1.01.2012

Monday, January 1, 1962: Navy SEALs

The United States Navy's SEAL (Sea, Air and Land) teams are first commissioned. From "SEAL Teams in Naval Special Warfare" (Naval Warfare Information Publication 29-1, issued in December 1961):

THE SEAL MISSION PROFILE

(1) Primary: To develop a specialized capability to conduct operations for military, political, or economic purposes within an area occupied by the enemy for sabotage, demolition, and other clandestine activities conducted in and around restricted waters, rivers, and canals, and to conduct training of selected U.S., allied and indigenous personnel in a wide variety of skills for use in naval clandestine operations in hostile environments.
(2) Secondary: To develop doctrine and tactics for SEAL operations and to develop support equipment, including special craft for use in these operations.
(3) Tasks: Tasks may be overt or cover in nature.
(a) Destructive tasks: These tasks include clandestine attacks on enemy shipping, demolition raids in harbors and other enemy installations within reach; destruction of supply lines in maritime areas by destruction of bridges, railway lines, roads, canals, and so forth; the the delivery of special weapons (SADM) to exact locations in restricted waters, rivers or canals.
(b) Support tasks: The support tasks of SEAL Teams include protecting friendly supply lines, assisting or participating in the landing and support of guerrillas and partisan forces, and assisting or participating in the landing and recovery of agents, other special forces, downed aviators, escapees and so forth.
(c) Additional tasks:
1. Conduct reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence collection missions as directed.
2. In friendly areas, train U.S. and indigenous personnel in such operations as directed.
3. Develop equipment to support special operations.
4. Develop the capability for small boat operations, including the use of native types.

* History (from official Navy website): @
* "U.S. Navy SEALs: The Silent Option" (2006 documentary): @
* "How the Navy SEALs work: (from science.howstuffworks.com): @
* "Hunters & Shooters: An Oral History of the U.S. Navy SEALs in Vietnam" (book by Bill Fawcett): @
* National Navy UDT-Seal Museum: @

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