The basic training program for "Navy SEALs" of the US Navy (US Navy SEAL) and commando units of the US Army (Army Special Forces). Special Forces "Navy Seals", USA: training, training, equipment, photo Seal fur seals

The US 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 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. The United States Navy SEALs is the informal name for the Special Forces, which is 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 the "Naval Special Rapid Deployment Group" ( 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 beginning of the Cold War, the Caribbean crisis, the commanding 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, about the need to create a special unit for sabotage on the basis of the US Navy. 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 on the creation of a special anti-terrorist unit within the US Navy SEALs. Richard Marcinko, the initiator of the creation of the anti-terror unit, one of the members of the Special Operations Command, was assigned to deal with this issue. 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 priority assignment of the unit was the implementation of 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 front 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 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's activities 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 actors 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 cooperation with the Central Intelligence Agency, supported by US Air Force drones, represent a less costly alternative to deep war 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. The official position of the command is limited to the proposal that after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the 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 ".

Who needs to be in their best physical shape to complete the task assigned to them? Who should use their full potential to complete the task? I'm not talking about professional bodybuilders, I'm talking about our elite US Navy SEALs. These brave guys do not care about how they will look on the podium in front of the judges, but first of all about how they will be evaluated by the unit commander. They live with the idea that they must reach their full potential and perform their every mission to the best of their abilities. That is why they are always accompanied by success and good luck!

But how do they get their amazing shape in such a short period of time, which is called basic training? Bodybuilders spend years shaping their physique, and even after that, many of them remain dissatisfied with their results. SEALs use other methods because they are dealing with strength and endurance, and not with the symmetry of proportions and not with a cream-dipellatorium for chest hair. In this article, I will describe the US Navy SEAL training program.
This program consists of two cycles of nine weeks. If you can endure it to the end, you will acquire such endurance as you could not imagine before. But, only those with a truly iron will and fortitude will be able to survive and complete the full course of basic training for Navy SEALs.

First 9 weeks:

Week 1
Pushups: 4 sets of 15 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Press. Trunk raises: 4 sets of 20 reps, Mon/Wed/Fri

Week 2
Run: 2 miles, 8:30 pace, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Pushups: 5 sets of 20 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Press. Trunk raises: 5 sets of 20 reps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pull-ups: 3 sets of 3 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Swimming: continuously for 15 minutes. 4 - 5 days a week

Week 3
Running: No

Week 4
Run: 3 miles, 8:30 pace, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pushups: 5 sets of 25 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Press. Trunk raises: 5 sets of 25 reps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pull-ups: 3 sets of 4 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Swimming: continuously for 20 minutes. 4 - 5 days a week

Week 5-6
Running: 2 / 3 / 4 / 2 miles, Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday
Pushups: 6 sets of 25 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Press. Trunk raises: 6 sets of 25 reps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pull-ups: 2 sets of 8 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Swimming: continuously for 25 minutes. 4 - 5 days a week

Week 7-8

Pull-ups: 2 sets of 10 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Swimming: continuously for 30 minutes. 4 - 5 days a week

Week 9
Running: 4 / 4 / 5 / 3 miles, Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday
Pushups: 6 sets of 30 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Press. Trunk raises: 6 sets of 30 reps, Mon/Wed/Fri

Next 9 weeks:

Week 1-2
Running: 3 / 5 / 4 / 5 / 2 miles, Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday
Pushups: 6 sets of 30 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Press. Trunk raises: 6 sets of 35 reps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pull-ups: 3 sets of 10 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Dips: 3 sets of 20 reps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Swimming: continuously for 35 minutes. 4 - 5 days a week

Week 3-4
Running: 4 / 5 / 6 / 4 / 3 miles, Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday
Pushups: 10 sets of 20 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Press. Trunk raises: 10 sets of 25 reps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pull-ups: 4 sets of 10 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Dips: 10 sets of 15 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Swimming: continuously for 45 minutes. 4 - 5 days a week

Week 5
Running: 5 / 5 / 6 / 4 / 4 miles, Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday
Pushups: 15 sets of 20 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Press. Trunk raises: 15 sets of 25 reps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pull-ups: 4 sets of 12 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Dips: 15 sets of 15 reps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Swimming: continuously for 60 minutes. 4 - 5 days a week

Week 6-9
Running: 5 / 6 / 6 / 6 / 4 miles, Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday
Pushups: 20 sets of 20 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Press. Trunk raises: 20 sets of 25 reps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Pull-ups: 5 sets of 12 reps, Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Dips: 20 sets of 15 reps, Mon/Wed/Fri
Swimming: continuously for 75 minutes. 4 - 5 days a week

As you can see, this program is aimed at developing strength and endurance. Please note that this is a very intensive program, which means that you need to consume the appropriate amount of nutrients. Of course, the program is very effective, but it requires all your determination and perseverance. The exercises are simple - no complex movements, and no simulators. Test yourself, maybe you are suitable for service in SEALs. In any case, guaranteed to get rid of fat and build muscle.

Airborne commando units of the US Army (Army Special Forces)

Since the publication of my article on SEAL Special Forces, I have received a huge number of letters with questions, thanks, and just messages that someone is going to try this training program. I never thought that there would be so many who want to knock the soul out of their body. But, as the philosopher said: "The grandees of fate kill the lazy." Driven by a natural desire to help people in their quest for physical perfection, I found another similar program. My friend, the same one who gave me the SEAL program, sent me a "US Commando Command Training Program". I asked him how he gets these military training programs, but he declined to answer. I could only shrug my shoulders and sit down at the computer ...

This article describes a program specifically designed to train recruits at a ranger school. Many argue that it is even harder than the SEAL program. Just like the previous one, this program is designed for general development, increasing strength and endurance. For those who are looking for purely bodybuilding programs, this article is unlikely to be of interest. Here you will find only simple, basic exercises, and you will also feel the smell of the barracks and the spirit of the field camp ...
Well, why are we standing, spirits? Forward!!!

Week 1

Day 1

A. Swimming 100 meters (without a break, any style, do not roll over on your back, do not touch the bottom and walls).
B. March with backpack (1/4 body weight); 3 miles in 45 minutes on flat road or 1 hour on rough terrain.

Day 2
A. Exercise bike; 20 minutes 70% of the maximum load.

Day 3
A. Push-ups. The maximum number of repetitions in 30 seconds. 3 approaches.
B. Run 3 miles (at a moderate pace, for 8-9 minutes).
C. Rope climbing or 3 sets of pull-ups on the bar (to failure); March with a backpack (1/4 body weight); 5 miles in 1 hour 15 minutes on flat road or 1 hour 40 minutes on rough terrain.

Day 4
B. Sprint 40 yards (10 reps with 30 second rests).
C. Swimming 15 meters.

Day 5
A. Packed march (1/4 body weight), 5 miles in 1 hour 15 minutes on flat road or 1 hour 40 minutes on rough terrain.

Day 6
A. Push-ups 3 sets and sit-ups (press), in 30 seconds the maximum number of repetitions.
B. Pull-ups on the bar 3 sets (to failure).
C. Swimming 200 meters.

Day 7
REST

Week 2

Day 1
A. March with a backpack (1/3 body weight); 8 miles in 2 hours flat or 2 hours 40 minutes cross country.

Day 2
A. Exercise bike; 20 minutes, 70% of maximum load.

Day 3
B. Run 5 miles (at a moderate pace, for 8-9 minutes).
C. Backpack squats (1/4 body weight), 3 sets of 30-50 reps. Perform "cleanly", to the end, bend your legs at the knees to an angle of at least 90 degrees.

Day 4
A. Swimming 300 meters without a break; any style, but not on the back.

Day 5
A. March with a backpack (1/3 body weight); 10 miles in 3 hours on flat road, or 4 hours on rough terrain.

Day 6
A. Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups. The maximum number of repetitions in 35 seconds. 3 approaches.
B. Exercise bike; 20 minutes, 80% of maximum load.
C. Swimming 15 meters.

Day 7
REST

Week 3

Day 1
B. Run 4 miles (at a moderate pace, for 7-8 minutes).
C. Backpack squat (1/3 body weight), 4 sets of 50 reps. Perform "cleanly", to the end, bend your legs at the knees to an angle of at least 90 degrees.

Day 2
A. Exercise bike; 20 minutes, 70% of maximum load.
B. Side jumping over a low bench or jumping rope 12 minutes (without a break).

Day 3
A. March with backpack (1/3 body weight, or at least 60 pounds); 12 miles in 3 hours flat or 4 hours cross country.

Day 4
A. Swimming 400 meters.

Day 5
A. Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups. The maximum number of repetitions in 40 seconds. 4 approaches.
B. Run 6 miles (fast-moderate pace for 7-8 minutes).

Day 6
A. Exercise bike; 20 minutes, 70% of maximum load.
B. Side jumping over a low bench or jumping rope for 10 minutes (without a break).
C. Swimming 15 meters.

Day 7
REST

Week 4

Day 1
A. March with backpack (1/3 body weight, or at least 60 pounds); 8 miles in 2 hours flat or 2 hours 40 minutes cross country.

Day 2
A. Swimming 400 meters.
C. Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups. The maximum number of repetitions in 40 seconds. 4 approaches.

Day 3
A. Run 6 miles (fast-moderate in 7-8 minutes).
B. Leg presses, calf raises, leg curls, leg extensions 3 sets (8-12 reps).

Day 4
A. Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups. The maximum number of repetitions in 40 seconds. 4 approaches.
B. Exercise bike; 25 minutes 85% of the maximum load.

Day 5
A. March with backpack (1/3 body weight, or at least 75 pounds); 12 miles in 3 hours flat or 4 hours cross country.

Day 6
A. Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups. The maximum number of repetitions in 40 seconds. 4 approaches.
B. Jumping rope; 15 minutes without a break.

Day 7
REST

Week 5

Day 1
A. Run 3 miles (at a fast pace, in 6-7 minutes).
B. Swimming 500 meters (non-stop, any style, but not backstroke).
C. Leg presses, calf raises, leg curls, leg extensions 3 sets (8-12 reps).

Day 2
A. Side jumping over a low bench or jumping rope 12 minutes (without a break).

Day 3
REST

Day 4
A. Swimming 400 meters
B. Dips 4 sets (to failure).

Day 5
A. March with backpack (1/3 body weight, or at least 75 pounds); 18 miles in 4 hours 30 minutes flat or 6 hours cross country.

Day 6
A. Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups. The maximum number of repetitions in 40 seconds. 4 approaches.

Day 7
REST

Uffff… Yes, a heavy program. When working on it, it would be useful to write down your daily progress: the number of sets, repetitions, execution time, etc. If you do not have an army backpack, you can replace it with an ordinary one. The main thing is that it is heavy enough. Also, as mentioned in the previous article (on Fur Seals), you need enough nutrients and water. If you are going to use this program as an addition to the main training, then in order to maintain muscle mass, it is advisable to take additional glutamine on marching and swimming days.

Good luck to you! Of course, if you decide...

Throughout the history of its existence, humanity has evolved in many areas of its direct activity. Sadly, not all of them are positive. One of these is war. Through violence, people have achieved their goals for many centuries in a row, whether it is the seizure of new territories or the extraction of resources. Almost any conflict subsequently became a military one.

To date, the trends in international politics have changed significantly. However, practically none of the existing states has yet given up its military power, that is, the armed forces. On the contrary, in many countries there are special military units, the art of which is made up of real legends. As a rule, formations of this kind implement quite specific tasks, which, in turn, are practically unrealistic to perform under the conditions of using standard forces and means. These units include the SEALs (USA). In the article we will consider the features of this unit, as well as the process of its formation and the history of its appearance.

What are "Navy Seals"?

As the author has already pointed out earlier, in each country there are elite units that are engaged in the implementation of specific tasks. The US Army SEALs are one such military formation. But speaking in a purely scientific language, these units are part of the structure of the special operations forces. These formations, in turn, are endowed with a number of unique functions. Their implementation requires special training of fighters and the use of special means.

Functions of special military units

Their main functions include the following tasks, namely:

Implementation of special and sabotage measures;

Search and rescue operations;

Fulfillment of tasks of a different nature that are assigned to

Thus, the SEALs (USA) carry out reconnaissance and sabotage activities. In combat conditions, the role of such units is simply irreplaceable. Because they work discreetly and quietly. In this case, it should be noted that in addition to sabotage and the physical elimination of enemy personnel, SEALs are often used, for example, to accurately target artillery fire, as well as to cover the retreat of the main forces.

The difference between SEALs and Delta

Very often, the functional tasks and the essence of the unit mentioned in the article are confused with a similar formation, namely the “Delta”. The last name has nothing to do with SEALs. The fact is that Delta is a special unit that, in its activities, implements for the most part tasks aimed at combating terrorism and performing special operations, such as rescuing hostages and invading the territories of other states. However, like the SEALs, the unit represented is also part of the Special Operations Forces.

The background of the appearance of the division

Special Forces "Navy Seals" (USA) did not always exist. The formation of this unit was preceded by a fairly long history. The initial prototype of the SEALs were special units of combat swimmers, which were created in the structure of the United States Navy. They were actively used during the Second World War. The combat swimmers were faced with the tasks that today are mostly carried out by the SEALs.

It should be noted that for the entire time of its existence, swimmers participated in such well-known military operations as "Torch" and "Overlord". It was during this period in the history of the development of the United States as a whole that the great potential and effectiveness of the saboteur units, which later became the SEALs, was revealed. However, the experience of conducting combat operations behind enemy lines has also shown that not every soldier is capable of performing tasks that are carried out by the mentioned combat swimmers and other similar formations. This fact largely led to a tough selection of candidates for the service, which will be discussed later in the article.

Create a division

SEAL Special Forces (USA) was created in 1962, after a meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Staff of the US Army. The main problem at that time was strained relations with the Soviet Union. In fact, it was the Cold War that largely led to the creation of sabotage units. At the meeting already mentioned earlier, the first persons of the US Army put forward the idea of ​​forming special units that could conduct military operations behind enemy lines. From this moment, the acceptance of candidates for the SEAL squad begins. As for the selection criteria, they mainly paid attention primarily to good endurance in water, the ability to handle cold and firearms. Proficiency in a foreign language was also a positive factor.

During its existence, the SEALs (USA) have been reorganized more than once due to changes in the geopolitical situation. That is, initially there were detachments that were supposed to land in Cuba, later European detachments appear, and later - Middle Asian ones. The fighters of the SEAL unit played a rather significant role in the process. It should be noted that the existence of a military formation was initially rejected. But since the 80s of the last century, the presence of Navy SEALs in the US Armed Forces has been no secret to anyone, which cannot be said about the operations performed by them.

Notable operations involving the unit

There are many theories and assumptions about what operations the SEALs (US Navy) participated in. As mentioned earlier, many of the operations of these units are strictly classified, which in some cases does not make it possible to fully appreciate the essence of their work. However, today the most striking moments of the participation of "Navy SEALs" in some military conflicts and specific operations are known, for example:

• The Vietnam War showed the unit's excellent effectiveness in the implementation of sabotage missions, as well as hydrographic reconnaissance. The problem is that the landscape of the state's terrain did not allow to fully conduct military operations against enemy forces, which in most cases used guerrilla methods of warfare. It was thanks to the Navy SEALs that many military operations were crowned with success.
• A well-known case of attracting "Navy SEALs" was the invasion of Grenada, as well as the military operation "Main Chance". In the first case, the unit distinguished itself by conducting combat operations and holding positions under fire from superior enemy forces. In the process of implementing Operation Main Chance, the unit seized ships in the Persian Gulf.
• The unit mentioned in the article also participated in it from the very beginning until its completion. One of the most successful operations in this conflict with the participation of the SEALs was the capture of the oil platforms of Hawr El Amaya and El Basra.

It is also necessary to mention that it is a separate regiment of the SEAL special unit that is involved in the physical elimination of one of the most important terrorists in the world, namely Osama bin Laden.

Unit structure

"Seals" (special forces - a separate battalion as part of the special operations forces. In this case, the headquarters consists of the following structural elements:

Commander;

Chief of Staff;

Chief of the reconnaissance detachment and operational officer;

Deputies for Logistics and Combat Training of the SEALs;

Head of Medical Service.

It should also be noted that the headquarters also includes special subversive groups. As a rule, each of them includes about 4-5 fighters.

Candidate Selection Criteria

If we do not talk about the process of direct preparation, which not all candidates can withstand, then the selection for admission to the initial period is carried out quite scrupulously. The main factors are health and US citizenship. Foreigners, as we understand it, are not accepted for service in an elite special unit at all. All candidates, who, in turn, are exclusively male, must be between 18 and 28 years of age. At the same time, they should not have absolutely no negative indicators for health. Any physical handicap or chronic disease is unacceptable because SEALs (U.S. Navy Special Forces) perform complex tasks that involve prolonged exposure to water, as well as in conditions of cold or heat. Therefore, a sick person simply cannot cope with such loads. In addition, all candidates undergo special checks and tests, according to the results of which the lucky ones get into the maritime training centers.

SEAL training (USA)

The training process of the SEALs is known all over the world. They are distinguished by their cruelty and hellish exhaustion, but it is this approach that allows you to nurture the most professional fighters. In the first weeks of training, general physical training of candidates is implemented. An important part of this stage are exercises in the water. Candidates are taught to swim in any environment, up to situations with their hands and feet tied. The purpose of the stage is to instill the fact that water is the closest friend of the soldier of the SEAL unit. In addition, special combat is also carried out and all cadets are tested for their ability to act in critical situations.

"Hell Week"

"Navy Seals" (USA), whose training is particularly cruel, in the process of preparation go through such a stage as "hell week". It lasts five days, during which the cadets are given only 4 hours of sleep. The passage of the entire stage is accompanied by tests of cold and ice water, as well as exhausting marches. At this stage, more than 50% of all candidates are eliminated.

U.S. SEAL gear

In the work of the unit, the latest achievements in the field of military equipment and weapons are used. The SEALs have the right to use absolutely all the resources of the United States Army. For example, for covert movements on and under water, special respiratory isolation devices are used. In addition, small submarines Mark 8 Mod 1 SDV are actively used. For covert landings of fighters, surface means such as the Cyclone and Mk-5 Pegasus boats are used. They can move directly on the water to their destination or be transported by CH-47 helicopters. As for personal safety, members of the special forces use LaRue assault rifles, MTS C4ISTAR multifunctional computers, as well as a device that everyone rightfully calls the "Navy Seal knife" (USA), the Marc Lee "Glory" combat knife.

Conclusion

So, in the article we examined the structure and features of the functional tasks of such a unit as the SEALs of the army of the United States of America. It should be noted that today these formations are actively used by America in various military conflicts, and quite effectively, which indicates a high level of their training. But even with the fact that many photos of the SEALs (USA) can be found in the media today, their real activities are still shrouded in state secrets.

They plotted their deadly missions from secret bases in the wastelands of Somalia. In Afghanistan, they got involved in such close battles that they came out of them in blood - someone else's. In covert raids under the cover of night, their weapons ranged from custom-fitted carbines to ancient tomahawks.

Around the world, they set up spy stations disguised as commercial ships, pretended to be civilian employees of one-day firms, and worked in embassies in male and female pairs, keeping track of those whom the US wanted to kill or capture.

These operations are part of the secret history of the US Navy's SEAL Team 6, one of the nation's most mythologized, secretive, and least scrutinized military organizations. It used to be just a small group dedicated to specialized but infrequent tasks. However, within ten years, Team 6, best known for the assassination of Osama bin Laden, has become a global manhunting machine.
This squad role reflects America's new way of waging war, in which conflict is defined not by victories and defeats on the battlefield, but by the merciless killing of suspected militants.

Almost everything about SEAL Team 6, the secret special forces unit, is shrouded in mystery - the Pentagon won't even publicly acknowledge the name - although some of their exploits have been mentioned, for the most part, in glowing reports in recent years. But if you study the evolution of the Sixth Division through dozens of interviews with current and former members and other military personnel, as well as reviews of government documents, you can see a much more complex and provocative story.

While fighting the heaviest wars of attrition in Afghanistan and Iraq, Team 6 has taken on missions elsewhere that blur the traditional line between soldier and spy. The squad's sniper unit was reorganized to carry out covert reconnaissance operations, and the SEALs collaborated with CIA personnel as part of the Omega Program initiative, which gives greater freedom of action in the pursuit of opponents.

Team 6 has successfully carried out thousands of dangerous raids that military leaders say have weakened the militants' infrastructure, but their operations have also been the subject of repeated scandals involving excessive killings and deaths of civilians.
Afghan villagers and a British commander accused the SEALs of indiscriminately killing people in one of the settlements. In 2009, the detachment, in cooperation with the CIA and the Afghan militias, carried out a raid in which several young people were killed, which led to tensions between NATO and Afghanistan. Even a hostage released in a tense rescue operation wondered why the SEALs killed absolutely all of his captors.

SEAL operatives preparing for a night mission to capture insurgent leaders near Fallujah, Iraq.
When violations were suspected, external oversight was still limited. The Joint Special Operations Center, which oversees SEAL Team 6 missions, conducted its own investigations in more than half a dozen cases, but rarely shared the results with Navy investigators.

“Investigations in the SCSO are being carried out by the SCSO, this is one of the sides of the problem,” says a former senior officer with experience in special operations

"This is an area that Congress, to everyone's outrage, doesn't want to know too much about," says Harold Koch, a former State Department senior legal adviser who advised the Obama administration on covert warfare.

Since 2001, SEAL Team 6 was bombarded with money, which allowed them to significantly expand their ranks - their number reached about 300 assault fighters (operatives) and 1,500 support personnel. But some members of the squad wonder if the high number of operations has eroded the unit's elite culture and forced them to waste on low-value combat missions. Team 6 operatives were sent to Afghanistan to hunt down al-Qaeda leaders, but instead spent years in close conflict with mid- and low-level Taliban fighters. The former operative described the role of the squad members as "armed players on the sidelines."

The price of change was high: over the past 14 years, more soldiers of the detachment have died than in its entire previous history. Constant assaults, parachute jumps, rock climbing and shell explosions - many were traumatized physically and mentally.

“War is not a beautiful act, as they have come to think in the US,” says Britt Slabinski, a retired Team 6 soldier and veteran of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. “When one person is forced to kill another for a long time, emotions cannot be avoided. You have to show your worst and best qualities.”

Team 6 and its Army counterpart, Delta Force, have carried out many operations fearlessly, and have been trusted by the last two presidents to carry out missions in more and more hotspots around the world. These include Syria and Iraq, now under threat from ISIS, as well as Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen, mired in protracted chaos.

Like the CIA's drone campaign, sting operations offer politicians an alternative to costly wars of occupation. But since the Sixth Detachment cloaks itself in secrecy, it is not possible to fully assess the course and consequences of their operations, including civilian casualties and the deep hostility of the inhabitants of the countries where they are carried out. These operations became part of the American war effort with little or no public discussion or debate.

Former Senator Bob Kerry, a Democrat from Nebraska and a Navy SEAL during the Vietnam War, warns of the overuse of 6th Division and other special forces.

“They have become a kind of emergency service, where they turn on any issue”

But such a state of affairs is inevitable, he continues, when American leaders find themselves "in situations of choice between terrible consequences and bad consequences, when there is no choice."

The headquarters of SEAL Team 6 is located in the southern part of Virginia Beach and is closed to the public.
While declining to comment specifically on SEAL Team 6, the US Special Operations Command said that since the 9/11 attacks, its forces have "been involved in tens of thousands of missions and operations in various locations and have consistently maintained the highest standards inherent in the armed forces. USA".

The command said that the operatives are trained to operate in complex and constantly changing situations, and they are free to determine how to behave, depending on the state of affairs.

“All allegations of violation of discipline are considered. Such cases, if there is evidence, are further investigated by the military or law enforcement agencies.

Supporters of the detachment do not doubt the significance of such "invisible warriors".

“If you want the detachment to sometimes engage in activities that violate international law, you definitely don’t need publicity,” says James Stavridis, a retired admiral and former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO

James is referring to the invasion of areas in which war has not been declared. Also, Team 6, according to Stavridis, "it is worth continuing to operate in secret."

But others warn of the consequences of keeping an endless string of special operations secret from the public.

“If it’s like you’re not on the battlefield,” says William Banks, an expert on national security laws at Syracuse University, “then you are not responsible.”

War at close range

First Article Petty Officer Neil Roberts and the location of Thakur Gar.
During a chaotic battle in March 2002 on Mount Thakur Ghar near the border with Pakistan, Petty Officer First Class Neil Roberts, a weapons specialist in Team 6, fell from a helicopter into al-Qaeda-controlled territory. The militants killed and mutilated his body before American troops could get there.

This was SEAL Team 6's first major battle in Afghanistan, and Nile was the first to be killed. Roberst's murder sent a shudder through the members of a very tight-knit team. America's "new war" will be ugly and fought at a very short distance. At times, the operatives also showed excessive cruelty: they cut off fingers or small pieces of skin for DNA analysis of militants they had just killed.

After the March 2002 campaign, most of Osama bin Laden's fighters fled to Pakistan, after which Team 6 will have little to no involvement in such a constant fight against the terrorist network in Afghanistan. The enemy they were sent to destroy has all but disappeared.

At the time, the team was prohibited from hunting the Taliban or chasing al-Qaeda operatives in Pakistan as it could draw condemnation from the Pakistani government. For the most part limited to the Bagram air base outside of Kabul, the SEALs were disappointed. There were no such restrictions on the CIA, so Team 6 members began working with the spy organization, using its expanded combat powers, says a former military and intelligence official.

These missions, as part of the Omega program, allowed the SEALs to conduct "controversial operations" against the Taliban and other militants in Pakistan. Omega was created in the aftermath of the Phoenix program (which existed during the "Vietnam era"), in which CIA officers and special forces conducted interrogations and assassinations in order to destroy the Viet Cong guerrilla network in South Vietnam.

But the increasing number of killings during operations in Pakistan poses too much risk, authorities said, and the Omega program should focus mostly on using Afghan Pashtuns to conduct spy missions in Pakistan and work with CIA-trained Afghan fighters during night raids. in Afghanistan. A CIA spokesman declined to comment on the statement.

The escalation of the conflict in Iraq attracted almost all the attention of the Pentagon and required a constant build-up of troops, including SEAL Team 6 operatives. Due to the weakened American military influence in Afghanistan, the Taliban began to regroup. An alarmed Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal, commander of the Joint Special Operations Center, in 2006 assigned SEALs and other troops to a larger mission: defeat the Taliban again.

This assignment led to years of night raids and battles carried out by Team 6. The squad was assigned to lead the Special Forces in some of the most brutal periods of what has come to be called the longest American war. The secret squad, which was created to carry out the most risky operations, instead participates in dangerous but routine battles.

Operations picked up over the summer as Team 6 and Army Rangers began hunting down "mid-level" fighters to hunt down Taliban leaders in Kandahar province, the Taliban's heartland. The SEALs used techniques developed with Delta Force in the "kill-and-capture" operations conducted inside Iraq. The logic was this: Information obtained from the militants' hideout, coupled with data collected by the CIA and the National Security Agency, could lead to a bomb-making workshop and ultimately to the door of the rebel commander.

It seemed that the special forces would always be lucky. There is no publicly available data on the number of night raids that Team 6 conducted in Afghanistan, or on their losses. Warlords claim that most of the raids took place without a shot being fired. But between 2006 and 2008, one operative says, there were busy periods when their team killed 10 to 15 people a night, and sometimes the number even reached 25.

The fast pace "made the guys violent," claims a former Team 6 officer.

"These massacres have become commonplace"

According to special operations commanders, the night raids helped unravel the Taliban's network. But some members of Team 6 began to doubt that they had really changed anything.

“We had so many goals that it was just another name. Whether they were intermediaries, Taliban commanders, officers, financiers - it no longer matters, ”said a former senior SEAL member, in response to demands for information about one of the missions.

Another former member of the group, an officer, was even more dismissive about some of the operations.

“In 2010, the guys were chasing a street gang. The most trained squad in the world was chasing street thugs"

The squad has made its operations faster, quieter and deadlier, and has benefited from continuous budget increases and technology improvements since 2001. Team 6's other name, the Special Maritime Rapid Deployment Combat Team, alludes to its official mission to develop new equipment and strategies for the SEAL organization as a whole, which includes nine other non-covert teams.

SEAL gunsmiths have prepared a new German-made rifle and equipped almost all weapons with silencers that suppress the sounds of gunshots and gunshot flashes. Laser sights, which help SEALs shoot more accurately, have become standard, as have thermal optics to detect human body heat. The group received a new generation of thermobaric grenades, which are especially effective for destroying buildings. They are increasingly operating in larger groups. The more deadly weapons SEALs carry, the fewer enemies get out alive.

The Heckler & Koch MP7 (top), fitted with a silencer to suppress flashes and sounds, and the MP5 (bottom), a submachine gun widely used by law enforcement. In the American troops, the MP7 is only in service with Delta Force and SEAL Team 6. It was also acquired by some SWAT special forces teams.

“To protect yourself and your brothers, you will use anything, regardless of whether it is a blade or a machine gun,” says Mr. Raso, who worked with Mr. Winkler to create edged weapons.

Many SEAL operatives have stated that they did not use tomahawks - they say they are too bulky weapons that, compared to firearms, are not as effective - acknowledging that the situation on the battlefield was at times very, very chaotic.

“This is a dirty business. I can shoot them like I was told, or I can poke or slash them with a knife, what difference does it make?” says one former Team 6 member.

culture

SEAL Team 6's isolated headquarters at the Dam Neck branch at Oceana Naval Air Station, south of Virginia Beach, serves as the home of a troop within a troop. Far from the spotlight, the base is home not only to three hundred operatives (they despise the word "commandos"), their officers and commanders, but also pilots, barge builders, sappers, engineers, medics and a reconnaissance squad equipped with the most modern surveillance systems. and surveillance around the world.

SEAL Team 6 headquarters in Virginia.
The Navy SEAL - which stands for "Sea, Air, Land" - has its origins in World War II diving squads. Team 6 emerged decades later, after a failed attempt in 1980 to rescue 53 American hostages captured during the takeover of the American embassy in Tehran. Poor planning and bad weather forced the command to abort the operation, and eight soldiers were killed when two planes crashed in the Iranian desert.

The Navy then turned to Commander Richard Marcinko, a tough Vietnam veteran, to create a SEAL unit that could respond quickly to terrorist threats. The name itself was an attempt at disinformation in the Cold War: at that time there were only two SEAL teams, but Commander Marcinko called the squad SEAL Team 6 in the hope that Soviet analysts would overestimate their strength.

He spit on the rules and created an extremely extraordinary squad. (Several years after he left his command, Marcinko was accused of fraudulent military contracts.) In his autobiography, The Rogue Warrior, Commander Marcinko describes drinking together as an important part of Team 6's cohesion; for the most part, his recruitment resulted in drunken bar sessions.

Initially, Team 6 consisted of two assault groups - Blue and Gold, named after the colors of the fleet. The Blue group adopted the Jolly Roger as a symbol and quickly earned themselves the nickname "Bad Boys in Blue" for repeated accusations of drunk driving, drug use, and crashing workout cars with impunity.

Sometimes young officers were kicked out of Team 6, who tried to deal with what they considered a frivolous attitude. Admiral William McRaven, who led the Special Operations Command and oversaw the attack on bin Laden during the Marcinko era, was removed from Team 6 and assigned to another SEAL team after complaining about the difficulty in maintaining order among the fighters.

Ryan Zinke, a former Team 6 member now serving as a Republican congressman in Montana, recalled an episode from the team's exercise on a cruise ship in preparation for a possible hostage situation at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Zinke escorted the admiral to the bar on the lower deck. “When we opened the door, what I saw reminded me of Pirates of the Caribbean,” says Zinke, recalling how the admiral was amazed by the long hair, beards and earrings in the ears of the fighters.

“Is this my fleet?” the admiral asked him. - "These guys are my fleet?"

It was the start of what Zinke called "the great bloodletting" when the Navy thinned out Team 6's command staff to bring it up to the level of professionals. Former and current Team 6 operatives state that the culture back then was different. Now the members of the squad have become more educated, more prepared, older and wiser - although some still go too far.

“I was kicked out of the Boy Scouts,” one former officer claims, adding that most of Team 6 SEAL “was just like him.”

Potential member of SEAL Team 6 with a tattoo depicting melee combat during diving practice in Coronado, California.
Known for their strict adherence to established rules, Delta Force members often start out as rank and file infantry, then move up to reconnaissance and special forces before joining Delta. But SEAL 6 is more isolated from the rest of the fleet, and many of its members come to the squad's harsh training machine from outside the military.

After several years of service in regular SEAL units - the even-numbered ones are in Virginia Beach, the odd-numbered ones are in San Diego, and another operating with mini-submarines in Hawaii - fighters can try to join the sixth squad. . Many want to be on the most elite SEAL team, but about half of them drop out.

The officers in the Sixth Division are constantly changing, and although officers sometimes return for several tours of duty, NCOs usually stay in the squad for much longer, which makes their influence noticeably inflated.

“Many soldiers think that they are really in charge of everything. It's part of the Marcinko style," says one former SEAL officer.

And they are prone to bravado - critics and defenders of the detachment agree on this. While other SEAL units (known as "white" or "standard" SEALs in the military) perform similar tasks, the Sixth Squad is dedicated to high-value targets and hostage rescue in war zones. He also cooperates more with the CIA and performs more covert assignments outside of conflict zones. Only the fighters of the sixth detachment are taught how to return nuclear weapons that fell into the wrong hands.

Because of the participation of the Sixth Division in the raid on bin Laden in 2011, all and sundry rushed to publish books and documentaries about them, which made the silent Delta fighters just roll their eyes. The members of the Sixth Division are expected to remain silent about their assignments, and many current and former fighters are angered that two of their comrades themselves spoke about their role in the death of the al-Qaeda leader. The two are Matt Bissonnet, author of two best-selling books about his time in the 6th SEAL, and Robert O'Neill, who claimed on TV that he killed bin Laden. The Criminal Investigation Service of the Marine Fleet is conducting proceedings against them on charges of disclosing classified information.

Others were silently expelled from the squad for drug use, or they themselves quit due to conflicts of interest involving military customers or working on the side. Navy officials in 2012 punished 11 current and former members of the Navy for revealing the tactics of the Sixth Division or passing on secret training films to promote the computer game Medal of Honor: Warfighter.

A grave in Arlington National Cemetery with the remains of soldiers who died when an Extortion 17 helicopter was shot down over Afghanistan in 2011.
Given the many combat missions over the past 13 years, few members of the squad remained unscathed. About 35 operatives and members of the support staff died in combat missions, according to a former squad officer. They include 15 members of the Golden Company and two demolition specialists killed in 2011 when a helicopter called Extortion 17 was shot down in Afghanistan. It was the most terrible day in the history of the sixth detachment.

Explosions of charges used to break through fortifications during raids, constant assaults and exhausting riding in high-speed boats during sea rescue operations or training took their toll. Some received head injuries.

“Your body is just broken,” says a recently retired fighter. "And the brain is broken too"

"Navy SEALs are a lot like National League football players: they never say, 'I don't want to be on the first team,'" says Dr. John Hart, medical director at the University of Texas at Dallas Brain Health Center, which has treated many SEAL patients. “If guys who already have the effects of a concussion are sent on a mission, this will only increase the already existing brain damage. The brain needs enough time to recover.”

License to Kill

Early in the war in Afghanistan, SEAL Team 6 was tasked with guarding an Afghan politician named Hamid Karzai; one of the Americans almost received a bullet in the head during the assassination attempt on the future president. But later on, Karzai repeatedly criticized the operations of the US special forces, arguing that civilians were constantly killed during their raids. He viewed the actions of Team 6 and other units as a blessing for Taliban recruiters and subsequently attempted to completely stop the night raids.

SEAL Team 6 was assigned to protect Afghan leader Hamid Karzai. After an attempt on his life in 2002 in Kandahar, a squad member who was shot in the head uses a T-shirt to slow the bleeding.
Most quests didn't end in death. Some members of Team 6 say they rounded up women and children and pushed the men out of the way with a kick or rifle butt to search their homes. Sometimes they took captives; according to one of the representatives of the department, after the attempts of the SEAL fighters to capture people, some prisoners turned out to have broken noses.

Team 6 members usually work under the close supervision of their superiors - officers in the overseas operations coordination center and at Dam Neck, who monitor the progress of the raids with drones hovering in the sky - but they get away with a lot. While other SWAT teams are subject to the same engagement rules as other military personnel in Afghanistan, Team 6 typically conducts their operations at night, deciding life and death in dark rooms without witnesses or cameras.

Operatives use silenced weapons to silently kill sleeping opponents; in their opinion, this is no different from the bombardment of enemy barracks.

“I snuck into people’s houses while they were sleeping,” writes Matt Bissonnette in his book Not a Hero. - “If I caught them with weapons, I killed them, like all the guys in the squad”

And they don't question their decisions. Clarifying that the operatives shoot to kill, the former sergeant added that they fire "control shots" to make sure their opponents are dead. (According to a pathologist's report, in 2011, on a yacht stolen off the African coast, a member of Team 6 delivered 91 blows to a pirate who, along with an accomplice, killed four American hostages. According to a former SEAL fighter, operatives are trained to open every major artery in the human body.)

The retired officer claims the rules boil down to one thing:

“If you feel threatened even for a second, then you will kill someone”

He described how, while serving in Afghanistan, a SEAL sniper killed three unarmed people, including a little girl, and told his superiors that he felt they were a threat. Formally, this was enough. But in Team 6, according to the officer, "this doesn't work." He added that the sniper was expelled from the detachment.

Six former fighters and officers who were interviewed admitted that they knew about the civilians killed by Team 6 fighters. Slabinski, a SEAL private, witnessed Team 6 operatives mistakenly kill civilians "four or five times" during his service.

The funeral of Afghans killed in 2009 during a joint US-Afghan raid on Ghazi Khan in Kunar province.
Some officers say they routinely questioned Team 6 members when unlicensed killings were suspected, but usually found no evidence of wrongdoing.

"There was no reason for us to dig deeper," says the former special forces officer.

“Do I think something bad happened?” asks another officer. “Do I think there were more murders than needed? Naturally. I think the natural response to a threat was to eliminate it; and only then did you wonder: “Did I overestimate her?” Do I think that the guys deliberately killed those who did not deserve it? No, it's kind of hard for me to believe it."

Civilian deaths are an integral part of every war, some experts in military law have argued, but in conflicts with blurred front lines, where enemy fighters are often indistinguishable from civilians, the usual rules of war become obsolete, so new clauses need to be added to the Geneva Convention. But other experts are indignant, arguing that long-term and clear rules should stand above the realities of the battle.

"It's especially important to emphasize boundaries and rules when you're fighting a ruthless and dishonorable enemy," explains Jeffrey Korn, a former General Staff expert from the military bar and current faculty at South Texas Law College. “It is then that the desire for revenge is strongest. And war is not meant for revenge."

Towards the end of Team 6 Blue Company's stay in Afghanistan, which ended in early 2008, the elders complained to the British general whose forces controlled Helmand province. He immediately contacted Captain Scott Moore, commander of SEAL Team 6, and informed him of the complaint of two elders that SEALs had killed several people in the village.

Captain Moore opposed those who led the mission to capture or kill a member of the Taliban, codenamed "Operation Panther".

When Captain Moore asked what had happened, the unit's commander, Peter Wazeley, denied all accusations that the operatives were killing civilians. According to a former Team 6 member and military official, he said his men killed all the men because they had guns. Captain Weisley, who now oversees Team 6 teams on the East Coast, declined to comment.
Captain Moore asked the United States Special Operations Center to look into the incident. By that time, the command had already been reported that there were dozens of witnesses to the mass execution arranged by American soldiers in the village.

Another ex-Team 6 member later insisted that Blue Company Captain Slabinski ordered every man in the village to be killed before the operation began. Slabinski denied this, arguing that there was no order to kill all men.

“We didn’t even discuss it with the guys,” he said in an interview.

He said that during the raid, he was greatly disturbed by the sight of one of the young operatives cutting the throat of a dead Taliban fighter. “It was like he was mutilating a corpse,” Slabinski said, adding that he shouted, “Stop it!”

The Navy's attorney's office later concluded that the operative may have removed equipment from the dead man's chest. But the commanders of Team 6 were worried that some of the fighters might get out of hand, so that operative was sent back to the States. Suspecting that his fighters were not completely obeying the rules for starting a clash, Slabinski gathered them all and issued an "extremely stern speech."

“If any of you seek retribution, this issue must be resolved through me,” he recalls his words. “No one can solve this except me”

As he himself claims, the speech was to make the fighters understand that this permission will never be, since such a thing was unacceptable. But he admits that some fighters may have misunderstood him.

According to two former members of Team 6, the Joint Operations Center has cleared the company's name of all charges related to Operation Panther. It remains unclear how many Afghans died during the raid, or the exact location where they died, although one officer believed it was south of Lashkar Gan, the provincial capital of Helmand.

But the murders have spurred a discussion in high places about how, in a country where many people carry guns, Team 6 could ensure that it hunts “only the really bad guys.”
In other cases, which were usually handled by the Center, and not by the naval prosecutor's office, no charges were brought against anyone. Usually, in case of problems, the fighters were sent home; for example, three fighters who went overboard during interrogation and some team members who were linked to questionable murders.

More than a year later, another operation caused strong indignation among the Afghans. By midnight on December 27, 2009, several dozen US and Afghan fighters landed in helicopters a few miles from the village of Ghazi Khan in Kunar province and headed for the village under cover of darkness. By the time they left, ten residents had been killed.

It is still unknown what exactly happened that night. The objective of that mission was to capture or kill a senior Taliban operative, but it quickly became clear that no Taliban commanders were present. This was due to disinformation, a problem that still plagued the US after years in Afghanistan. The former governor of the province conducted an investigation and accused the Americans of killing unarmed schoolchildren.

The US embassy in Afghanistan released statements saying that the ensuing investigation showed that "eight of the ten killed attended local schools."

Representatives of the American army said that the dead were members of an underground cell that made improvised explosive devices. They subsequently retracted these words, but some military officials still insist that all the teenagers carried weapons and were associated with the Taliban. One NATO statement says the raiders were "intrinsically non-military", apparently alluding to the CIA in charge of the operation.

But Team 6 fighters also participated in this mission. As part of the secret Omega Program, they joined a strike force that included CIA operatives and intelligence-trained Afghan fighters.

By that time, the program that had begun at the dawn of the war in Afghanistan had changed. The raids on Pakistan were canceled because it was difficult to work there due to the increased activity of Pakistani spies and soldiers, so the missions were mainly carried out on the Afghan side of the border.

Over time, General McChrystal, who became the commander-in-chief of US forces in Afghanistan, responded to President Karzai's complaints by tightening the rules and slowing down the pace of special operations.
Having practiced stealth penetration behind enemy lines for many years, Team 6 fighters were often forced to “warn” before attacking like a sheriff shouting into a loudmouth: “Come out with your hands up!”

Slabinski argues that most of the civilian deaths were during "precautionary" operations, which were supposed to reduce precisely such losses. According to him, enemy fighters sometimes sent family members forward and fired from behind them, or handed out flashlights to civilians and ordered them to highlight American positions.

Former commando O'Neill agrees that the rules could be infuriating.

“Then we realized something: the more opportunities we were given to cause indirect damage, the more effective we were - not because we used it, but because we knew that there would be no doubt. As the number of rules increased, things got more complicated.”

rescue missions

Long before the night raids in Afghanistan and the landings on the battlefield, members of SEAL Team 6 were constantly trained to rescue hostages - until 2001 they did not perform these difficult and dangerous tasks. Since then, the squad has made 10 rescue attempts, which are both among its greatest successes and bitterest failures.

During extractions - which are considered "no margin for error" missions - operatives say they must move faster and take more risk than in any other type of operation, as they need to keep hostages safe. Usually, the operatives killed almost all the people involved in the capture.

Clockwise, left: Jessica Lynch on a stretcher after being found in Nasiriyah in 2003; the boat on which Captain Phillips was held in 2009; Danish hostage Paul Hagen Thisted, rescued in Somalia in 2012; and his colleague, American Jessica Bochanan.
The first high-profile rescue mission came in 2003, when SEAL Team 6 operatives helped bring home Professor Jessica Lynch, who had been wounded, captured, and held in hospital during the early days of the Iraq War.

Six years later, members of Team 6 parachuted from cargo planes into the Indian Ocean, along with their special boats, to rescue Richard Phillips, the captain of the Maersk Alabama, a container ship hijacked by Somali pirates. In a video taken by Mr. O'Neill, the operatives are seen parachuting with fins strapped to their boots, before four boats are ejected from the plane - small, fast, with stealth technology to bypass radar - each with several parachutes. As a result, SEAL snipers killed three pirates.

In 2012, airborne operatives landed in Somalia to free Jessica Buchanan, an American aid worker, and her Danish colleague Paul Hagen Thisted. The joint special operations center (JSOC, Joint Special Operations Center) believes that everything was standard within the framework of that mission. The SEALs landed using a technique called HAHO, high altitude-high opening. This means that the operatives jump from a great height and glide for a long time on the air currents, thus secretly crossing the border. This maneuver is so dangerous that during the preparation for it, several people died during the entire years of the detachment's existence.

Ms. Bochanan recalled that four of the abductors were about 4.5 meters away from her when the members of Team 6 approached under the cover of darkness. During the operation, they killed all nine kidnappers. “Until they appeared, I did not know that we could be saved at all,” Miss Bochanan said in an interview.

In October 2010, a member of Team 6 made a mistake while trying to rescue Linda Norgrove, a 36-year-old British aid worker who had been captured by the Taliban. It all happened in the first two minutes, after the operatives disembarked from helicopters in Kunar province and drove 27 meters down a braided cord onto a steep slope, two high-ranking military officers later said.

As they made their way to the Taliban base in the dark, the new member of the squad "got confused," as he later told investigators. His weapon jammed. "With a complete mess in my head," he threw a grenade into the trench, where, as he thought, two militants were hiding.

British Linda Norgrove, a humanitarian worker, died during a SEAL operation to rescue her in Kunar province, Afghanistan.
But after a firefight, during which several Taliban were killed, the "seals" found the hostage's body - in dark clothes and a scarf - lying in this very trench. First, the operative who threw the grenade and another member of the squad reported that Miss Norgrove had died due to the explosion of a suicide belt. Their version did not last long. Surveillance footage shows that she almost instantly died from shrapnel wounds to her head and back caused by a grenade explosion, according to the investigators' report.

As a result of a joint US-British investigation, it turned out that the operative who threw the grenade grossly violated the procedure for releasing the hostages. He was expelled from Team 6, although he was allowed to remain in another SEAL unit.

Two years later, an American doctor was successfully rescued, but at a great cost. One December night in 2012, a group of Team 6 operatives wearing night vision goggles broke into an Afghan field camp where the Taliban were holding a humanitarian aid doctor, Dilip Joseph. The first operative to enter was knocked down by a headshot, to which the other Americans responded with brutal efficiency—all five of the kidnappers were killed.

However, Dr. Joseph and the military provided very different versions of what happened. A 19-year-old militant named Vallaka survived the attack, the doctor said. Dilip Joseph recalled how the one, captured by SEAL operatives, was sitting on the ground with his head bowed and his hands tied under his knees. The Doctor believes that Vallaka was among those who killed one of Team 6.
A few minutes later, as he was waiting to board the helicopter, one of the SEALs who had rescued the doctor took him back to the building. There, before his eyes, the dead Vallaka appeared, lying in a pool of blood and illuminated by moonlight.

“I remember it clearly as day,” said the doctor

The military, under the cover of "top secret" status, said that all the kidnappers were killed shortly after the "seals" entered the camp, and no one ever captured Wallack. Also, according to them, then Dr. Joseph was disoriented and did not go back into the building at all. They also asked: how could the doctor clearly see what was happening in the darkness of the night?

Two years later, Dr. Joseph is unfailingly grateful for his rescue and appreciates the sacrifice of Petty Officer Nicholas Cescu, a member of the squad who was killed during the operation. But at the same time, he is haunted by the fate of Wallack.

“For weeks I could not come to terms with how effectively they acted. The precision was surgical,” recalls Dr. Joseph

global spy group

From a defensive line along the Afghan border, Team 6 regularly dispatches locals to collect information in the tribal areas of Pakistan. The group turned the large, brightly colored jingle trucks popular in the region into mobile spy stations by hiding sophisticated listening equipment in the back of the truck, and with the help of the Pashtuns (an Iranian people who inhabit mainly the southeast, south and southwest of Afghanistan). and northwest Pakistan approx. New what) drives them across the border.

Outside of the Pakistani mountains, the squad also conducts risky missions in the southwest Pakistani desert, particularly in the windy region of Balochistan. One such mission nearly ended in disaster when gunmen fired a rocket-propelled grenade right out of a doorway, causing the roof of the camp to collapse and a Team 6 sniper sitting on it toppling over a small group of gunmen. According to one former operative, another American sniper, who was nearby, quickly killed them.

Between the conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan, members of the Black Company, which is part of Team 6, were scattered around the world on spy missions. It was originally a sniper unit that, after the 9/11 attacks, was converted to conduct "specially difficult operations," which in military jargon means intelligence gathering and other clandestine activities in preparation for special missions.

At the Pentagon, this idea was especially popular when Donald Rumsfeld was Secretary of Defense. In the middle of the last decade, General McChrystal ordered Team 6 to become more involved in global intelligence gathering missions, and Black Company operatives were deployed to American embassies from Africa and Latin America to the Middle East.

A former member of the group said that SEAL Team 6 used diplomatic mail, regular shipments of classified documents and other materials to American diplomatic posts to smuggle weapons to Black Company operatives abroad. In Afghanistan, Black Company fighters wore local clothing and infiltrated villages to set up cameras and listening devices and interview local residents days and even weeks before night raids, some former members of the organization say.

The team creates front companies to provide Black Company operatives with cover in the Middle East and uses floating spy stations disguised as commercial vessels off the coast of Somalia and Yemen. Members of the Black Company, stationed at the US embassy in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, played a central role in the hunt for Anawar al-Awlaki, a radical cleric and American citizen who had become involved with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He was killed in 2011 by a CIA drone.

One of the former members of the Black Company said that in Somalia and Yemen, operatives were allowed to shoot only at targets of special importance.

“Outside of Iraq and Afghanistan, we didn't work at random. It was completely different there.”

The Black Company has something that the rest of SEAL Team 6 doesn't have: female operatives. Women from the Navy join the Black Company and go abroad to gather intelligence, most often working in embassies with male partners. A former SEAL Team 6 officer said that in the Black Company, men and women often work in pairs, which is called "softening". Pairs arouse less suspicion among enemy intelligence or armed groups.

At the moment, more than a hundred people work in the Black Company. The organization is expanding due to the growing threat around the world. It also has to do with changes in American politics. Fearful of using "shadow soldiers" after the defeat in the "Battle of Mogadishu" in Somalia in 1993, government officials now prefer to send units like SEAL Team 6 to resolve conflicts, whether the US wants to advertise its presence or no.

“When I was in business, we were always looking for wars,” says Mr. Zinke, a congressman and former member of Team 6, “and these guys found them.”

Authors: Mark Mazzetti, Nicholas Kulish, Christopher Drew, Serge F. Kovalevski, Sean D. Naylor, and John Ismay.
Original: New York Times

Dislocation Coronado, California (English) Russian
Little Creek, Virginia (English) Russian Nicknames Frog people (eng. Frogmen), Team, Greenfaces Motto "The only easy day was yesterday" Colors gold and azure Participation in commanders Current Commander Rear Admiral Edward G. Winters 3rd Notable commanders Roy Boym, Richard Marchenko, Bob Gormley, Stuart Smith, Eric Olson Website sealswcc.com/beco…​ (English)

History

origins

There are cases when fighters from the second detachment of SEALs worked alone in the special forces of the South Vietnamese army. In addition, in 1967, a SEAL detachment called "Detachment Bravo (Det Bravo)" was created, consisting of both "seals" and members of the South Vietnamese Provincial Reconnaissance Units (PRUs).

The last SEAL units left Vietnam in December 1971, the last instructors in March 1973. The total number of "seals" involved in Vietnam did not exceed 200 soldiers and 30 officers.

Invasion of Grenada

Persian Gulf (Operation Prime Chance)

Along with their British counterparts from the Special Boat Service, the Seals also participated in the Battle of Cala y Yangi, where SEAL Chief Petty Officer Steven Bass received the Navy Cross for outstanding heroism in battle.

On August 6, 2011, a Chinook was shot down in Afghanistan carrying 15 members of the Group 6, which killed Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011. Everyone in the helicopter died; the dead did not include members of the operation to assassinate bin Laden. This is the biggest loss of personnel for "SEAL Team 6" (besides them, two "seals" from another unit died in the crash).

Iraqi War (2003-2010)

Even seven days before the landing of the main troops, a group of “seals” was engaged in hydrographic survey in the area of ​​the oil platforms of El Basra and Khavr El Amaya. On May 20, 2003, both platforms, as well as the port of El Fao and the oil pipelines, were directly attacked by a group of forces consisting of the "seals" themselves, British Royal Marines and fighters from the Polish Thunder special forces unit. Despite the difficulties associated with inaccurate intelligence, all facilities were captured and the operation was successfully completed.

The coalition command in Iraq has also expressed concern that retreating Iraqi forces may have blown up the Mukatayn dam northeast of Baghdad in order to slow down the advance of American forces. The explosion of the dam would also leave the entire region without electricity, and the imminent flooding threatened the lives of civilians. Thus, it was decided to send there the joint forces of the seals and the Thunder detachment. Encountering no resistance from the Iraqi military, the "seals" quickly completed the capture of the dam and handed it over to the control of the US ground forces.

Involvement in other notable military operations

A separate Naval Special Forces Regiment for Combating Terrorism (6th Naval Special Forces Detachment, DEVGRU) conducted an operation to eliminate "terrorist number one" Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011.

Organizational and staff structure of the forces of the Special Forces of the US Navy

The main unit within the SEAL is a separate detachment (battalion) of the Special Forces, consisting of a headquarters and 3 separate companies of the Special Forces (squadron) of 40 fighters each. The squad leader usually holds the rank of captain 3rd, sometimes captain 2nd rank, in the US Navy.

Organizational and staff structure of a separate detachment of Special Forces of the US Navy

OShS of a separate detachment of the Special Forces of the Navy (from the 1st to the 10th) includes: The headquarters of the detachment, consisting of:

• squad leader
• chief of staff of the detachment with the rank of lieutenant commander (or lieutenant Navy) (Operations, N3)
• Operations Officer (Plans and Targeting, N5)
• head of intelligence detachment (Intelligence, N2)
• Deputy Detachment Commander for Combat Training (Administrative Support, N1)
• deputy commander of the detachment for the rear (Logistics, N4)
• head of the MSS service / medical service of the detachment (Air / Medical, N8)

Detachment management support group - two security platoons of 16-20 fighters with a logistics company.

3 separate companies of Special Forces (40 people l / s) consisting of:

• company commander (Navy officer with the rank of lieutenant commander) and two deputies (Navy officers with the rank of lieutenant Navy)

2 reconnaissance and sabotage groups (RDG) Special Forces (16 people per l / s, divided into fire subgroups of 4-5 fighters)

The standard number of personnel of a separate detachment of Special Forces of the Navy with support units is up to 300 people.

The total number of detachments of Special Forces of the US Navy

All units of the Special Forces of the Navy in the United States are consolidated into two separate regiments of the Special Forces of the Navy:

The total number of forces of the Special Forces of the Navy is up to 10 separate detachments of Special Forces (up to 3050 people l / s, including up to 600 people in two companies of special delivery vehicles).

• 1st Separate Regiment of the Special Forces of the Navy on the US Pacific Coast (US Naval Base Coronado, California) (1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th detachments)
• 2nd Separate Regiment of the Special Forces of the Navy on the US Atlantic Coast (US Naval Base Norfolk, Virginia) (2nd, 4th, 8th and 10th detachments).

Parts of the Naval Special Forces reserve include up to 325 people (the 17th and 18th detachments of the Naval Special Forces reserve), 125 people of the reserve of special delivery vehicles and 775 people of the reserve of the MTO regiment of the Special Naval Forces of the Navy.

Each detachment of the Special Forces of the US Navy has its own specialization in the main theater of operations. Part of the detachments is focused on operations in the Middle East theater and operations in the desert, some are aimed at operations in the jungles of Indochina and South America, at the moment some of the detachments are being retrained to be ready for operations in the Arctic.

U.S. Navy Special Forces Delivery Vehicles

For the operational and covert underwater delivery and evacuation of SEAL operators, a separate group of special delivery vehicles has been formed as part of the special forces of the Navy - the 3rd group  SOF Navy USA (English) Russian, which includes the SDVT-1, which is armed with special underwater carriers of the Mark 8 Mod 1 type. To ensure the delivery and landing of SEAL units on the coast and their evacuation after the completion of the mission, the US Navy Special Forces also has a separate unit of landing assets SWCC ( Special warfare combatant-craft crewmen (English) Russian). The task of the detachment's three amphibious assault flotillas and light boats is to deliver personnel to coastal sea areas, fire cover for retreating SEAL groups in coastal areas, detention and inspection of light craft, search and rescue in coastal areas, reconnaissance and patrolling of the coastal zone and inland rivers.

Separate regiment of Special Forces of the Navy for combating terrorism at sea

Emblem	Teams	Number of RDGs	Dislocation	Main theater
1st Regiment of Special Forces of the Navy
	1st detachment of the Special Forces of the Navy	8 RDG	VMB "San Diego", (w. California)	Theater of Southeast Asia
	3rd detachment of the Special Forces of the Navy	8 RDG	VMB "San Diego", (w. California)	Middle East theater
	5th detachment of the Special Forces of the Navy	8 RDG	VMB "San Diego", (w. California)	Pacific theater
	7th detachment of the Special Forces of the Navy	8 RDG	VMB "San Diego", (w. California)
2nd Regiment of Special Forces of the Navy
	2nd detachment of the Special Forces of the Navy	8 RDG	Naval Base Norfolk, (w. Virginia)	European theater
	4th detachment of the Special Forces of the Navy	8 RDG	Naval Base Norfolk, (w. Virginia)	South American theater
	8th detachment of the Special Forces of the Navy	8 RDG	VMB Norfolk, sh. Virginia	Caribbean and Mediterranean
	10th detachment of the Special Forces of the Navy	8 RDG	Naval Base Norfolk, (w. Virginia)
Separate parts of the Special Forces of the US Navy
	op BTM VMS (Military research regiment SpN Navy)	5 op spn	Naval Base Norfolk, (w. Virginia) AB US Navy "Ocean" (w. Virginia)
Auxiliary parts of the Special Forces of the US Navy
	3rd group SSO Navy USA (English) Russian 1st company of special delivery vehicles of the Special Forces of the Navy		Naval Base "Coronado" (English) Russian, California Naval Base San Diego, California

Selection and preparation

The selection of candidates for the "seals" is made from among volunteers not younger than 18 and not older than 28 years old, only male citizens of the United States are allowed to serve. Of course, the candidate must have excellent health, both physical and mental, because by the nature of the service, sometimes the “seal” has to stay for a long time in a confined space or under water, where even a ray of daylight does not penetrate. Very often you have to perform this or that task alone, without the support of your comrades, while being waist-deep in swamp slurry.

From the very beginning, volunteers who fully satisfy all formal requirements and do not reveal any obvious physical or mental abnormalities are subjected to a whole series of tests, on the basis of which an expert commission of experienced psychologists and doctors conducts an initial selection. Those who successfully passed the initial requirements enter the naval training centers of special forces.

First of all, cadets are prepared for the loads that await them during the year. This is a seven-week course of general physical training and training in special swimming techniques. At this stage, cadets get acquainted with new methods of physical development, train the respiratory system, endurance. And even if the candidate is a world champion in swimming, he will be taught this again. Learn to swim for many hours and in a strong storm. At any temperature of the water, even if it turns into ice before our eyes. With cargo. And even being bound hand and foot. The purpose of this stage is to accustom the combat swimmer to water so that it does not cause him not only the slightest inconvenience, but that he feels like a fish in it.

“We are training these people to see water as the only safe environment,” the instructors say in preparation. In all other branches of the military, even in the Marine Corps, personnel are trained, based on the fact that the water element is dangerous for humans. But what is our advantage? When we are discovered, pursued or fired upon, we go into the water, to our own home, where the enemy usually loses us.
This is followed by nine weeks of the first period of direct combat training and live training. And every week, the loads, already very heavy, become even stronger, acquiring a specific focus. For example, in the first week, cadets need to swim three hundred meters in a certain time, in the second week, the same three hundred meters must be swum in full uniform and equipment, with all equipment and weapons. Further, the task becomes even more difficult. The same distance with all the equipment must be covered by towing a load weighing 40-50 kg, and then do the same thing, only this time against the current. Further, the distance increases, and the time for which it must be overcome remains the same. The same can be said about ground tests. True, here the task is complicated by the fact that the instructors deliberately give somewhat illogical orders that should be carried out without hesitation, without any breakdowns and tantrums, while not confronting the authorities. Thus, the psychological fitness of the future combat swimmer is checked.

There are also special tests that help determine the cadet's intelligence, his ability to think in non-standard situations. For example, it is necessary, without special equipment, to penetrate an object that is located behind a high hill covered with forest. Of course, the hill can be bypassed, as most cadets do. But it's not so simple. From all sides the hill is surrounded by a swamp ... So the soldier is standing in thought: whether to climb the hill, or crawl through the swamp. In addition to all sorts of natural barriers that need to be overcome, there are still a huge number of traps set up by experienced instructors. At the most inopportune moment, when the cadet has already almost reached the top of the hill and is holding on to a ledge of rock, an explosion of a training grenade is heard right in front of him or a smoke bomb explodes, or, worst of all, bullets begin to whistle over his head. But in addition to physical activity, cadets master the skills of sniper shooting and demolition, radio communications and orienteering. In a word, everything that is not done in the water (although this does not mean at all that this is done only on land).

Particularly noteworthy is the preparation stage, which the “seals” themselves call “hell week”. It lasts only five days, but this is quite enough to fully experience all the "joy" of service in the SEAL. During this time, cadets have the right to sleep only 4 hours, and then, either standing or neck-deep in a fetid swamp. At the same time, the load increases every day and reaches such a limit that three instructors work with one group (each of whom has a medical certificate), who constantly replace each other. By the end of the week, the loads become, frankly, sadistic. And in such an environment, the future “seals” must not only fight the water element, but also defeat it and, which is much more difficult, themselves, their fear and their pain.