The SEAL platoon is the largest operational element that will normally be employed to conduct a tactical mission. Multi-platoon operations should not be planned or conducted without extensive preparations and rehearsals. A SEAL platoon is normally commanded by a Navy Lieutenant (O- 3). A platoon consists of 16 SEALs and may divide into 2 squads or 4 elements. All SEAL platoon personnel are dive, parachute, and demolitions
qualified.

SEAL Platoon Mission

SEAL platoons are organized and trained to conduct Direct Action, Unconventional Warfare, Foreign Internal Defense, Special Reconnaissance, and Combating Terrorism
operations primarily in the maritime and riverine environments. These operations include sabotage, demolition, intelligence collection, hydrographic reconnaissance, and training and
advising friendly military forces in the conduct of naval and joint special operations.

SEAL Platoon Capabilities

SEAL platoons can destroy or sabotage enemy shipping, port and harbor facilities, bridges, railway lines, communications centers and other lines of communication
in and around maritime and riverine environments. They can infiltrate and exfiltrate selected personnel by submarine, surface vessel, aircraft or land vehicle. They can conduct reconnaissance and surveillance in multiple
environments. They can organize, train and assist US, allied and other friendly military or paramilitary forces in the conduct of special operations.

SEAL Platoon Limitations

SEAL platoons require specialized support for infiltration, exfiltration and resupply. SEALs are restricted in their ability to conduct sustained firepower, mobility, organic combat support and combat service support assets.
SEAL platoons are dependent on the theater Navy component or the JSOTF commander for logistic support. SEAL platoons are not equipped for sustained, direct engagements against enemy forces. SEAL platoons carry
minimum amounts of equipment, munitions, and light armament consisting primarily of individual weapons.

SEAL Platoon Security

Surprise and freedom of movement are essential to the success of special operations. These vital factors are based on accurate and timely intelligence. Because of the nature of SEAL operations, all aspects of operational security should be diligently observed throughout planning and conduct of operations. Information to friendly forces should be available only on a need-to-know basis. Negotiations with local political factions that are necessary for the performance of a SEAL operation should be carefully planned to preclude compromise.

		U.S. Navy Special Operations
		Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL SEAL Team Organization U.S. Navy SEALs         The United States Navy Sea, Air and Land (SEAL) forces are the most elite Special Operations Force of the U.S Navy. They have fought in every major US conflict since the Vietnam War, and today are employed in unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, counter-terrorism, and special reconnaissance operations. SEALs in from the water. Those qualifying to become Navy SEALS are authorized, after an eighteen month "trial" period with a SEAL unit, to wear and display the Special Warfare Badge, also known as the SEAL Trident. This badge (sometimes called "the Budweiser" for its resemblance to the Anheuser-Busch eagle logo) serves as the insignia for the SEALs as a whole and is the largest and most recognizable warfare insignia among U.S. Special Operations Forces. It is usually worn along with the U.S. Navy paratrooper wings, which are awarded after 10 jumps. During the Vietnam War, SEAL members wore "tiger stripe" camouflage uniforms, often with civilian blue jeans and "coral" sneakers, for patrol missions. On base, they wore standard uniforms with a black beret during the early years (when they patrolled alongside the Swift and STAB boat units of the "Brown Water Navy") and tiger-striped "boonie" hats in later years. Currently, they wear variations of the U.S. Marine Corps MARPAT camouflage. Concurrently, Naval Operations Support Groups were formed to aid UDTs, SEALs, and two other unique units — Boat Support and Beach Jumpers — in administration, planning, research, and development. During the Vietnam War, UDTs performed reconnaissance missions and SEALs carried out numerous offensive operations. Contents History Spring 1943: The first group of volunteers selected from the Naval Construction Battalions (Seabees). They were organized into special teams called "Navy Combat Demolition Units" (NCDUs). The units reconnoitered and cleared beach obstacles for troops going ashore during amphibious landings, and evolved into Combat Swimmer Reconnaissance Units, often known as frogmen. The NCDUs distinguished themselves during World War II in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. 1947: The Navy organized its first underwater offensive strike units. 1950 June - 1953 June: During the Korean Conflict, these Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs) took part in the landing at Inchon as well as other missions including demolition raids on bridges and tunnels accessible from the water. They also conducted limited minesweeping operations in harbors and rivers. 1960's: Each branch of the armed forces formed its own counterinsurgency force. The Navy used UDT personnel to form units called SEAL teams. 1962 January: SEAL Team ONE was commissioned in the Pacific Fleet and SEAL Team TWO in the Atlantic Fleet. These teams were developed to conduct unconventional warfare, counter-guerrilla warfare and clandestine operations in both blue water and brown water environments. 1967: The Naval Operations Support Groups were renamed "Naval Special Warfare Groups" (NSWGs) as involvement increased in special operations. 1983: Existing UDTs were renamed as "SEAL teams" or "SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams" and the requirement for hydrographic reconnaissance and underwater demolition became "SEAL missions". 1987 April 16: The Naval Special Warfare Command was commissioned at the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in San Diego, California. Its mission is to prepare Naval Special Warfare forces to carry out their assigned missions and to develop special operations strategy, doctrine, and tactics. Navy SEAL Teams and Structure A Navy SEAL Platoon consists of 16 men (2 officers, 14 enlisted men). This can be easily split into 2 squads or four 4-man fire teams for operational purposes. The size of each SEAL "Team" is larger, ranging between eight to ten Boat Teams per SEAL Team. As of this writing, there are nine confirmed Navy SEAL Teams. The original SEAL Teams in the Vietnam War were separated between West Coast (Team One) and East Coast (Team Two) SEALs. The "Official" current SEAL Team deployments are from Teams 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 10. The Teams now deploy as Naval Special Warfare Squadrons. Any Team can deploy anywhere in the world. Each of these 8 teams is commanded by a Navy Commander (O-5), and has a number of operational SEAL platoons and a headquarters element. Note that "Little Creek" is actually located in Virginia Beach and is not an independent city, but rather a

 

SEAL PLATOON

Platoon Training is where the rubber finally meets the road. Armed with a year of individual skill training, hardened by thousands of hours of physical training, diving, jumping, shooting and blowing things up, now the SEAL (if he passes the remaining tests and boards and earns the privilege to wear the SEAL Trident) gets to put his fledgling talent to work with seasoned veterans of Naval Special Warfare.

A SEAL Platoon consists of two officers, one chief and thirteen enlisted men. Responsibilities are divided into positions in a patrol (such as Point Man, Patrol Leader, Radio Man, 60 Gunner, Corpsman and Rear Security), department leadership (such as Diving Department Head, Air Department Head and Ordnance/Demo Department Head) and by rank. The senior officer is the Platoon Commander, the junior officer is his assistant, the senior enlisted is the Platoon Chief and the next senior enlisted is the Leading Petty Officer who is in charge of the day-to-day management of the enlisted platoon members. SEAL Platoons have a training cycle, which includes either a 12 or 18 month training work-up, then a 6 month deployment overseas in an operational ‘combat ready’ status at a Naval Special Warfare Unit or Detachment. These platoons are incredibly highly trained and can accomplish most any task thrown at them. The training that must be accomplished during the year-plus training cycle is based upon several factors:

1. 
   Advanced individual and platoon level skills necessary for the conduct of all Special Operations Missions. 
2. 
   The methods of delivery, insertion/extraction most likely to be utilized while on deployment.
3. 
   The geographic area of responsibility of the SEAL Team.

Wherever there are troops on the ground in the world, you can be pretty sure that the SEALs, along with their Green Beret counterparts, are either there now or were there first! 

The first three months of the training cycle, it is usually back to the basics. Hydrographic reconnaissance is covered once again combined with underwater demolition of submerged obstacles. Next, air training lasts two weeks and builds upon STT skills, including several -Duck- drops out of different aircraft, both day and night combat equipment parachute jumps, fast-roping, rappelling and SPIE rig, mission planning in a classroom environment followed by intelligence gathering and reporting.  

Next, is another Combat Swimmer course. It takes several years before a SEAL becomes an ‘expert’ combat diver (expert is a relative term here, because compared to 99 percent of all the divers in the world, a BUD/S student is an expert after Second Phase of BUD/S!). Combat swimmer training in the platoon is a very arduous and intense training block. The platoon will conduct over 30 dives during three weeks - including a Full Mission Profile, where SEALs are inserted by aircraft or surface vessel for a 30 mile ‘over the horizon’ transit in the CRRC, followed by a demanding turtleback (kicking on the surface toward the dive point in full dive gear), then a four hour, multi-leg dive into the enemy harbor to emplace limpet mines on the hulls of the target ships, then extracting after evading the anti swimmer measures put in place by the training cadre. Many SEALs say that the Combat Swimmer course is exhausting.

The typical training day begins at seven a.m., when you come into the team to set up your dive rigs and prepare you gear. The officers then brief the dive, and SEALs plan their dive profile for the day dive. The day dive takes place from about 10:00 a.m. until about 2:00 p.m., at which time you return to the team to post-dive the dive rig, then set it up again for the night dive. You re-prepare all of your gear, plan the night's dive, then cut out for a couple of hours rest and much needed food. You return to the team at 6:00 p.m., for another dive brief, make final preparations and depart for the night dive at 7:30 p.m. Insertion at 8:00 p.m. and dive until completion at about midnight. Then it is back to the team to post-dive the rigs and cleanup your gear. Finally, you de-brief the dive and go home for five hours of much needed sleep before doing it all over again the next day. Needless to say, divers don't have the energy to PT much during Combat Swimmer; however, some might say that swimming six to eight thousand yards underwater, often against the current, qualifies as exercise!

Land Warfare training occurs again out at Niland or Camp A.P. Hill (sometimes at a different location like Camp Roberts in CA., if the teams want a change of scenery). This starts with the basics, once again, in small unit tactics and builds to Full Mission Profiles conducted in a simulated combat environment. 

This training is as close to a 24-hour a day work schedule that you can get (besides being on a submarine). Training begins immediately after breakfast at 6:00 a.m., and it continues until about 12:00 or 1:00 a.m. the following morning. There are breaks for lunch and dinner – and, if it gets above 105 degrees during the day, the platoon will seek shelter in the classroom for some academic classes.

The platoon will shoot thousands and thousands of rounds during this training and will blow up more demolitions than you could imagine. Immediate Action Drills are again a favorite of the SEALs and are the most intense portion of the training. Navy SEAL tactics cannot be discussed in this publication, due to their sensitive nature and to protect the troops; suffice it to say that SEAL IADs are unique and have been said to mislead an enemy force into believing that they are up against a whole company (100 men) of Army GIs. There are some great books on the market by Vietnam era SEAL vets. Darryl Young's ‘The Element Of Surprise’ is excellent as is Dick Couch's SEAL Team ONE. See the Navy SEAL Books section of this publication for a quick look at the other good ‘been there, done that’ SEAL books. 

Land Warfare training ends with a week long Field Training Exercise where the platoon is put in semi-isolation in a simulated combat environment. Each squad will conduct several independent missions - usually a special reconnaissance, stand-off weapons direct action raid, body snatch, point ambush or combat search and rescue (CSAR-downed pilot rescue). The platoon combines to conduct a platoon-size direct action mission, which is supported by helicopter assets, Desert Patrol Vehicle (only if a Desert Platoon), and incorporates much of the training accomplished during the Land Warfare phase of training. This mission is very comprehensive and, if the platoon is detected by the training cadre, they are ‘contacted’ with enemy fire from which they must utilize the fire and maneuver Immediate Action Drills learned during training and evade the pursuing force.

Most SEALs say that this training is a great learning experience and superb conditioning for combat. It provides the platoon with the foundation from which to conduct the remaining year and one half (or so) of training. Some other training highlights are Jungle Warfare Training in Central America. In Navy SEAL lore, these jungles are said to be a living nightmare. The Army lost a man training there a couple of years ago - just flat out disappeared. Man-eating crocodiles and poisonous sea snakes are just two of your bedfellows as you patrol through the rivers and streams deep within the dense jungle foliage. The platoon learns the value of a pump action shotgun to clear foliage when contacted – especially if you can't see your target and he may be only a few feet from the platoon.

Jungle hammocks are mandatory - ask anyone who has attempted to sleep on the jungle floor - yikes! Patrolling one klick (one thousand yards) can take hours, as the point man cuts his way through the bamboo and vines - humidity of 100 percent will probably send a constant stream of sweat down your back. This training emulates, in many ways, the environment of the Vietnam era that SEALs endured and thrived in. Operators from SEAL Team FOUR have also found this very valuable in their efforts fighting alongside the DEA and foreign nationals in the war against drugs.

SEAL Teams TWO and FIVE are responsible for regions of the world that are often blanketed in snow – so their platoons conduct extreme cold weather training and winter warfare training.

Usually conducted in Alaska, Montana, Upstate New York and Norway, the training covers cross country skiing, snowshoeing, winter orienteering and mountain warfare tactics, building snow caves and fire and maneuver tactics on skis and snow shoes. Winter survival and escape and evasion are particularly arduous skills to master, and the winter warfare platoons become quite adept at this unique form of warfare. The remaining Teams that do not require a winter warfare background still attend cold weather training and cold weather maritime operations in Alaska. This Naval Special Warfare Detachment has a seasoned training cadre. The cadre's sole purpose is to train each platoon in the requirements of conducting commando missions in a mountainous environment, where the platoon needs to rope in and traverse steep cliffs and ravines in cold weather.

Also, supported by a Special Boat Unit Twelve detachment of two Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBS), the platoons conduct long range maritime operations (over 60 mile open ocean transits in a Combat Rubber Raiding Craft, or CRRC) and the very high threat ‘over the beach’ crossing in a cold weather environment, while utilizing dry suits to preserve warmth. SEAL Team TWO platoons often conduct joint training exercises with their Norwegian and German counterparts in the mountains of Europe. These men are quite adept at winter warfare, but the U.S. Navy SEALs hold their own and excel when put to the test - as usual. 

Submarine Lock Out/Lock In (LO/LI) and Dry Deck Shelter Mass Swimmer Lock Out/Lock In (DDS MSLO/LI) are another insertion skill practiced by the SEAL platoon during training work-up. Imagine being on a fast attack submarine at hover 100 feet below the surface of the ocean. You enter the escape trunk for a ‘Lock-Out’ cycle with a 35 HP motor and some other SEAL gear. It's cold, it's dark and the escape trunk hatch closes while you ‘flood the trunk’ with water. With just your nose above the surface, you then pressurize the trunk to depth until the outer door cracks open. You take a deep breath and submerge to push the door all the way open to reveal the dark and vast ocean depths. Returning to the trunk, you signal that you are ready to send the motor and gear to the surface on the tethered line set up by the two SEALs who went out before you. The gear goes up - then so do you - blow and go to the surface to prepare for a long, cold CRRC transit to your unknown fate on the enemy shore. That is a small taste of what working off a submarine is like - and SEALs do a ton of it. Sending a platoon of frogmen out of a large Dry Deck Shelter at the same time is a more time effective and endurance saving method than the escape trunk method - but both are taught because the DDS equipped subs may not be available when required.

Soon the SDV teams will take delivery of the first Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS). The ASDS is the first dry submersible owned by the SEAL community. It has a Submariner pilot and SEAL navigator, and it can carry a SEAL squad of eight men. The submarine will have a relatively long range and high speed (these figures are classified) and can hover above a mother submarine or the bottom and send the combat swimmers out of the pressure chamber. The chamber is pressurized with a well similar to the Seaquest DSV TV series so the SEALs just slide into the water and swim out the bottom. This is hot stuff. You can bet that other services and government agencies (read CIA) are salivating and can't wait for their first free bus ride. 

Close Quarter Battle - this skill is a favorite and one in which Team guys take great pride in. Taking down a house room by room, or an airplane or bus in a hostage rescue, securing a vessel space by space after boarding from the sea or air - these all require an incredible amount of training and experience. Explosive Methods of Entry is a specialized skill taught in Close Quarter Battle training and other advanced courses. The focus is on room entry techniques utilizing MP-5 submachine guns, side arms and the CAR-15; mostly at night with MP-5 flashlight attachments, flash bangs (to stun any occupants). Technically, the regular Teams do not advertise target recognition in a room entry situation - everyone is expected to be a bad guy.

CQB is a valuable skill when performing the fine art of Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS). An at-sea terrorist situation may call for the ship to be boarded, while underway, and taken control of through force. This is a very dangerous proposition - as learned by the SEAL Team FIVE platoon in the movie Under Siege. A typical VBSS mission includes a platoon of SEALs, a follow on force like a Marine Maritime Special Purpose Force (MSPF) to secure the ship after taking control, an insertion helo (either a H-53 or H-46). The insert bird is escorted by two UH-1s or MH-60s for spotter and sniper support. The Assault force is launched under cover of darkness from an amphibious vessel or Aircraft Carrier. At the target vessel, the SEALs can beon the deck in less than 15 seconds to set security. The sniper helos take up position and relay information to the assault team leader. The platoon begins movement through the vessel toward the bridge, utilizing Close Quarter Battle skills. Once on the bridge, they will secure and stop the vessel and call in the follow on force to secure the ship. By this time, the bad guys should have been rounded up and hog-tied for interrogation. Just another easy day in the life of a Navy SEAL! A related mission, called shipboarding, has the platoon board a vessel at berth.

Mission Specific Training - Naval Special Warfare forces have five primary missions. These include Unconventional Warfare (UW) - which is basically behind the lines guerrilla warfare during times of conflict; Foreign Internal Defense (FID) - which includes the training of foreign nationals and relationship building during peacetime; Direct Action (DA) which involves any mission that a SEAL element may undergo against an enemy target including the use or potential use of force - these missions can consist of ambushes, stand off weapons attacks, hostage rescue, target assaults on maritime and land based targets, amongst others; Counter Terrorist (CT) - which is just what it sounds like and is the primary mission of DEVGRU; and finally Special Reconnaissance (SR) - which entails hydrographic reconnaissance and SDV Beach Feasibility studies, point and area recons, Indications and Warning missions and any other overt, covert or clandestine mission where the primary purpose is to gather information. Most SEAL platoon work-up time is spent training to hone skills, which are utilized regardless of the mission category - such as shooting, demo and insertion/extraction methods (diving, parachuting, SDV, patrolling, Desert Patrol Vehicle, skiing etc). 

However, there are more specialized skills that must be learned in order to effectively conduct the broad range of missions that fall under the five categories mentioned above. Therefore, SEALs attend most of the entire advanced individual training courses offered by the Teams and other Special Operations communities. Some of these include: SERE school, Diving Supervisor, Parachute Rigger, Army Ranger school, Naval Gunfire Support, Sniper school, Breacher, Submarine trunk operator (OJT), Emergency Medical Technician, H & K repair, Free fall School and Free fall Jumpmaster, Static Line Jumpmaster, Target Analysis, Intelligence Photography, Stinger Weapon School, Cooper/Shaw shooting school, Hand to Hand Combat Fighting Course (formerly SCARS) 40 hour operator and 300 hour instructor courses, NSW Communications school and Applied Explosive Techniques, and more.