SPECIAL WARFARE OPERATOR (SO/SEAL)

By the time you find out a SEAL team has hit you, they’re already gone. It takes a special kind of person to qualify for this role, and if you do, you’d better be ready to prove it with your smarts, strength and willingness to march head-on into impossible situations. Because your team is the one they’re going to call in for last-ditch reconnaissance missions and operations that “never happened.” One day you’ll be swimming out of a torpedo tube, and the next day you could be dropping into enemy territory out of a helicopter. It takes intense courage to be a Navy SEAL, and that’s what makes them the best of the best. If you have what it takes, then the Navy has a place for you among the ranks of the elite.

FIND A RECRUITER

  • Established by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, the Navy SEALs are a nimble, elite maritime military force suited for all aspects of unconventional warfare. In this role, you will provide immediate military relief in crises around the world. Your duties as a SEAL may include, but are not limited to:

    • Conducting insertions and extractions by sea, air or land to accomplish covert, Special Warfare/Special Operations missions

    • Capturing high-value enemy personnel and terrorists around the world.

    • Collecting information and intelligence through special reconnaissance missions

    • Carrying out small-unit, direct-action missions against military targets

    • Performing underwater reconnaissance and the demolition of natural or man-made obstacles prior to amphibious landings

  • SEALs operate not only as highly capable individuals, but also as members of tightly knit teams. Together, they train and work in all manner of environments, including desert and urban areas, mountains and woodlands, and jungle and arctic conditions. Typical missions may involve insertion into a combat objective by any number of means: parachute, submarine, helicopter, high-speed boat, foot patrol or by a combat swimmer insertion.

  • After initial Recruit Training Command (also known as Boot Camp), this intensive training is designed to push you to your physical and mental limits. If you’re up to the task, you’ll emerge in incredible physical shape and possess the necessary confidence, determination and teamwork to succeed in any combat environment.

    SEAL training has been described as brutal, preparing you for the extreme physical and mental challenges of SEAL missions. Training consists of:

    • 62 sessions of initial training that includes Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL BUD/S School, Parachute Jump School and SEAL Qualification Training (SQT)

    • 6 months of pre-deployment training and intensive specialized training

    Promotion opportunities are regularly available but competitive and based on performance.

    For those with further leadership aspirations and a college degree, Navy SEAL Officer roles are available, providing the opportunity to lead and train others.