Posted on 02/24/2003 12:24:37 PM PST by Stand Watch Listen
A recent Pentagon decision may result in the Navy gaining two additional SEAL teams to fight the war on terrorism, Inside the Navy has learned. Naval Special Warfare Command has not yet decided when those teams could be operational or how they would be organized.Funding for the new billets is expected to be split between fiscal year 2006 and FY-08, according to a naval special warfare spokesman. He noted that although NSWC will receive enough billets to form two new SEAL teams, the command may decide against organizing the additional billets as two teams. NSWC is concerned with maintaining its high standards and ensuring the transition is not done too quickly, he said.
While the possibility of expanding the Navy SEALs has not been officially announced, Capt. Randy Goodman, commodore of Naval Special Warfare Group 4 based in Norfolk, VA, alluded to the change during a speech earlier this month at a National Defense Industrial Association conference.
"We want to grow two more SEAL teams to have a crisis response force that could again increase our ability to react [and] continue our role as global scouts," Goodman said Feb. 12 during a panel discussion on special operations. "A lot of people are working those issues very hard right now," he said.
This is the first time any official has publicly revealed plans to expand the SEAL program, according the spokesman.
Goodman also indicated the SEALs are working toward having a greater overall military presence. "We do need more SEAL representation on a variety of staffs, but it just takes time," he said. "We have made some good improvements in the past 15 years, and we are still working toward more."
In response to inquiries from ITN, NSWC released an official statement explaining the plans for expansion. The statement noted a recent program decision memorandum gave U.S. Special Operations Command new billets to respond to the war on terror. NSWC's share of those billets is equal to about two additional SEAL teams. "However, no final decision has been made on the organizational structure of those billets," according to the statement.
The statement also included the caveat, "Because quality of our forces is more important than quantity, we must ensure that when we grow our force, that it is done the right way so that we do not water down the talent level. Senior NSW leaders will consider what skills are needed and how to structure and employ these additional billets to provide the right mix of capabilities necessary to carry out special operations missions against terrorists and future threats."
While the war on terrorism most likely drove the decision, the Defense Department recognized even before the Sept. 11 attacks that special operations forces needed a more dedicated presence in the Central Command theater, according to the spokesman. NSWC presence in CENTCOM is currently limited to a permanent unit in Bahrain. Thus, growth within the ranks of Navy SEALs as well as Army and Air Force special operation teams "will provide more flexibility in providing a continuous overseas presence globally, including CENTCOM," the spokesman told ITN Feb. 21.
Traditionally, NSWC has been reluctant to enlarge the program, the spokesman said. "Two of our basic community tenets are that Special Operations Forces cannot be mass-produced and that quality is better than quantity," he said. "One of the reasons why our warriors are special is their relatively small size. Combine this with the fact that it takes two years of specialized training before a SEAL can even join a SEAL team, and the issue of growth is a serious concern."
He made an analogy to baseball -- just because there are more teams today than there were decades ago, it does not mean the overall quality of pitching has improved. Meaning, NSWC wants to be sure it does not dilute the quality of its current teams by letting more people into the program.
"As we grow our force, recruiting talented men to become SEALs will be a big part of the equation," he told ITN. "That means getting more qualified candidates through the front door of [Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training] and at the same time, ensuring that we retain our high standards so that we continue adding elite warfighters into our SEAL teams."
-- Malina Brown
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