U.S. Navy SEALs | |
---|---|
Active | 25 May 1961;– present |
Country | United States of America |
Branch | United States Navy |
Type | Special Operations Forces SEa, Air, Land |
Role | Primary tasks:
Other roles:
|
Size | ~2,500[1] |
Part of | United States Naval Special Warfare Command United States Special Operations Command |
Garrison/HQ | Coronado, California Little Creek, Virginia |
Nickname(s) | The Teams, The Green Faces[2] |
Motto(s) | "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday" "It Pays to be a Winner" |
Engagements | Vietnam War Multinational Force in Lebanon Operation Urgent Fury Achille Lauro hijacking Operation Just Cause Operation Desert Storm Operation Restore Hope Battle of Mogadishu[3] Operation United Shield Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Red Wings Operation Iraqi Freedom Maersk Alabama hijacking Death of Osama bin Laden |
The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's special forces.[4] Their acronym is derived from their ability to operate at sea, in the air, and on land. In the War on Terrorism, SEALs have been utilized almost exclusively for land-based missions. All SEALs are male members of the United States Navy.[5][6][7] The CIA, more specifically its Special Activities Division, often recruits operators from the SEAL Teams.[8] Joint Navy SEALs and CIA operations go back to the famed MACV-SOG during the Vietnam War.[9] Joint operations have continued, as seen in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,[10][11] and in the finding and killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan on may 1st through 2nd 2011.
The Navy SEALs were formed in the second world war. The United States Navy found the need for covert, elite operations. As a result, the Amphibious Scout and Raider School was established in 1942 at Fort Pierce, Florida. The Scouts and Raiders were formed in September of that year, nine months after the attack on Pearl Harbor.