The Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), abbreviated as DEVGRU ("Development Group") and unofficially known as SEAL Team Six, is the United States Navy component of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The unit is often referred to within JSOC as Task Force Blue. DEVGRU is administratively supported by the Naval Special Warfare Command and operationally commanded by JSOC.
How to Join Seal Team Six (DEVGRU) | Selection and Training
The Genesis of SEAL Team Six
Navy representatives for a Joint Chiefs of Staff task force known as the TAT (Terrorist Action Team) were tasked to develop a plan to free the American hostages held in Iran. Marcinko was the first commanding officer of this new unit.
At the time, there were two SEAL Teams, SEAL Team ONE and SEAL Team TWO. Marcinko named the unit SEAL Team Six in order to confuse Soviet intelligence as to the number of actual SEAL teams in existence. The unit's plankowners (founding members) were interviewed and hand-picked by Marcinko from throughout the UDT/SEAL community.
SEAL Team Six started with 75 shooters. Marcinko held the command of SEAL Team Six for three years, from 1980 to July 1983, instead of the typical two-year command in the Navy at the time.
Evolution and Restructuring
In 1987, SEAL Team Six was dissolved. DEVGRU was established in 1987 as the successor to SEAL Team 6 (although it is still colloquially known by this name).
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Selection and Training
In the early stages of creating SEAL Team Six, Marcinko was given a six-month window to produce the team. Had he failed to do so, the project would have been canceled. Marcinko had little time to create a proper selection course on par with Delta Force's process. To get around this, recruits were selected after assessing their Navy records, followed by individual interviews.
According to Marcinko's book Rogue Warrior, SEAL Team Six members were chosen if they had initial struggles qualifying in aspects of training, but subsequently qualified, as the determination of these candidates was seen as more valuable than a candidate that breezed through his training.
Although much of the training and recruitment is classified, there are some requirements and training exercises that are now public knowledge. The requirements to apply for DEVGRU states that applicants must be male, be 21 years old or older, have served at least 2 deployments on their previous assignments, and be eligible for Secret clearance.
Candidates come from the East/West Coast SEAL teams, SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) teams, the Special Boat teams (for Gray Squadron), the Navy explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams, and Navy SARCs. Enlisted candidates must be in the pay grades of E-4 through E-8 and Officer candidates need to be O-3 through O-4 to apply.
Candidates must undergo physical screening, psychological testing and are then interviewed to deem whether they are suitable for assignment to NSWDG. Those who pass the stringent recruitment process will attend an eight-month selection and training course with the unit's training department known as "Green Team". The training course attrition rate is high, usually around 50%; during one selection course, out of the original 20 candidates, 12 completed the course.
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All candidates are watched closely by DEVGRU instructors and evaluated on whether they are suitable to join the individual squadrons. It is presumed that the unit's assessment process for potential new recruits is different from what a SEAL operator experienced in his previous career, and much of the training tests the candidate's mental capacity rather than his physical condition.
Candidates are put through a variety of advanced training courses led by civilian or military instructors. These can include free climbing, land warfare, advanced unarmed combat techniques, defensive and offensive advanced driving, advanced diving, communications and Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training. Candidates are also taught how to pick locks on cars, doors, and safes.
All candidates must perform at the top level during selection, and the unit instructors evaluate the candidate during the training process. Selected candidates are assigned to one of the Tactical Development and Evaluation Squadrons.
Organization and Structure
Each assault squadron, usually led by a commander (O-5), is divided into three troops. Each of these troops is commanded by a senior commissioned officer, which is usually a lieutenant commander (O-4) or sometimes a lieutenant (O-3). A troop chief also serves as an adviser to the troop commander and is the highest enlisted SEAL in the troop, usually a master chief petty officer (E-9). Each troop has around 16 members which are further divided into smaller teams of enlisted SEALs, called assaulters. These individual teams of assaulters are led by senior enlisted SEALs; usually a senior chief petty officer (E-8), sometimes a chief petty officer (E-7). Each assault squadron also has a specific nickname.
Operational Mandate and Evolution
When SEAL Team Six was first created in 1980, it was devoted exclusively to counter-terrorism with a worldwide maritime responsibility; its objectives typically included targets such as ships, oil rigs, naval bases, coastal embassies, and other civilian or military bases that were accessible from the sea or inland waterways. military facilities and embassies to give advice on improvements in order to prevent casualties in an event of a terrorist attack.
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Since the start of war on terror, DEVGRU has evolved into a multi-functional special operations unit with a worldwide operational mandate.
Controversies
Following a two-year investigation by The Intercept, a report was released in 2017, accusing SEAL Team Six and its commanding officers of abuses, crimes and coverups. The investigation included interviews with numerous members and officers of the unit, who recounted the group's involvement in abuses, including what some members described as war crimes.
According to the report, the mission unraveled after the SEAL team, deployed from a nuclear submarine via mini-subs, encountered a small North Korean boat near their landing site. Fearing they had been compromised, the SEALs opened fire, killing the entire crew. Subsequent evidence suggested the boat's crew, numbering two or three individuals, were unarmed civilians diving for shellfish.
Commanding Officers
- Robert A.
- Thomas E.
- Ronald E.
- Thomas G.
- Eric T.
- Albert M.
- Joseph D.
- Edward G.
- Brian L.
- Scott P.
- Perry F.
- Hugh W.
- Frank M.
- Jeromy B.
- Matthew J.
- Thomas A.
- Liam M.
Weaponry
- Remington Model 700 "Mk 13 Mod.
- McMillan TAC-50 "Mk 15 Mod.
- Heckler & Koch HK45 "Mk 24 Mod.
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