20 Oct Navy SEAL Feature: What’s a SEAL?
Special Operations Forces are characterized by small groups with unique abilities to conduct military actions that are more specialized than conventional military forces. The Navy’s Sea, Air and Land Forces (SEALs) are expertly trained in all environments to deliver highly specialized and challenging warfare capabilities beyond the means of standard military forces.
Established by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, the Navy SEALs are an elite maritime military force suited for unique warfare. Their responsibilities and missions often include sea, air and land insertions and extractions, capturing high-value enemy and terrorist targets, collecting information and intelligence, performing underwater reconnaissance and demolition of natural or man-made obstacles, and more.
The training for a Navy SEAL is often described as brutal. These conditions prepare trainees for the extreme mental and physical challenges of Navy SEAL missions. Typical missions may involve insertion by means of parachute, submarine, helicopter, high-speed boat, foot patrol or combat swimming. These extraordinary methods make it vital for the SEALs to undergo at least 12 months of initial training in parachute jumping and basic underwater demolition, and then an additional 18 months of pre-deployment and intensive specialized training.
The Navy SEALs are an elite group of special operators who undergo intensive training in order to meet the objectives of their specialized missions. Their role in the special forces is indispensable.