Naval Special Warfare Command (NSW))
SEALs and divers swim back to the guided-missile submarine USS Michigan (SSGN 727) during an exercise for certification on SEAL delivery vehicle operations in the southern Pacific Ocean. The exercises educate operators and divers on the techniques and procedures related to the delivery vehicle and its operations. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kristopher Kirsop.
Mission “Man, Train, Equip, Deploy and Sustain Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Forces for operations and activities abroad in support of Combatant Commanders and US National Interests.” Established 16 April 1987, Naval Special Warfare Command is the Navy’s special operations force and the maritime component of United States Special Operations Command. The NSW community is organized around eight SEAL teams, one SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) team, three special boat teams and supporting commands which deploy forces worldwide. The community is comprised of approximately 9,200 total personnel including more than 2,700 active-duty Special Warfare Operators, 700 Special Warfare Boat Operators (SWCC), 700 reserve personnel, 4,000 support personnel and more than 1,100 civilians. NSW is postured to fight a globallydispersed enemy, whether ashore or afloat, before they can act. NSW forces can operate in small groups and have a continuous presence overseas with their ability to quickly deploy from
Navy ships, submarines and aircraft, overseas bases and forward-based units. The proven ability of NSW forces to operate across the spectrum of conflict and in operations other than war, and provide real-time, firsthand intelligence offer decision makers immediate and multiple options in the face of rapidly changing crises around the world. Commander’s Priorities • Winning the Current Fight/ Posture for the Future Fight • Maritime Mobility and Access • Building Resiliency in the Force and Families • Build Full Spectrum Enabling Capability to Create Access and Develop Partner Capability History Today’s Naval Special Warfare operators can trace their origins to the Scouts and Raiders, Naval Combat Demolition Units, Office of Strategic Services Operational Swimmers, Underwater Demolition Teams, and Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons of World War II. While none of those early organizations have survived to present, their pioneering
efforts in unconventional warfare are mirrored in the missions and professionalism of the present Naval Special Warfare warriors. To meet the need for a beach reconnaissance force, selected Army and Navy personnel assembled at Amphibious Training Base, Little Creek, on 15 August 1942 to begin Amphibious Scouts and Raiders (Joint) training. The Scouts and Raiders mission was to identify and reconnoiter the objective beach, maintain a position on the designated beach prior to a landing and guide the assault waves to the landing beach. The first group included Phil H. Bucklew, the “Father of Naval Special Warfare,” after whom the Naval Special Warfare Center building is named. Commissioned in October 1942, this group saw combat in November 1942 during OPERATION TORCH, the first allied landings in Europe, on the North African coast. Scouts and Raiders also supported landings in Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Normandy, and southern France. A second group of Scouts and Raiders, code-named Special Service Unit #1, g 41
