Over time, NSW has evolved personnel assessment and selection processes beyond the requisite physical prowess dimension to place a premium on character, values-based critical thinking, and fast-twitch adaptability to a wide range of operating environments and situations. These traits are necessary for small groups operating in sensitive environments, interacting directly with coalition and regional military partners as well as representatives from many departments and agencies of the U.S. and foreign governments. Additionally, NSW has taken on cutting-edge methodologies to implement a Continuum of Leadership Development, and is advancing training and teaching practices to find the highest degree of effectiveness in learning and retention of a broad range of required skills.
Naval Special Warfare personnel train to operate in highly dynamic, complex, and often ambiguous environments. NSW training is continuously evolving and always advancing to ensure mission success. Naval Special Warfare photo
As part of our Human Capital Enterprise, we carefully manage professional education, career progression, and assignment. Thirty percent of NSW enlisted operators (SEALs and Special Warfare Combatant Craft Crewmen, or SWCCs) are coming into the force with four-year degrees. This demographic shift offers NSW a tremendous opportunity to build the most capable warriors with cultural and language expertise as well as the intellectual savvy to effectively shape operating environments to reinforce security and stability. At the same time, the force trains for the worst case, and retains the lethality necessary for transition to crisis response, contingency response, and theater combat operations.
On any given day, NSW is deployed to more than 35 countries around the world in a wide variety of operational environments and situations.
Hand in hand with NSW’s emphasis on People is the recognition that in SOF business, the quantum leaps in advancing tactics, techniques, procedures, and hardware that ensure mission success in complex and dynamic operating environments spring from the innovation and empowerment of our relatively junior members doing the Mission. NSW’s training, trust, and empowerment of our tactical operators and enabling support personnel has proven to be well founded in consistently producing desired mission effects.
Total Commitment to Mission Effectiveness
On any given day, NSW is deployed to more than 35 countries around the world in a wide variety of operational environments and situations. Through persistent (vice episodic) engagement, forward deployed NSW builds trusted relationships and interoperability with partner nations. These efforts are closely coordinated with other government agencies, and are designed to support the Geographic Combatant Commander, Theater Special Operations Commander, and the Ambassador’s requirements and objectives, tailoring solutions to theater problem sets and accomplishing mutual regional security objectives.
U.S. Navy SEALs engage with local Afghanis while conducting a sensitive site exploitation mission in the Jaji Mountains of Eastern Afghanistan, Feb. 12, 2002. Establishing relationships, building trust, and helping to develop capabilities among U.S. partner nations is crucial to addressing security threats and working toward long-term stability. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Tim Turner
The NSW operational approach focuses on gaining access, placement, and influence in key operational environments in order to generate trust, confidence, and long-term working relationships. These partnerships, while broadly centered on building and enabling partner security capacity through a variety of programs and mechanisms regulated by the Department of Defense and the State Department, also integrate humanitarian efforts that win trust and confidence with the local civil populations that are exposed to the influences of violent extremism – a critical center of gravity. These partnership engagements are conditional and almost always operate in parallel with other governmental initiatives to advance democracy, free and fair elections, human rights, good governance, and education. This is a complex environment to operate in – more complex than the recognized SOF kinetic roles centered around Direct Action missions. Success in this environment hinges on our ability to engage with Ambassadors and their country teams, with host nation and regional military counterparts and with local civil populations. NSW needs and has the top quality people necessary to be effective in this endeavor.
Naval Special Warfare Groups are Echelon 3 major command organizations. NSW Groups man, train, equip, and certify for deployment all deployable NSW organizations, to include SEAL Teams, Special Boat Detachments, SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV – combatant submersible) Task Units, Cross Functional Teams, and other task organized elements. NSW Group Commanders and their staffs routinely interact with Theater Special Operations Commanders to define mission requirements and objectives, with the aim of providing more than just forces, but tailored solutions to theater problem sets. In addition to serving as the nucleus from which deployable battle staffs like Combined Joint Special Operations Task Forces or Naval Special Warfare Task Groups are formed, NSW Groups reinforce the theater-based Naval Special Warfare Units that serve as the Navy component to Theater Special Operations Commands, and serve as the NSW center of gravity for theater command, control, and coherent component planning and execution. This evolution of NSW staff and battle staff functions allows NSW to achieve the critical mass required to support the many planning and execution tasks to support Theater Special Operations Commands within current manning and resourcing constraints.