US Navy, and the new unit was supposed to receive serial number three, but this did not happen.
Among the territories where the United States used Navy SEALs it can be noted, the war in Vietnam (1962-1973), the invasion of Grenada (1983), the operation "Main Chance" in the Persian Gulf (1984), the operation "Just Cause" to invade Panama (1989-1990 years), operation "Desert Storm", the war in Afghanistan (from 2001 to the present time), the War in Iraq from 2003 to today and the most famous Operation "Neptune Spear" to eliminate Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
Specificity of activity
The modern SEAL DEVGRU unit has almost unlimited capabilities, and the unit’s priority was to carry out operational preemptive attacks, special counter-terrorism operations of high importance and secrecy, missions to prevent the receipt of weapons of mass destruction by terrorist organizations, rescue missions from military and conflict zones and crisis situations of objects and people of high value and importance.
SEAL Team 6/SEAL DEVGRU prepared and carried out deadly operations in complete secrecy in the barren territories of Somalia. As part of operations in Afghanistan, the unit took part in hostilities so close that they returned to base in blood that was not their own. On secret raids in the dead of night, their weapons of choice ranged from individual carbines to primitive tomahawks.
In many parts of the world, they have operated spy stations disguised as commercial boats, posed as civilian employees of shell companies, and undercover operations in embassies for domestic and foreign intelligence, tracking down those the US is trying to kill or arrest.
All of the above examples of operations are only a small part of the secret history of SEAL Team 6 / SEAL DEVGRU of the US Navy, one of the most shrouded in mystery, the least researched special military unit of the US Armed Forces. Once a small unit reserved for specialized but extremely rare operations, known for the elimination of the terrorist Osama bin Laden, it has been transformed over more than ten years of combat into a global tool for the destruction of US enemies.
The role and nature of SEAL DEVGRU reflects America's new approach to warfare, in which conflict is distinguished not by battlefield victories and defeats, but by the relentless killing of perceived enemies.
Almost everything about the secret special forces called SEAL DEVGRU, shrouded in a veil of secrecy - the Pentagon has not publicly acknowledged that the so-called unit exists. But an examination of the evolution of SEAL Team 6, conducted by The New York Times dozens of interviews with current and retired special forces operators, other subjects in the US Armed Forces, as well as reviews of acts of the US administration, show a much more complex, provocative history of the US SOF unit SEAL DEVGRU / SEAL team 6.
In SEAL DEVGRU operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the main goal was to deplete the enemy, destroying the highest priority targets in the face of enemy commanders. These measures, according to the command, caused significant damage to terrorist networks. In operations on the territory of other states, Navy SEALs carried out mainly reconnaissance tasks, but even there they did not disdain killings. The main reconnaissance detachment was a sniper unit SEAL Team 6. The division has repeatedly provided support to other special forces, in particular Delta, helped in the implementation of CIA operations, for example, as part of Operation Omega Program.
At the same time, quite often, information emerges about the excessive craving for murder in SEAL Team 6. One of the hostages, a US citizen, did not understand after his release why US Navy SEALs did not leave at least one jailer alive?
All suspicions of the use of excessive force were checked by the internal command and rarely referred to the US Navy for investigation. After all, each fighter, or as they are commonly called within the unit, is an operator, worth its weight in gold, because a lot of time, money and effort have been invested in it.
Some have noted that SEAL Team 6's abilities are misused, often deployed as part of military operations with medium and low priority militants. Someone even worries that the elite spirit of the elite special forces may disappear in this way. However, no matter what, SEAL DEVGRU, like Delta Force, prove themselves as fearless warriors in all the hot spots to which they are sent by the US government, Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq, Syria.
SEAL DEVGRU operations, in collaboration with the Central Intelligence Agency, supported by US Air Force drones, represent a less costly alternative to deep warfare with the invasion of the main forces of the US Army.
The only thing that prevents the public glorification of the exploits of the SEALs, and at the same time the debate about the consequences of their special operations, is the complete secrecy of information about the SEAL DEVGRU MTR special unit.
As previously noted, the Pentagon declined to comment on the existence of SEAL DEVGRU. Special Operations Command, under whose operational subordination there are Navy SEALs also declined to comment on the activities of the US Navy SEALs. official position command is limited to suggesting that since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, SOF fighters "took part in tens of thousands of operations and missions in a large number of" geographic theaters ", while they consistently remained faithful to the highest requirements put forward by the Armed Forces of the United States of America".
