Nicolae Iorga High School

Navy SEAL
Student: Ghita Matei Petre
Bunescu Monica

Grade:

Prof. coord.:
12th

2014

Table of contents

1. Argument
page 3
2. History
page 4
3. Selection and Training
page 5
4. Work environment
page 7
5. Specific Responsibilities
page 7
6. Teams and Structures
page 9
7. Missions
page 10
8. Conclusion
page 14
9. Bibliography
page 15

Argument

In my opinion, to become a Navy SEAL you need more

than courage. You need to be born for this. You need to
know what is pain and what is pleasure, what is hard and
what is easy.
In this job, you will be tested to your limits and beyond.
Here, you just cant quit. Once you get in, you will become
part of it.
I chose this subject because it needs precision and
perfection. It needs the best physical and psychical
stability.

History
Origins
The modern day U.S. Navy SEALs can trace their roots to
World War II. The United States Navy recognized the need
for
the

covert reconnaissance of landing beaches and coastal

4

defenses. As a result, the Amphibious Scout and Raider

School was established in 1942 at Fort Pierce, Florida. The
Scouts and Raiders were formed in September of that year,
just nine months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, from the
Observer Group, a joint US Army-Marine-Navy unit.

Birth of Navy SEALs & Vietnam

President John F. Kennedy, aware of the situation in
Southeast Asia, recognized the need for unconventional
warfare and
special operations as a measure against guerrilla warfare.
In a speech to Congress on
25 May 1961, Kennedy
spoke of his deep respect
for the United States Army
Special Forces. While his
announcement of the
government's plan to put a
man on the moon drew
most of the attention, in the
same speech he announced his intention to spend over
$100 million to strengthen U.S. special operations forces
and expand American capabilities in unconventional
warfare. Some people erroneously credit President
Kennedy with creating the Navy SEALs. His announcement
was actually only a formal acknowledgement of a process
that had been under way since Korea(1950).

Selection and Training

SEAL training is extremely rigorous, having a reputation as

some of the toughest in the world. The drop out rate for
SEAL training is sometimes over 90 percent. The Navy SEAL
candidate spends over a year in a series of formal training
environments before being awarded the Special Warfare
Operator Naval Rating and the Navy Enlisted
Classification or, in the case of commissioned naval
officers, the designation Naval Special Warfare (SEAL)
Officer.

Navy SEAL training pipeline:

8-week Naval Special Warfare
Prep School
24-week Basic Underwater
Demolition/SEAL Training
3-week Parachute Jump School
26-week SEAL Qualification
Training (SQT)

Upon graduation from SQT, trainees receive the coveted

Navy SEAL Trident, designating them as Navy SEALs. They
are subsequently assigned to a SEAL Team or SEAL Delivery
Vehicle Team and begin 18-months of pre deployment
training before they are considered deployable.
This training consists of:
6-month Individual Specialty Training
6-month Unit Level Training
6-month Task Group Level Training
6

Those Enlisted SEALs with a medical rating will first attend

Advanced Medical Training Course for 6 months in San
Antonio before joining a team in order to become a SEAL
medic.
Those pursuing Officer positions first attend the Junior
Officer Training Course to learn about operations planning
and how to perform team briefings.
In total it can take over 2.5 years to completely train a
Navy SEAL for his first deployment.

Work Environment
The job of a Navy SEAL relies heavily on adaptability
and teamwork. Members train and work in all manner of
environments, including desert and urban areas, mountains
and woodlands, and jungle and arctic conditions. Whatever
the specific mission and surroundings, youll utilize the
specialized skills and the high-tech equipment required.
And youll operate not only as a highly capable individual
but also as a member of tightly knit SEAL units.
These include:

task units (32-man)

platoons (16-man)
squads (8-man)
teams (4-man)
swim buddy (2-man)

Specific Responsibilities
Navy SEALs have been living up to their highly skilled,
intensely disciplined reputation since being established by
President John F. Kennedy in 1962 as a small, elite maritime
military force suited for all aspects of unconventional
warfare. In this role, you will provide immediate military
options amidst crises around the world. Offering decision
makers a proven way to successfully control the most
challenging scenarios.
Your duties as a SEAL may include and are not limited to:
Conducting insertions and extractions by sea, air or
land to accomplish covert, Special Warfare / Special
Operations missions
8

 Capturing high-value enemy personnel and terrorists

around the world
Collecting information and intelligence through special
reconnaissance missions
Carrying out small-unit, direct-action missions against
military targets
Performing underwater reconnaissance and the
demolition of natural or man-made obstacles prior to
amphibious landings
No college degree is required to become a Navy SEAL,
but the standards of qualification require the kind of mental
and physical fortitude that few possess. For those making
the cut, immense challenges and constant training are a
way of life. And for those SEALs with further leadership
aspirations and a college degree, Officer roles are available
providing opportunities to lead SEAL units and train
aspiring SEAL warriors.

Teams and Structures

SEALS are organized into the following configuration:
Insig
Team
nia
SEAL Team 1

Number
Deploym
of
HQ
ent
Platoons
Worldwi 6
Coronado,
de
Platoons California

SEAL Team 2

Europe

Little
6
Creek,
Platoons
Virginia

SEAL Team 3

Middle
East

6
Coronado,
Platoons California

SEAL Team 4

Little
South
6
Creek,
America Platoons
Virginia

SEAL Team 5

Worldwi 6
Coronado,
de
Platoons California

Naval Special
Warfare
Development
Group
(DEVGRU)

Dam
Worldwi
Classified Neck,
de
Virginia

SEAL Team 7

Worldwi 6
Coronado,
de
Platoons California

SEAL Team 8

Africa

Little
6
Creek,
Platoons
Virginia

10

Litt
Mi
le
6
SEAL ddl
Cre
Pla
Team e
ek,
too
10
Ea
Vir
ns
st
gin
ia
Pe
SEAL
arl
Deliv Wo 4
Har
ery
rld Pla bor
Vehi wi too ,
cle
de ns Ha
Team
wai
i

Missions
Iran-Iraq War

Operation Prime Chance

During the closing stages of the IranIraq War the United
States Navy began conducting operations in the Persian
Gulf to protect US-flagged ships from attack by Iranian
naval forces. A secret plan was put in place and
dubbed Operation Prime Chance. Navy SEAL Teams 1 and 2
along with several Special Boat Units and EOD techs were
deployed on mobile command barges and transported by
helicopters from the Army's 160th Special Operations
Aviation Regiment. Over the course of the operation SEALs
conducted VBSS (Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure)
missions to counter Iranian mine laying boats. The only loss
of life occurred during the take down of the Iran Ajr.
Evidence gathered on the Iran Ajr by the SEALs later
allowed the US Navy to trace the mines that struck
11

the USS Samuel B. Roberts. This chain of events lead

to Operation Praying Mantis, the largest US Naval surface
engagement since the Second World War.
During Operation Desert Shield and Storm, Navy SEALs
trained Kuwaiti Special Forces. They set up naval special
operations groups in Kuwait, working with the Kuwaiti Navy
in exile. Using these new diving, swimming, and combat
skills, these commandos took part in combat operations
such as the liberation of the capital city.

Somali Intervention
In August 1993 a four man SEAL sniper team was deployed
to Mogadishu to work alongside the Delta Force as part
of Task Force Ranger in the search for Somali
warlord Mohammed Farrah Aidid. They took part in several
operations in support of the CIA and Army culminating in
the 3 October 'Battle of Mogadishu' where they were part
of the ground convoy raiding the Olympic Hotel. All four
SEALs would be later awarded the Silver Star in recognition
of their bravery whilst Navy SEAL Howard E. Wasdin would
be awarded a Purple Heart after continuing to fight despite
being wounded three times during the battle.

12

Invasion of Afghanistan
In the immediate aftermath of the 11 September attacks,
Navy SEALs quickly dispatched to Camp Doha, and those
already aboard US Naval vessels in the Persian Gulf and
surrounding waters began conducting VBSS operations
against ships suspected of having ties to or even carrying
al Qaeda operatives. SEAL Teams 3 and 8 also began
rotating into Oman from the United States and staging on
the island of Masirah for operations in Afghanistan. One of
the SEALs' immediate concerns was their lack of suitable
vehicles to conduct special reconnaissance (SR) missions in
13

the rough, landlocked terrain of Afghanistan. After

borrowing and retrofitting Humvees from the Army Rangers
also staging on Masirah, the SEALs inserted into
Afghanistan to conduct the SR of what would become Camp
Rhino, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). These
early stages of OEF were commanded by a fellow SEAL,
Rear Admiral Albert Calland.

Death of Osama bin Laden

In the early morning of May 1, 2011 local time, a team of
40 Navy SEALs along with a Belgian Malinois Military
Working Dog (Cairo), support by Special Activities Division
officers on the ground, killed Osama bin Laden in
Abbottabad, Pakistan about
35 miles (56 km) from
Islamabad in a CIA
operation.
The Navy SEALs were part
of the Naval Special
Warfare Development
14

Group (DEVGRU), previously called "SEAL Team 6".

President Barack Obama later confirmed the death of bin
Laden, but did not directly mention the involvement of
DEVGRU, saying only that a "small team" of Americans
undertook the operation to bring down bin Laden. The
unprecedented media coverage raised the public profile of
the SEAL community, particularly the counter-terrorism
specialists commonly known as SEAL Team 6.
The Walt Disney Company tried unsuccessfully to
trademark the name "SEAL Team 6" the day after the raid.
The official name of the military operation was Operation
NEPTUNE SPEAR. The model of the compound used in the
60 Minutes documentary was donated by CBS to the Navy
SEAL Museum.

15

Conclusion
The aim of my paper was to give a hint about Navy
SEALs, what it consists of, what it means to the whole
world. I really think that SEALs holds an important place in
every peoples heart because it can be said that these men
are a symbol of perfection.
I truly consider that Navy SEALs represents the ultimate
war fighters from the whole world.

16

Bibliography

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy_SEALs
www.sealswcc.com/seal-default.html
https://www.sealswcc.com
http://www.navy.com/careers/special-operations/seals.html
http://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/232209#11

17

Nicolae Iorga High School

Navy SEAL
Student: Ghita Matei Petre
Bunescu Monica

Grade:

Prof. coord.:
12th

2014

18