50 Years of the U.S. Navy Seals Naval Special Warfare Command Public Affairs Office


By Senior Chief Michael A. Raney


This year marks 50 years of Navy SEALs, many of whom were first trained in Coronado. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy, who realized the value of unconventional warfare, passed a directive that transformed the underwater demolition teams (UDTs) of the past into the first Navy SEAL Teams. Though originally developed for naval counter-guerilla warfare, the Teams’ directive quickly grew to include “a specialized capability for sabotage, demolition, and other clandestine activities conducted in and from restricted waters, rivers, and canals, specifically to be able to destroy enemy shipping, harbor facilities, bridges, railway lines, and other installations in maritime areas and riverine environments.”


The Past


Naval Special Warfare can trace its roots back to the days when America had officially entered World War II, and aimed to liberate its Allied nations-beginning with the coasts. The invasion plans called for a new breed of warrior-men who could penetrate and reconnoiter enemy beaches undetected.


BUDS students doing rock portage in 1969, near Hotel del Coronado. In 1942, the Navy


created Underwater Demolition Teams, and the frogman was born. Frequently armed with little more than a knife and explosive charges, these combat swimmers swam ashore under the cover of darkness, collecting intelligence and removing enemy defenses to clear water lanes for Allied landing craft. The careful work of Navy frogmen, who suffered tremendous casualties and demonstrated remarkable heroism, preceded the successful Allied landing at Normandy, France in 1944.


After the establishment of the SEAL Teams in 1962, their mission continued to grow and change over the decades. Vietnam, Panama, and other battlegrounds around the world refined the shape and tactics of the force.


The Present


“Throughout the past 50 years, SEALs have grown and evolved to meet the needs of our Nation…”


In early 2000, NSW initiated a program that would create a “leaner, more capable, tailorable and focused war-fighting force.” The program, referred to as NSW-21, set forth objectives to restructure Naval Special Warfare. SEAL Teams would deploy with all supporting personnel as integrated NSW Squadrons; the addition of SEAL Teams 7 and 10 would help fill the ever-increasing need for more special warfare operators; and the training cycle realigned into a more predictable, well-organized pattern similar to the Navy’s Inter-Deployment Training Cycle.


Rear Admiral Sean A. Pybus COMNAVSPECWARCOM


These major changes were set in motion to meet the emerging threat of combating terrorist cells on a global stage, and today’s force has been postured to meet it. In the past three years, the force has grown to include two additional reserve SEAL teams; and the establishment of Group 10, a group dedicated to support, underscores the importance and evolving capabilities of today’s force.


www.coronadohistory.org


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