United States Navy SEALs

United States Navy SEALs
Special Warfare insignia known as the "SEAL Trident"
Active	1 January 1962 – present (62 years, 4 months)
Country	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Type	Special operations force
Role	Special operations Direct action Counter-terrorism Special reconnaissance Amphibious reconnaissance Unconventional warfare Hostage rescue Foreign internal defense Counter-proliferation Counter narcotic operations Underwater demolition
Part of	U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command Joint Special Operations Command  • SEAL Team Six
Garrison/HQ	Naval Amphibious Base Coronado Joint Expeditionary Base–Little Creek
Nickname(s)	"Frogmen", "The Teams", "Team Guys", "The Men with Green Faces"[1]
Motto(s)	"The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday"[2] "It Pays To Be A Winner". "Never Out Of The Fight".
Engagements	Vietnam War Multinational Force in Lebanon Operation Urgent Fury Achille Lauro hijacking Operation Earnest Will Operation Prime Chance Operation Just Cause Operation Nifty Package Operation Desert Storm Somali Civil War Operation Restore Hope Operation Gothic Serpent Battle of Mogadishu Operation Uphold Democracy Yugoslav Wars 1999 East Timorese crisis[3] Operation Enduring Freedom War in Afghanistan Operation Red Wings Operation Iraqi Freedom Battle of Ramadi War in North-West Pakistan Angur Ada raid Operation Neptune Spear Maersk Alabama hijacking War on ISIL Operation Inherent Resolve 2014 hostage rescue operations in Yemen 2017 Marawi Crisis Red Sea crisis Operation Prosperity Guardian [4][5][6]

The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting small-unit special operation missions in maritime, jungle, urban, arctic, mountainous, and desert environments. SEALs are typically ordered to capture or kill high-level targets, or to gather intelligence behind enemy lines.^[7] SEAL team personnel are hand-selected, highly trained, and possess a high degree of proficiency in direct action (DA), and special reconnaissance (SR), among other tasks like sabotage, demolition, intelligence gathering, and hydro-graphic reconnaissance, training, and advising friendly militaries or other forces.^[8]

Depending on the availability of platforms, threat level, and environment, different methods can be used for the insertion and extraction of SEALs into a target location. This could include nuclear-powered cruise missile submarines equipped with dry deck shelters, SDV submarines, surface vessels, surface swimming, or other vehicles.

All active SEALs are members of the U.S. Navy.^[12] The CIA's highly secretive and elite Special Operations Group (SOG) recruits operators from SEAL Teams,^[13] with joint operations going back to the MACV-SOG during the Vietnam War.^[14] This cooperation still exists today, as evidenced by military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.^[15][16]