United States Navy SEALs

United States Navy SEALs
The U.S. Navy's Special Warfare insignia, also known as a "SEAL Trident", worn by U.S. Navy SEALs.
Active	1 January 1962 – present (55 years, 2 months)
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Navy
Type	Special operations force
Role	Direct Action Strategic Special Operations Missions Counter-Terrorism Special Reconnaissance Underwater demolition Hostage Rescue Foreign Internal Defense Counter Drug Operations
Size	8,985 positions authorized
Part of	U.S. Special Operations Command U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command
Garrison/HQ	Naval Amphibious Base Coronado Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek
Nickname(s)	"Frogmen", "The Teams", "The Men with Green Faces"
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 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 Operation Enduring Freedom War in Afghanistan  • Operation Red Wings Operation Iraqi Freedom 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

The United States Navy's "Sea, Air, and Land" Teams, commonly abbreviated as the 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 military operations that originate from, and return to, a river, ocean, swamp, delta, or coastline. The SEALs are trained to operate in all environments (Sea, Air, and Land) for which they are named.

As of 2016, all active SEALs are currently male and members of the U.S. Navy. The CIA's highly secretive and elite Special Operations Group (SOG) recruits operators from SEAL Teams, with joint operations going back to the MACV-SOG during the Vietnam War. This cooperation still exists today, as evidenced by military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The modern day U.S. Navy SEALs can trace their roots to World War II. The United States Navy recognized the need for the covert reconnaissance of landing beaches and coastal defenses. 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, just nine months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, from the Observer Group, a joint U.S. Army-Marine-Navy unit.

Recognizing the need for a beach reconnaissance force, a select group of Army and Navy personnel assembled at Amphibious Training Base Little Creek, Virginia on August 15, 1942 to begin Amphibious Scouts and Raiders (joint) training. The Scouts and Raiders mission was to identify and reconnoiter the objective beach, maintain a position on the designated beach prior to a landing, and guide the assault waves to the landing beach.