SEAL Team 6 is the elite special forces unit within the Navy SEAL organization, established to carry out the most hazardous and precarious military operations. Their missions are characterized as involving high stakes and crises. The level of risk and difficulty in SEAL operations is considered next to insurmountable.
The Creation of the SEAL Teams
Traditionally, the United States Armed Forces have raised numerous special forces units to respond to high-profile assignments that involve hostage rescue and assassinating high-value targets. Most importantly, they operate seamlessly behind the enemy lines. However, due to the increasing complexity and introduction of novel tactics in warfare post-WWII, the US military opted to develop an elite commando unit that could operate in all three domains—land, sea, and air. As a result, President John F. Kennedy approved the establishment of the first two SEAL Teams of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group in 1962.
The antecedent organizations of the Navy SEALs were the Naval Combat Demolition Units and Underwater Demolition Teams. In WWII, these units were tasked with facilitating the amphibious operation of the US military through prior intelligence gathering and undermining enemy defenses at the shores in Europe and the Pacific. The personnel of these teams were called the Frogmen, who were trained to conduct underwater warfare effectively. Following the establishment of the two pioneer teams of SEALs, they were employed in the vast majority of the Vietnam War. It is estimated that eight platoons of SEALs were deployed in combat zones during the war.
Inside SEAL Team 6 (DevGru)
It is pertinent to take into account the fact that officially SEAL Team 6 is known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DevGru). The task of DevGru is to develop essential equipment and tactics for the special forces units in accordance with the requirement of continuously evolving battlefield dynamics. The DevGru operates under the supervision of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), which is a critical component of the United States Special Operations Command.
The key roles of JSOC include training, enhancing interoperability, formulating operational plans, and supervising their execution in coordination with the special forces of all four branches of the armed services: Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. The headquarters of DevGru is stationed at the Dam Neck Annex of Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia.
Interestingly, the SEAL Team was organized in 1981 under the supervision of US Navy Commander Richard Mercinko following the failed mission of the Special Forces to rescue the American hostages in the American Embassy in Tehran in 1980. It was codenamed Operation Eagle Claw. The scrutiny into the causes of the failure of Operation Eagle Claw called for a quick response team that possessed the capability and capacity to undertake such high-risk operations effectively.
Resultantly, it led to the formation of an elite club of special forces operators within the Navy SEALs organization who were famous for their flawless execution of combat tactics far behind enemy lines. Moreover, it collaborates and coordinates with other critical US government departments dealing with national security threats, including the CIA and Joint Staff HQ.
Reportedly, SEAL Team 6 consists of six squadrons. Among them, four are assault squadrons, namely the Red, Blue, Gold, and Silver Squadron. The Grey Squadron is exclusively trained to operate the customized vehicles used by Team 6, which include high-speed assault crafts and armored vehicles. Lastly, the Black Squadron pioneers in prior operation intelligence gathering, dealing with the ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) capabilities, and undertakes espionage.
The operators of Team 6 are handpicked from other SEAL teams. They have to go through a rigorous selection process and even after serving as SEAL operators for 5 years, it’s mandatory for them to complete the exclusively designed advanced commando course. The prominent features of the course consist of Kill House training, an advanced assault course, cold weather exercises, urban warfare, freefall parachuting, diving, and skydiving that encompasses both the HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) and HAHO (High Altitude High Opening) jumps. It is estimated that Team 6 is comprised of 200 assault operators along with 300 specialists charged with producing and testing special equipment and weapons for the SEALs.
Known Operations of SEAL Team 6
Even though the activities of SEAL Team 6 remain shrouded in mystery, we will discuss some of its well-known missions. In October 1983, Team 6 took part in Operation Urgent Fury, a US-led invasion to quell the communist coup in Grenada. It was tasked to rescue and evacuate Governor Sir Paul Scoon from Grenada. The operation culminated in the achievement of the objectives of the mission. Resultantly, democracy was restored in the island nation, and the Soviets were denied bases in the Caribbean.
Secondly, in December 1989, the operators of Team 6 were tasked with assisting in the capture of the deposed dictator of Panama, General Manuel Noriega. It was codenamed Operation Just Cause. It ended with the surrender of President Noriega to the US Forces on Jan 3, 1990. In addition to it, Team 6 again scrambled to Panama to conduct the covert operation codenamed Pokeweed. It was aimed at apprehending the Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar. However, it resulted in failure due to poor pre-assault intelligence.
Furthermore, in the wake of the bloody military coup in Somalia, the United Nations launched UNOSOM II (United Nations Operations in Somalia Phase II) to provide humanitarian assistance and to restore law and order in the country. The rebel warlords initiated assaults on UN supply centers and peacekeepers to disrupt the flow of aid and incite rebellious campaigns. In pursuit of the leaders of rebel militias, notably Mohamed Farrah Aidid, the US forces launched Operation Gothic Serpent with the endorsement of the UN.
It led to the formation of the Task Force Ranger, encompassing offensive elements of US special forces (the Delta Force, SEALs, and the 10th Mount Division) and UN peacekeepers mostly belonging to the Pakistan Army, moving towards the center of Mogadishu. Additionally, the US Air Force and Army Aviation were a core part of the operation. Subsequently, a bloody engagement took place between the Rangers and the insurgents of the Somali National Alliance (SNA). The battle at Mogadishu ended with a stalemate and heavy casualties on both sides.
Lastly, the legendary assignment that thrust SEAL Team 6 into the focus of the global spotlight was the raid on the compound of Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The codename of the fabled operation was Neptune Spear. It was conducted in the early hours of May 2, 2011. A task force of 23 operators belonging to the Red Squadron was organized, trained, and dispatched to Jalalabad, Afghanistan, from the Naval Air Station in Oceana, Virginia.
The operation was the direct outcome of the continuous joint efforts of the CIA and JSOC. The SEALs were airlifted by two stealth UH-60 Black Hawks operated by the US Army’s 160 Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). One of the two helicopters soft-crashed while deploying the SEALs on the compound without any casualties. The SEALs barged in, and as a result of the ensuing shootout, the mastermind of 9/11 and commander of Al-Qaeda was killed along with his wife, son, and courier named Abu Ahmed al–Kuwaiti.
The primary weapon employed was the assault rifle called the Heckler & Koch 416 for such close-quarter combats (CQCs). The complete engagement took a total of 40 minutes. The crashed Black Hawk chopper was damaged critically to render it useless, and consequently, a CH-47 Chinook helicopter was sent as a replacement, which assisted in the evacuation of the SEALs. The SEALs suffered no casualties at all. The mission was a great victory. The SEAL Team 6 left an indelible mark on the legacy of American Special Forces and continues to be celebrated as the world’s top-notch elite operators.
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Qazi Nashat Akram is an undergraduate student at NDU. His sphere of interest includes defense, security, military affairs, and intelligence.