How to Get to SEAL Team SIX - Former Navy SEAL Stew Smith CSCS

Preparing Americans to Serve in the Military, Special Ops, Police, & Fire Fighting

How to Get to SEAL Team SIX?

If you want to be a SEAL at the now famous SEAL Team SIX....First of all - if you are not in the Navy SEAL Teams - do not even worry about this yet. You have join the Navy, go to BUD/S, graduated BUD/S and have served for 5 years with stellar service record in the SEAL Teams. So until you have that...keep the dream alive but focus on the acing the basics first. You will find out more about the way this counter terrorism units recruits from the military ONCE you are in the military.

SEAL Team Six is the original name of the Navy’s Counter Terrorism Unit, though now its official name is Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU). DEVGRU is a group level command within the Naval Special Warfare Command, but it is operationally controlled by the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). DEVGRU was formed largely due to the growing threat of terrorism around the world and the failed rescue attempt of the American hostages in Iran in 1980. SEAL Team SIX is the tier one counter terrorism maritime component of JSOC. From the JSOC website, JSOC is a sub-unified command of the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). It is charged to study special operations requirements and techniques, ensure interoperability and equipment standardization, plan and conduct special operations exercises and training, and develop joint special operations tactics.

History:
Recent successes and devastating helicopter crashes have brought light to the formerly secretive unit. In fact, the terms “SEAL Team SIX” and “DEVGRU” were not uttered in the same sentence until recent events placed this highly professional, super secret, counter terrorism unit in the media. Here is a list of some of the declassified missions that DEVGRU have been a part of over the past 30 plus years:

Operation Urgent Fury – Grenada invasion to over throw an illegitimate post - coup leader and regime.

Operation Just Cause – Panama invasion to capture Noriega and protect some 35,000 Americans living in Panama.

Gulf War – Iraq invades Kuwait and the US led alliance defeats Saddam Hussein and his Army and push them back into Iraq.

Operation Gothic Serpent in the Battle for Mogadishu in the hunt for General Aidid

Operation Enduring Freedom - Within a month of September 11^th attacks, members of the Navy SEAL DEVGRU were on the ground in Afghanistan dismantling the Taliban and al-Qaeda leadership.

Operation Iraqi Freedom – DEVGRU were in pursuit of high value targets to include Saddam Hussein and other members of the Ba’ath Party

Maersk Alabama hijacking – DEVGRU snipers kills three pirates/kidnappers of Maersk Alabama Captain

Operation Neptune Spear – Killing of Osama bin Laden

How to Get to SEAL Team Six:

All operator applicants volunteer and are pulled from the other Navy SEAL Teams. The applicants are Navy SEAL operators with at least five years of experience in the Teams. You must be interviewed by a panel of DEVGRU operators and trainers in order to get invited to the selection team -also known as Green Team. This selection process takes 6-8 months of training and constant evaluation by the instructors. Usually less than 50% make the cut and allowed to join the operational squadrons within DEVGRU. Those who do not make it go back to the SEAL Teams.

There are some books about SEAL Team Six

Check 
out the Military.com Spec Ops Pages

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. If you are interested in starting a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle - check out the StewSmith.com Fitness eBook store and the Stew Smith article archive at StewSmith.com. To contact Stew with your comments and questions, e-mail him at stew@stewsmith.com.

Back to StewSmith.com