| Active | November 1980 – present |
|---|---|
| Country |  United States of America |
| Branch |  United States Navy |
| Type | Special operations force Special mission unit |
| Role | Special operations Counter terrorism Hostage rescue Direct action Special reconnaissance |
| Size | 1,787 personnel authorized:[1]
|
| Part of |  United States Special Operations Command Joint Special Operations Command United States Naval Special Warfare Command |
| Headquarters | Dam Neck Annex NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. |
| Nickname(s) | "SEAL Team Six", "DEVGRU", "Task Force Blue", "NSWDG" |
| Engagements | Invasion of Grenada TWA Flight 847 hijacking Achille Lauro hijacking Operation Prime Chance Operation Just Cause Gulf War Somali Civil War |
| Unit awards | Presidential Unit Citation[2] |
The Naval
Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), abbreviated as DEVGRU (DEVelopment
GRoUp)[note A] and commonly known as SEAL Team Six,[3][4] is the United States Navy component
of the Joint
Special Operations Command (JSOC). The unit is often referred
to within JSOC as Task Force Blue.[4] DEVGRU is administratively supported by Naval
Special Warfare Command and operationally commanded by JSOC.
Most information concerning DEVGRU is designated as classified
information, and details of its activities are not usually commented
on by either the United
States Department of Defense or the White House.[5] Despite the official name changes, "SEAL Team Six"
remains the unit's widely recognized moniker.
DEVGRU
and its Army and Air Force counterparts
(Delta Force and 24th Special
Tactics Squadron) are the U.S. military's primary Tier 1 special mission units tasked
with performing the most complex, classified, and dangerous missions directed
by, until 2002, the National
Command Authority, and since then, directly from the President or
the Secretary of Defense.[6][7] DEVGRU conducts various specialized missions such as counterterrorism, hostage rescue, special
reconnaissance, and direct action (short-duration
strikes or small-scale offensive actions), often against high-value targets.[8]
History
Main article: List of operations conducted by SEAL Team Six
The origins of DEVGRU are in SEAL Team Six, a unit created
in the aftermath of Operation Eagle Claw.[9][10][11] During the Iran hostage
crisis in 1979, Richard Marcinko was one of two U.S. Navy representatives for a
Joint Chiefs of Staff task force known as the TAT (Terrorist Action Team). The
purpose of the TAT was to develop a plan to free the American hostages held in
Iran. In the wake of the disaster at the Desert One base in Iran, the Navy saw
the need for a full-time counter-terrorist unit and tasked Marcinko with its
design and development.
Navy Unit Commendation awarded to SEAL TEAM SIX for
exceptionally meritorious service from November 1980 to October 1982
SEAL Team Six Patch
Marcinko was the first commanding officer of this new unit.
At the time, there were two SEAL Teams, SEAL Team ONE and SEAL Team TWO.
Marcinko named the unit SEAL Team Six in order to confuse Soviet intelligence
as to the number of actual SEAL teams in existence.[11][12][13] The unit's
plankowners (founding members) were interviewed and hand-picked by Marcinko
from throughout the UDT/SEAL community. SEAL Team Six was formally commissioned
in November 1980, and an intense, progressive work-up training program made the
unit mission-ready six months later.[13] SEAL Team Six became the U.S. Navy's
premier hostage rescue and counter-terrorism unit. It has been compared to the
U.S. Army's elite Delta Force.[5][10] Marcinko held the command of SEAL Team
Six for three years, from 1980 to July 1983, instead of the typical two-year
command in the Navy at the time.[11] SEAL Team Six started with 75 shooters.
The unit has virtually unlimited resources at its disposal.[14] In 1984,
Marcinko and a dozen members of SEAL Team Six would go on to form "Red
Cell" (also known as OP-06D), a special unit designed to test the security
of American military installations.
In 1987, SEAL Team Six was dissolved. A new unit named the
"Naval Special Warfare Development Group" was formed, essentially as
SEAL Team Six's successor.[3][15][16] Reasons for the disbanding are
varied,[11] but the name SEAL Team Six is often used in reference to DEVGRU.
Controversies
Main articles: Death of Linda Norgrove and Death of Logan
Melgar
In 2010, during the attempted rescue of British aid worker
Linda Norgrove from Taliban kidnappers in Afghanistan, she died as a result of
injuries sustained from a SEAL's errant hand grenade. In 2017, Army Special
Forces Staff Sergeant Logan Melgar died from trauma received during an apparent
on-base hazing incident in Mali that resulted in the criminal prosecutions of
two DEVGRU members and two Marine Raiders.
Recruitment, selection and training
NSWDG recruiting support personnel,[17] 2007
In the early stages of creating SEAL Team Six, Marcinko was
given a six-month window to produce the team. Had he failed to do so, the
project would have been canceled. Consequentially, Marcinko had little time to
create a proper selection course on par with Delta Force's process. To get
around this, recruits were selected after assessing their Navy records,
followed by individual interviews. According to Marcinko's book, Rogue SEAL,
SEAL 6 team members were chosen if they had initial struggles qualifying in
aspects of training, but subsequently qualified, as the determination of these
candidates was seen as more valuable than a candidate that breezed through his
training. Originally, applicants came only from the east coast and west coast
SEAL teams and the Underwater Demolition Teams.
Although much of the training and recruitment is classified,
there are some requirements and training exercises that are now public
knowledge. The requirements to apply for DEVGRU states that applicants must be
male, be 21 years old or older, have served at least 2 deployments on their
previous assignments, and be eligible for Secret clearance. Candidates come
from the East/West Coast SEAL teams, SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) teams, the
Special Boat teams (for Gray Squadron), the Navy explosive ordnance disposal
(EOD) teams, and Navy SARCs. Enlisted candidates must be in be in the pay
grades of E-4 through E-8 and Officer candidates need to be O-3 through O-4 to
apply. Candidates must undergo physical screening, psychological testing and
are then interviewed to deem whether they are suitable for assignment to
NSWDG.[18] Those who pass the stringent recruitment process will attend an
eight-month selection and training course with the unit's training department
known as "Green Team". The training course attrition rate is high,
usually around 50%; during one selection course, out of the original 20
candidates, 12 completed the course.[19] All candidates are watched closely by
DEVGRU instructors and evaluated on whether they are suitable to join the
individual squadrons. Howard E. Wasdin, a former member of SEAL Team Six said
in a 2011 interview that 16 applied for SEAL
Team Six said in a 2011 interview that 16 applied for SEAL
Team Six selection course and two were accepted.[20] Those who do not pass the
selection phase are returned to their previous assignments and are able to try
again in the future.[21]
Like all special operations forces units that have an
extremely intensive and high-risk training schedule, there can be serious
injuries and deaths. SEAL Team Six/DEVGRU has lost several operators during
training, including parachute accidents and close-quarters battle training
accidents. It is presumed that the unit's assessment process for potential new
recruits is different from what a SEAL operator experienced in his previous
career, and much of the training tests the candidate's mental capacity rather
than his physical condition. Every candidate chosen will have already completed
their respective advanced training pipelines; Basic Underwater Demolitions/SEAL
training, the Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman training, Special
Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman training, the Navy EOD training or Navy Dive
School.
Candidates are put through a variety of advanced training
courses led by civilian or military instructors. These can include free
climbing, land warfare, advanced unarmed combat techniques, defensive and
offensive advanced driving, advanced diving, communications and Survival,
Evasion, Resistance and Escape training. Candidates are also taught how to pick
locks on cars, doors, and safes. All candidates must perform at the top level
during selection, and the unit instructors evaluate the candidate during the
training process. Selected candidates are assigned to one of the Tactical
Development and Evaluation Squadrons. Unlike regular SEAL Teams, SEAL Team Six
operators can attend almost any other military course to receive further
training depending on the unit's requirements.
Like Delta Force, live-fire marksmanship drills in both
long-range and close-quarter battle drills are done with hostage roles being
played by other students to help build the candidates' trust between each
other.
DEVGRU regularly trains and operates with special forces
units from other countries such as the British Special Air Service and Special
Boat Service, Australia’s Special Air Service Regiment and 2nd Commando
Regiment, Israel’s Sayeret Matkal and Canada’s Joint Task Force 2.[22][23][24]
Structure
DEVGRU is divided into color-coded line squadrons:[25]
Red Squadron (Assault)
Blue Squadron (Assault)
Gold Squadron (Assault)
Silver Squadron (Assault)
Black Squadron (Intelligence, Reconnaissance, &
Surveillance)
Gray Squadron (Mobility Teams, Transportation/Divers, QRF)
Green Team (Selection/Training)[26]
Each assault squadron, usually led by a Commander (O-5), is
divided into three troops of enlisted SEALs, often called assaulters. Each of
these troops is commanded by a senior commissioned officer, which is usually a
Lieutenant Commander (O-4). A troop chief also serves as an adviser to the
troop commander and is the highest-enlisted SEAL in the troop, usually a Master
Chief Petty Officer (E-9). A DEVGRU troop is further divided into smaller teams
of SEALs.[27] These individual teams of assaulters are led by senior enlisted
SEALs; usually a Senior Chief Petty Officer (E-8), sometimes a Chief Petty
Officer (E-7). The rest of these teams are filled out with more Chief Petty
Officers (E-7), Petty Officers First Class (E-6), and Petty Officers Second
Class (E-5); each member with a respective role.
Each assault squadron also has a specific nickname. Examples
include Gold Squadron's Crusaders, Red Squadron's Indians, Blue Squadron's
Pirates, Silver Squadron's Headhunters, and Gray Squadron's
Vikings.[25][28][29] The assault squadrons are supported by a variety of
support personnel, including cryptologists, communicators, EOD technicians, dog
handlers, and sometimes airmen from the United States Air Force 24th Special
Tactics Squadron, the Air Force's JSOC element.
According to the Government Accountability Office report on
special operations forces, in the fiscal year of 2014, DEVGRU had a total of
1,787 authorized positions, of which 1,342 are military and 445 are
civilian.[30][31]
Firearms
The following is a list of firearms known to be used by
DEVGRU, but because of the unit's secretive nature, this list is not
exhaustive.
Carbines
Noveske 10.5" NSR 5.56×45mm[32]
Heckler & Koch HK416 5.56x45mm (previously favored rifle
among operators and usually modified, both significantly and varied to personal
preference, with SOPMOD accessories such as suppressors, stocks, optics,
lasers, lights and grips)
Heckler & Koch MP7 4.6x30mm
Colt Mk 18 CQBR 5.56x45mm
M4A1 (various manufacturers) 5.56x45mm (not as commonly
used, but still in inventory. Also customized with SOPMOD items)
Sniper and anti-materiel rifles
Colt Mk 12 SPR 5.56x45mm
Knight's Armament Company SR-25 7.62x51mm
Remington Model 700 "Mk 13 Mod. 5" .300 Winchester
Magnum
McMillan Firearms TAC-338 .338 Lapua
McMillan TAC-50 "Mk 15 Mod. 0 .50 BMG
Barrett M107A1 .50 BMG
Side arms
Heckler & Koch HK45 "Mk 24 Mod. 0" .45 ACP
SIG Sauer P226 "P226R Mk 25" 9x19mm
Glock 19 9x19mm[33]
Roles and responsibilities
Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter is briefed on the
Sentry HP UAV at Dam Neck, 2007
DEVGRU's full mission is classified but is thought to
include pre-emptive, pro-active counter-terrorist operations,
counter-proliferation (efforts to prevent the spread of both conventional
weapons and weapons of mass destruction), as well as the elimination or
recovery of high-value targets from unfriendly nations.[55][56] DEVGRU is one
of a handful of U.S. Special Mission Units authorized the use of pre-emptive
actions against terrorists and their facilities.[57]
When SEAL Team Six was first created in 1980, it was devoted
exclusively to counter-terrorism with a worldwide maritime responsibility; its
objectives typically included targets such as ships, oil rigs, naval bases,
coastal embassies, and other civilian or military bases that were accessible
from the sea or inland waterways. On certain operations, small teams from SEAL
Team Six were tasked with covertly infiltrating international high-risk areas
to carry out reconnaissance or security assessments of U.S. military facilities
and embassies to give advice on improvements in order to prevent casualties in
an event of a terrorist attack. SEAL Team Six was disbanded in 1987, and its
role, minus non-counter-terrorism ship-boarding, which was given to the newly
formed SEAL Team 8, given to the newly formed DEVGRU.[58]
Since the start of war on terror, DEVGRU has evolved into a
multi-functional special operations unit with a worldwide operational mandate.
Such operations include the successful rescue of Jessica Buchanan and Poul
Hagen Thisted, the attempted rescue of Linda Norgrove, the successful rescue of
American doctor Dilip Joseph[59] and in 1991, the successful recovery of
Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and his family during a coup that
deposed him.
The official mission of the currently operating Naval
Special Warfare Development Group mission is "to provide centralized
management for the test, evaluation, and development of equipment technology
and Techniques, Tactics and Procedures for Naval Special Warfare".[60]
DEVGRU and the Army's Delta Force train and deploy together on
counter-terrorist missions usually as part of a joint special operations task
force (JSOTF).[5][13][61][62] The Central Intelligence Agency's highly
secretive Special Activities Center and more specifically its elite Special
Operations Group often works with, and recruits from, DEVGRU.[63] The
combination of these units led ultimately to the killing of Al-Qaeda leader
Osama bin Laden in Operation Neptune Spear.[64][65][66]
·
Sister
JSOC units;
o 1st Special
Forces Operational Detachment – Delta
o 24th Special Tactics Squadron
o Intelligence Support Activity
·
Additional
SEAL articles;
·
Navy SEALs in popular culture
·
Other
national maritime-based units
o GRUMEC (Brazil)
o Commandos Marine (France)
o Kampfschwimmer (Germany)
o MARCOS (India)
o Shayetet 13 (Israel)
o COMSUBIN (Italy)
o MARSOF (Netherlands)
o JW Formoza (Poland)
o Special Actions Detachment (Portugal)
o Naval Special Warfare Force (Spain)
o Special Boat Service (UK)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEAL_Team_Six
Notes[edit]
[note A]The designation "DEVGRU" may have been changed
sometime before October 2010, with the subsequent designations being
classified. The unit is still commonly known as "DEVGRU"[67]
References[edit]
1.
^ "SEAL Team
6 by the Numbers – Foreign Policy". 28 July 2015. Archived from
the original on 28 July 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
2.
^ Brook, Tom Vanden (16 May
2016). "Navy
SEALs' secret medals reveal heroism over last 15 years". Navy
Times. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
3.
^ Jump up to:a b von
Rosenbach, Alexander (4 May 2011). "Devgru:
Bin Laden's ultimate nemesis". IHS Jane's Defense
& Security Intelligence & Analysis. Archived from the original on
9 May 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2013. Devgru was established in
1987 as the successor to SEAL Team 6 (although it is still colloquially known
by this name). The unit serves as the US Navy's
dedicated counter-terrorism unit and is believed to consist of about 200
personnel.
4.
^ Jump up to:a b Naylor,
Sean. Relentless Strike. Chapter 4.
5.
^ Jump up to:a b c Emerson,
Steven (13 November 1988). "Stymied
Warriors". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved 13
March 2008.
6.
^ "The U.S.
Army's Delta Force: How This Secret Group of Deadly Soldiers Came to Be". The
National Interest. 30 April 2019.
7.
^ "In high
demand, Air Force commandos must find new ways to cope with stress of
duty". The Gaffney Ledger. Gaffney, South Carolina.
Associated Press. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
8.
^ https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Doctrine/pubs/jp3_05.pdf
9.
^ Fallows, James (13 December 1981).
"Iran from five American viewpoints". The New York Times.
10. ^ Jump up to:a b Halloran,
Richard (26 November 1986). "U.S.
moving to expand unconventional forces". The New York
Times. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
11. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Marcinko,
Richard (1992). Rogue Warrior. New York:
Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-79593-1.
12. ^ Pfarrer, Chuck (2011). SEAL
Target Geronimo: The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama Bin Laden.
Macmillan. p. 178. ISBN 978-1-4299-6025-0.
13. ^ Jump up to:a b c Gerth,
Jeff; Philip Taubman (8 June 1984). "U.S. military creates secret units
for use in sensitive tasks abroad". The New York Times.
14. ^ Wasdin, Howard (9 May 2011). "'SEAL Team
Six' And Other Elite Squads Expanding". NPR. Retrieved 19
May 2011.
15. ^ "Naval
Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU)". Global Security.
Retrieved 18 June 2013.
16. ^ Ambiner, Marc (10 October
2012). "Delta
Force Gets a Name Change". The Atlantic. Retrieved 18
June 2013.
17. ^ Abhan, Courtney Messman (30 July
2010). "Special
Warfare Development Group seeks Sailors" (PDF). Naval Station Everett Public Affairs. Northwest
Navigator. p. 3. Retrieved 14 September 2012. NSWDG is
located in Virginia Beach and is a type two sea duty cno priority one major
command. The command is an elite counter-terrorism unit that conducts research,
and develops, tests, and evaluates current and emerging technology. This
technology is related to special operations tactics and joint warfare to
improve Special Forces warfighting capabilities. ... While at NSWDG, support
personnel could have opportunities to earn many special qualifications, their
expeditionary warfare specialist (EXW) pin, and Combat Service Support and
Combat Support Naval Education Codes (NEC). Special qualifications include
parachuting and fast roping, among many others. NSWDG support personnel receive
special duty pay and have some of the highest promotion rates in the Navy.
18. ^ Anderson Cooper (3 May 2011). "'This is
their type of op,' ex-SEAL says". CNN.
19. ^ Pfarrer, Chuck (2004). Warrior Soul:
The Memoir of a Navy Seal. New York: Random House. pp. 325–26. ISBN 978-0-89141-863-4. In
one year, the operators of SEAL Six fire more bullets than entire USMC.
20. ^ "The iron will of Seal Team
6". CBS News. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
21. ^ "LCV Cities Tour:
Interview
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