Welcome to the Introduction to Special Operations Forces

Welcome to the Introduction to Special Operations Forces course lesson on Naval
Special Operations Forces. U.S. Naval forces designated as special operations forces
are assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Command abbreviated
(NAVSPECWARCOM). It is often abbreviated even further to simply WARCOM. The
United States Naval Special Warfare Command is the United States Special
Operations Command’s Naval Special Operations Forces component. In this lesson we
will discuss the lineage of Naval Special Operations Forces along with the current
structure, locations, missions, and capabilities.
A basic understanding of the different USSOCOM service component capabilities
along with the core activities and functions assigned to them by USSOCOM is
essential to acquiring a complete and well rounded understanding of US Special
Operations Forces. USSOCOM assigns its service components specific core activities
and functions through USSOCOM Directive 10-1. As you might imagine Naval Special
Operations Forces are particularly well suited for maritime, littoral, and riverine
Special Operations. Understanding what those activities are and how Naval Special
Operations Forces are organized and equipped to accomplish those assigned
activities is essential to your education of US SOF.
Let’s take a quick at NAVSOF in action before we discuss the specific units, capabilities
and structure of NAVSPECWARCOM.
Naval Special Warfare SEALs (which stands for Sea, Air, and Land) and Special Warfare CombatantCraft Crewmen can trace their origins to the scouts and raiders, Naval Combat Demolition Units,
Office of Strategic Services Operational Swimmers, Underwater Demolition Teams and Patrol
Torpedo (PT) and Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons of World War II. Within the U.S. military these
units pioneered flexible swim fins and facemasks, closed-circuit diving equipment, swimmer
submersibles, and combat swimming, and limpet mine attacks. While none of those early
organizations have survived to the present times, their pioneering efforts in special operations are
mirrored in the missions and professionalism of the present Naval Special Warfare warriors.
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The Special Boat Teams can also trace their history back to WWII. Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron
Three rescued General MacArthur and later the Filipino President from the Philippines after the
Japanese invasion and then participated in guerrilla actions until American resistance ended in the
Philippines with the fall of Corregidor. PT Boats subsequently participated in most of the
campaigns in the Southwest Pacific by conducting and supporting joint and combined
reconnaissance, blockade, sabotage, and raiding missions as well as attacking Japanese shore
facilities, shipping, and combatants. While there is no direct line between the Motor Torpedo
Boat Squadrons of WWII and current day Special Boat Teams, Naval Special Warfare’s
embracement is predicated on the similarity in craft and missions. The development of a robust
riverine warfare capability during the Vietnam War produced the forerunner of Naval Special
Warfare Command’s current surface mobility platforms and the modern Special Warfare
Combatant Crewmen warrior. Mobile Support Teams provided combat craft support for SEAL
operations, as did Patrol Boat Riverine (PBR) and Swift Boat sailors. As the Vietnam mission
expanded into the riverine environment, additional craft, tactics, and training evolved for riverine
patrol and SEAL support.
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Responding to President Kennedy’s desire for the services to develop an Unconventional Warfare
capability, the U.S. Navy established SEAL Teams One and Two in January 1962. Formed entirely
with Underwater Demolition Team personnel, the SEALs were immediately involved in the
Vietnam War, where they became legendary by conducting counter guerilla warfare and
clandestine operations in jungle and riverine environments.
In May 1983 all Underwater Demolition Teams were re-designated as SEAL Teams or SEAL
Delivery Vehicle Teams. SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams historical roots began during WWII with
Italian and British combat swimmers and wet submersibles. Naval Special Warfare entered the
submersible field in the 1960’s when the Coastal Systems Center developed the Mark 7, a freeflooding submersible of the type used today, and the first SEAL Delivery Vehicle to be used in the
fleet.
Naval Special Warfare warriors have participated in every major combat role since Vietnam,
including URGENT FURY (Grenada 1983); EARNEST WILL (Persian Gulf 1987-1990); JUST CAUSE
(Panama 1989-1990); and DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM (Middle East/Persian Gulf 1990-1991).
More recently Naval Special Warfare units have conducted missions in Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia,
Kosovo, Philippines, and Afghanistan during Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI
FREEDOM.
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Naval Special Warfare Command is the Navy service component command assigned
under the combatant command authority of the Commander, United States Special
Operations Command. NAVSPECWARCOM is a two-star admiral command. Although
assigned under the combatant command of USSOCOM, NAVSPECWARCOM retains a
coordination and supported relationship with its parent service.
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Like USSOCOM’s other service component commands, Naval Special Warfare
Command has a Title 10 type mission. It is not a deployable war fighting
headquarters but rather a headquarters focused on manning, training, and equipping
naval special operators and operational units for worldwide deployment in support of
the geographic combatant commands.
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With a total active duty and reserve personnel strength of approximately 9,480
personnel, WARCOM represents approximately 16 percent of the current US Special
Operations Force and just less than two percent of the US Navy’s manpower.
Additionally, only about 40 percent of the personnel are actual operators. The
remaining 60 percent are active duty or civilian support personnel.
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The Naval Special Warfare Command was commissioned 6 April 1987 at the Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado, California, and is the naval component of the United States Special Operations Command.
The command is organized into a number of subordinate Groups. Each Group is commanded by an O-6, which is a captain in the Navy.
The Groups are organized by specific functions. Groups One and Two contain the active duty SEAL teams, Group Three contains the undersea capability, and Group Four is the surface or special boat teams. Naval Special Warfare Group Ten is a
functional command and Group Eleven contains the Reserve SEAL teams. In addition to these numbered Groups there is a test and evaluation Group and Training Group.
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Naval Special Warfare Groups One and Two contain the SEAL teams. Each Group has four SEAL Teams. Group One is located on the US West Coast and contains the odd numbered SEAL teams (1, 3, 5, & 7) while Group Two is located at Little
Creek, Virginia and contains the even numbered SEAL Teams (2, 4, 8, & 10). The SEAL Groups also have forward based Naval Special Warfare Units. These forward deployed units exercise operational control and provide logistical support of
Naval Special Warfare assets deploying from CONUS. The SEAL Groups and Teams are regionally orientated East and West for deployment and employment. Part of that regional orientation includes language and cultural awareness training.
However, when required they can surge to operate in the opposite region. A good example of this is how Naval Special Operations Warfare Command has provided surge forces from both SEAL Groups in support of operations IRAQI FREEDOM
and ENDURING FREEDOM in the Middle East.
As a comparison, a SEAL Group is comparable in size to an Army Special Forces Group.
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Each SEAL Team is commanded by an O-5 or Navy Commander. He has a Command
Master Chief for a senior enlisted advisor, Executive officer and an Operations
section. Underneath the Team are the Troop commands. Troops are commanded by
an O4 or Lieutenant Commander and typically have an E-8 (Senior Chief) as the Troop
senior enlisted advisor. Each Troop contains two SEAL Platoons for a total of eight
SEAL platoons per SEAL team.
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Platoons are the basic building block of the SEAL groups. The authorized strength of a SEAL Platoon is 16.
However, this number can be modified or tailored for a specific mission or task but does not typically go below 14
or above 20.
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Of the 16 members there will normally be two to three officers, a Chief or E-7, and 13 enlisted sailors, E-6
and below. The SEAL Platoon has functional redundancy built in so that the Team can split into two
squads, which depending on the mission, can also be split into four, four-man sections. The SEAL Team
functional areas of expertise include sniper, weapons, medical, communications, intelligence, engineer,
dive supervisor, jumpmaster, joint terminal attack controller (JTAC), and breacher.
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The training to become a SEAL is considered to be some of the toughest in the
world. The SEAL qualification pipeline begins with an eight-week preparation
course where the applicants receive indoctrination, pre-conditioning, and
psychological testing. The preparation course is followed by six months of
BUD/S, Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training. BUD/S is an extremely
intense course meant to push the limits of SEAL candidates’ physical and
mental abilities and stamina. The dropout rate from a BUD/S class will be
about 70 to 80 percent. Some candidates’ drop out from injury, but the vast
majority of dropouts are at the SEAL candidate’s request. After completing
BUD/S, SEAL candidates will attend some required qualification schools such
as an airborne qualification course and Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and
Escape or SERE course prior to attending a four month SEAL qualification
training course. Upon successful completion of the Skill Qualification Training
course the SEAL candidate is awarded the Special Warfare insignia also known
as the ”SEAL Trident” and assigned to an operational unit. The process of
training and education is continued throughout their careers through a
combination of formal and informal processes including on-the-job skills
training, attendance at various service or SOF training courses, and civilian
courses of instruction. Once qualified, both officer and enlisted SEALs can
expect to spend the remainder of his career in the special operations
community.
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Naval Special Warfare Command’s undersea capability resides in Group Three and consists of the SEAL Delivery Vehicles or SDV and the dry deck shelters. The Group headquarters and subordinate commands are located at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
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The SDV is a wet submersible, meaning that the occupants are constantly exposed to
the seawater in which they are operating. The SDV can be launched and recovered
from either a surface ship or submarine. The dry deck shelter is used to house the
SDV when operating from a submarine and provides a dry environment for the SDV
during transit. The dry deck shelter is then flooded to launch and recover the vehicle.
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There are some key advantages to operating the SDV from a submarine rather than
off a surface ship. A submarine can maneuver unseen closer to a target than a
surface ship can, especially during daylight. Additionally, launching from a point
closer to the target area reduces the transit and water exposure time of the
operators.
Naval Special Warfare Command and USSOCOM are working on the next generation
shallow water combat submersible to replace the current SEAL Delivery Vehicle in the
next four to eight years.
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Naval Special Warfare Command’s surface craft and Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen are in Naval Special Warfare Group Four. The Group Four headquarters is located at Little Creek, Virginia. It’s four subordinate units Special Boat
Teams 12, 20, and 22, along with Naval Small Craft Instructional Technical and Training School are located at Coronado, California, Little Creek and Stennis, Mississippi.
Naval Special Warfare operates three primary special operations craft, the Mark Five, 11-meter rigid hull inflatable boat or RHIB and the Special Operations Craft- Riverine or SOC-R. Group Four is also conducting operational test and evaluation
of a new low profile craft called the Sea Lion. The future of the Sea Lion within Naval Special Warfare Command is unclear at this point but it does have a number of desirable qualities that support the Naval Special Warfare core activities.
Another project currently underway is the Combat Craft Medium. This project is designed to replace the aging fleet of Mark Fives and 11-meter RHIBs.
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The Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen are not SEALs but are Special Operations Forces. They are all volunteers and go through a screening and selection
process like most Special Operations Forces. They conduct Special Operations, such as over-the-beach and other insertion/ extraction of Special Operations Forces,
waterborne guard post, maritime interception operations/visit, board, search and seizure, coastal patrol and interdiction, special reconnaissance, and foreign internal
defense, with or without SEALs or other Special Operations Forces.
Training to become a combatant-craft crewman begins with a three week indoctrination course which, like the SEALs’ eight week preparation course, focuses on
physical and mental conditioning. The program trains, develops, and assesses SWCC candidates in physical conditioning, water competency, teamwork, and mental
tenacity. This is followed by the Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman basic training course. The focus of the basic training course is on basic seamanship for
small craft and navigation. The candidate that successfully completes both the indoctrination and basic training courses moves to the Crewman Qualification Training
Course. The Crewman Qualification Training Course includes training in weapons, seamanship, first aid, maritime navigation, communications and small unit tactics in
waterborne patrolling techniques. The candidate is also introduced to the Naval Special Warfare mission planning cycle. The physical training requirements are also
increased during this course.
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Over the next few slides we will look closer at the capabilities of each SWCCs craft beginning with the Mark-V.
The Mark Five is an open water medium range infiltration and extraction craft. It is approximately 80 feet in length. It has a range of 500 nautical miles and
its twin engine jet propulsion system gives it a capability of speeds in excess of 50 knots, depending on the sea state. It is operated by a crew of six and can
mount up to five weapon systems for self-defense, to include machine guns and grenade launchers. The Mark Five can transport a full 16-man SEAL Platoon
and four combat rubber raiding craft that can be launched and recovered from the stern of the boat.
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The 11-meter, rigid hull inflatable boat is a twin-engine, high speed, high buoyancy, extremeweather craft. Its primary mission is ship to shore or ship to ship insertion and extraction of
SEAL tactical elements. It has a range of 150 nautical miles and is capable of speeds in excess
of 35 knots. The RHIB has a crew of three and can carry up to eight passengers. This craft is
also air droppable from a C-130 or C-17 aircraft using the Maritime Craft Aerial Deployment
System or MCADS. The Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen and SEAL element will
follow the boat out of the aircraft in either a freefall or static-line airborne operation. The
tactical situation will drive the airborne means chosen. The 11-meter RHIB is also air
transportable and can be inserted or extracted by sling load from the Army MH-47 helicopter.
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The final boat operated by the Naval Special Warfare Command is the Special Operations Craft- Riverine or SOC-R. The SOC-R is specifically designed for the clandestine insertion and extraction of Navy SEALs and other Special Operations Forces along
shallow waterways. With a draft of a mere two feet, it is well suited for riverine operations. The SOC-R is approximately 33 feet in length, has a range of 195 nautical miles and is capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots. It can mount a total of five weapon
systems for self-defense. Like the 11-meter RHIB the SOC-R operates with a crew of three, can carry eight passengers and can also be carried as a slung load under an Army MH-47 helicopter. One of the unique characteristics of the SOC-R is its ability to
reverse thrust the jet propulsion giving it the capability to go from a top speed to a complete stop in just a few boat lengths.
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Naval Special Warfare Group Ten is the command’s cross functional Group. The Group headquarters is located at Little Creek, Virginia. Group 10 has three subordinate units, two support activities, and a mission support center. Following in the
tradition of the SEAL Teams, Support Activity One is on the West Coast at Coronado, California and Support Activity Two is at Little Creek, Virginia on the East Coast. The Mission Support Center is also located in Coronado.
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Naval Special Warfare Group Ten coordinates NAVSPECWARCOM’s Unmanned Aerial
Systems and underwater systems requirements and activities in support of the
operational units. The two support activities operate the different aerial and
underwater systems. The mission support center coordinates support requirements
for the rest of the force and conducts the analysis, production and product
dissemination.
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Reserve forces are a vital part of the US total defense force. Naval Special Warfare Command has two reserve SEAL Teams organized under naval Special Warfare Group 11. The Group headquarters is located at Coronado. The teams,
designated as Teams 17 and 18 are located on the West and East coasts respectively. The reserve teams can deploy as Squadrons or provide individual or team augmentation to the active duty units.
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The Naval Special Warfare Development Group is located in Norfolk, Virginia. The command is organized into subordinate tactical development and evaluation teams.
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The Naval Special Warfare Development Group develops Special Operations
requirements and techniques, including the testing and evaluation of technology
applicable to Naval Special Warfare. The Development Group also ensures
interoperability and equipment standardization within Naval Special Warfare, while
developing maritime, ground, and airborne Special Operations tactics, techniques,
and procedures.
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The Naval Special Warfare Center is the Naval Special Operations school house. The Center headquarters is located in Coronado, California but has subsidiary training sites at numerous locations throughout the continental United States along
with both Alaska and Hawaii. The Center is responsible for a number of training courses but their biggest effort goes into the SEAL and Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman qualification training courses in Coronado.
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Naval Special Warfare utilizes a two year training and deployment cycle which is divided into four, six month phases. NSW deploys as a Naval
Special Warfare Squadron. The core of the Squadron is a SEAL team. Since there are four SEAL teams on each coast there is a team on each coast
in one of the four cycles. Due to current overseas contingency force requirements, typical deployments run closer to nine months and reduce the
training cycle to 12-18 months.
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The cycle begins with a professional development phase where the emphasis is on
individual training and education. The second phase is the unit training phase where
the focus is on team and platoon level training. In the third phase a SEAL Team
becomes a Squadron with attachments from Navy EOD and Special Boat Teams
(RHIBs and Mark Fives). They will also receive tactical combat service and service
support attachments such as communications, ground mobility, Seabees, and
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance units.
The third phase is followed by the actual six month deployment phase into the
theaters. While deployed, the Naval Special Warfare Squadrons are under the
operational control of the Theater Special Operations Command which is exercised
through the permanently assigned Naval Special Warfare Unit.
Upon redeployment the Squadron is dissolved and the cycle begins all over again.
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This concludes the lesson on Naval Special Operations Forces. As a short review,
Naval Special Warfare Command is USSOCOM’s Navy service component. It is a two
star admiral command, organized into a number of Naval Special Warfare Groups.
The core unit of WARCOM is the SEAL Team. There are eight SEAL Teams, four on
each coast. Each SEAL team has eight Platoons. Odd number teams are on the West
coast with even number teams stationed on the East coast. A SEAL Platoon is
comprises of 16 highly trained, physically fit, and extremely motivated individuals.
In addition to the SEAL Teams, NAVSPECWARCOM has both undersea and surface
maritime capabilities.
WARCOM deploys forces into the theaters as Naval Special Operations Squadrons.
While in theater, the Squadron conducts operations under the operational control of
the Theater Special Operations Command, (TSOC).
Before moving to the next lesson you will need to complete the learning check on the
primary lesson page.
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