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“For those readers looking to become SEALs I suggest you read this book cover to cover and then read it again… For those readers just wanting to gain knowledge and an understanding about the SEALs and the SEAL community there is no other book you need read...” MARCUS LUTTRELL, US NAVY SEAL – AUTHOR OF LONE SURVIVOR SEALsTHE US NAVY’S ELITE FIGHTING FORCE MIR BAHMANYAR with CHRIS OSMAN © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com SEALs THE US NAVY’S ELITE FIGHTING FORCE OSPREY PUBLISHING © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com CONTENTS Authors’ Prefaces 6 Forewords 11 Part I COMMAND STRUCTURE AND TRAINING 15 The US SEALs and Naval Special Warfare Command 16 Training 30 Part II SMALL WARS 1989–2003 69 The Invasion of Panama 1989 70 Counter-Drug Operations in Bolivia 1991 88 Yugoslavia 1999 and Bosnia 2003 92 Part III GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM: AFGHANISTAN 2001–07 97 Afghanistan 98 Camp Rhino 110 Task Force K-Bar Missions 120 Operation Redwing 141 Part IV GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM: IRAQ 2003–07 147 Viet-raq 148 Baghdad 158 Fallujah 169 Mosul and Tall Afar 184 Ramadi 198 Appendices 212 Endnotes 247 Index 252 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com AUTHORS’ PREFACES MIR BAHMANYAR Former US Marine and US Navy SEAL Chris Osman rang me in my Los Angeles home one afternoon, not to catch up as he does on occasion, but to see if I would be interested in writing a book on Navy SEALs. SEAL is an acronym for SEa, Air, and Land and refers to the methods of insertion and ability to perform missions in these environments. I had previously written a rather dry monograph on SEALs and had vowed never to write about them again. They had struck me as pompous and over- rated, with an exceedingly active and well-oiled public relations spin machine. That, coupled with the fact that I had served in the US Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, which had recently taken a few casualties in Afghanistan when Rangers acted as a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) for a Navy SEAL mission gone horribly wrong, made me less than enthusiastic about the prospect. Nonetheless, Chris’ enthusiasm and candor were refreshing and he persuaded me to take on the project. This book focuses solely on the US Navy SEALs. It does not cover anyone else associated with Naval Special Warfare. Chris had the task of organizing interviews with the mostly reclusive SEALs and this took many, many months. Operational tempo for active-duty SEALs is at best demanding and at worst straining. Many spoke openly about their experiences without compromising comrades, operations, tactics or procedures. The SEALs were forthcoming with their time, when they had any, and their audio/visual collections. Sometimes, though, a “… can’t put that in the book” followed a remarkable story. Whenever possible real names are used. The accuracy of the book rests with the SEALs as very few official reports or news stories are available to the public. In that sense this cannot be an historical book. The story begins in 1987 with the creation of the Naval Special Warfare Command and ends with actions in Iraq around 2007. We could not research every detail or cover every operation. These first-hand accounts are, of course, individual perspectives, based on personal 6 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com AUTHORS’ PREFACES recollections, beliefs, and desires to express certain issues. No audio recordings of the interviews were made except for one, and follow-up telephone conversations took place over many more months. It is nearly impossible to do justice to history, as almost all SEAL operations are classified and will remain so for decades to come. We did not interview anyone who had any active participation in Somalia, the Philippine Islands, or Peru, to name but a few places. Furthermore we do not cover in detail some of the well- known incidents involving SEALs. The majority of coverage of US Navy SEALs comes in the aftermath of a SEAL mission gone wrong, always resulting in the deaths of American servicemen. The most widely reported of these were the fights around Neil Roberts, who fell out of a helicopter after a Taleban rocket-propelled grenade hit in 2003, and the destruction of a small SEAL reconnaissance team and the follow-on QRF in Afghanistan in 2005. Both of these “failures” resulted in enormous coverage. Neil Roberts’ tragic death was covered in many newspapers and several books, one of which painted an unflattering portrait of the SEALs during Operation Anaconda. The only survivor of the SEAL reconnaissance team, Marcus Luttrell, wrote an account of his experiences titled Lone Survivor. Subsequently, the book was purchased by a Hollywood studio and is scheduled to be a major motion picture. These exceptions should never be used to detract from the fact that the overwhelming number of special operations missions go unreported and most operations are highly successful: missions such as hostage rescues, target interdiction or planting tracking devices on foreign vessels in foreign harbors, to name but a few. Although the Navy SEALs’ reputation in some military circles varies, the SEALs are a professional and competent force who undergo a great deal of technical training and usually spend a year in pre-deployment before executing a six-month combat tour. In recent years they have on occasion been deployed without the necessary equipment, which they have had to obtain from other special operations forces. The SEALs discussed their opinions on the Global War on Terrorism, and the role they have played in it. Finally, many Navy SEALs were concerned that the public remember that these wars are difficult for the spouses and families of servicemen, particularly those in the special operations forces. The long deployments for training and combat tours, coupled with the news reporting the death of an un-named special operations soldier, send shivers down the spines of wives and girlfriends alike. The majority of the book attempts to represent the Navy SEALs as they really are, with language kept intact as far as possible and with very little analysis of or alterations to the tone and intent of the person interviewed. 7 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com SEALs − THE US NAVY’S ELITE FIGHTING FORCE I break away from Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz’s (1780– 1831) astute statement “that war is nothing but the continuation of policy with other means” and thus do not cover the political nature of and reasons for entering wars.1 I shall also not comment on the scourge that is the private contracting business and the politicians responsible for thinning our ranks in the special operations community. This book is simply a mirror reflecting the values and actions of some of the most highly trained men in the world. I should thank SOvV and Chickenfarmer and the following SEALs for their time and efforts: Chris Dye, Tony Duchi, Marcus Luttrell, and many other nameless sailors. Thanks to Michelle Ricci, who is from Canada, for her selfless work on this project and for suffering through being exposed to violence, American style. My editors, Anita Baker and Ruth Sheppard, were extremely supportive. It is because of them that the book was ultimately approved, and their hard work helped to make this a much better text. Lastly, and most importantly, I dedicate this book to Peanut 41, my beloved pitbull, who suffered a most cruel and untimely death, and to my friend and mentor Franklin Delano Nastasi who passed away on December 18, 2007. Both are sorely missed. Frank was the greatest admirer and supporter of the founding father of modern American and British special operations – Robert Rogers of the Rangers (1731–95). Some believe Frank to have been Rogers reincarnated. Mir Bahmanyar, Los Angeles, CA, 2008 8 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com CHRIS OSMAN The idea for this book came from my desire to provide a new look at Naval Special Warfare and more specifically the men who operate in and fill the ranks of the SEAL platoons and task units. Without them there is no mission. It is these men, not the medals on their chests, which make the teams what they are. Mir and I have spent many months and hundreds of hours putting this book together, and dozens of operators from both the East and West Coast teams were interviewed. Some of them are longtime friends whom I have known or operated with for more than ten years. Others are operators whom I had not met before. All of them were more than willing to help me out with this project. I cannot thank them enough. When I asked for their help, the answer was always “Sure, anything for a fellow Frogman,” or “Sure dude, whatever I can do for you,” or “Of course! You’re a team guy.” The brotherhood of the teams is a living, breathing thing that cannot be explained to those who have not been a part of it. There is one common goal that ties all SEALs together. That goal is to be the best. SEALs want to be the best at everything they do, all of the time. It is what separates us from all others and it is the reason all of us went to BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL). BUD/S is known for being the hardest military training and selection process of any armed force anywhere in the world. All SEALs regard the accomplishment of graduating BUD/S as one of the highest honors a man can achieve in his lifetime. BUD/S is a selection process to see who has what it takes to move on and actually begin advanced training and move into a SEAL platoon.

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