How is Life as a Navy Seal?

The Navy SEALs are considered the greatest fighting force in the entire world and consists of Sea, Air, and the Land team. There are many different responsibilities of the SEALs which include proper conduction of the insertions by sea, air, or land. They also have to capture the high-value enemy personnel and the wrongdoers and carry out small-unit, direct action missions. Today’s topic- How is Life as a Navy Seal?

For the faint of heart, a Navy SEAL is not a profession as it is a highly specialized group of experts who are under constant mental and physical pressure. The Navy seal organization is a team consisting of officers who are spread and stationed across the world to carry out their responsibilities. Being a Navy SEAL gets harder day by day and changes with every passing day. Their life can only be termed daily and can be in accordance only with the current events.

SEAL teams are special operation forces and teams who are experts in sea, land, and air. They might have to perform an airborne mission one day and fight in the sea the next. They have plenty of opportunities to prepare themselves for any operations that might come up.

Their preparation includes physical training including weight lifting, running, swimming, parachuting, diving, and assembling the required tools. There is a particular procedure that the potential candidates have to go through for their training. The teams are closely knit and together they work in all kinds of environments and terrain.

They can maneuver and adapt to changing lifestyles whether they have to live in the mountains, jungles, desert, or snow.

What does a Navy SEAL do?

The SEAL team carries out the special operations on sea, land, air and has to go beyond the required military forces. There are a few common missions that include direct action warfare, and are expected to handle a few duties.

• Inserting a SEAL member in a location
• Gathering information on the undercover missions.
• Extracting the hostages from potentially dangerous situations.
• Capturing the enemies to extract information or for arrest.
• Performing the different missions.
• Providing support for military units.

Navy SEAL Ethos

Every individual who is selected in the SEAL team has to take part in specialized groups which are intended to make everyone a better person. The SEAL Ethos provides every member of the team with inspiration, humility, and a never-ending spirit. It acts as a great character-building tool as every member of the team is a leader in their way.

Training in the life of a Navy SEAL member

To be an enlisted sailor, there is no particular college degree. There are a few requirements that are to be fulfilled to be a member of the SEAL team. The training of a Navy SEAL is of a 12-month duration which includes basic underwater training, parachute jump school, and qualification training.

Once the three basic pieces of training mentioned above are done with, there is an additional pre-deployment training of 18 months which is a specialized intensive procedure. All of this training is designed to push the physical and mental capacities of an individual.

Can a woman be a Navy SEAL officer?

History is being continuously created by women each day and they are fully accepted to this elite team. There was a time when women were not allowed from joining certain special forces like the SEALs. The US Navy started accepting admissions from women in 2015.

What is the application procedure to be a Navy SEAL?

The members of the SEAL team are either male or female members and the qualifications may vary based on the prior service. The basic steps to become a newly recruited member of the SEAL team-

1. Start preparing early: This is the first step to become a SEAL officer which includes preparing yourself mentally and physically to handle the hardest situations. There are strict pre-requisites to be selected and the candidate needs to follow all the requirements. The basic requirements are a citizenship of the United States, mental and physical fitness, good eyesight, a background check, security clearance. Begin preparing from an early age and try to maintain the best possible physical shape and developing good interpersonal skills.
2. Earn a diploma degree: To become a Navy SEAL member, one needs to earn a high school degree, and if they have a General Education Development certificate. They may be required to have at least one complete course to join the military.
3. Consider getting yourself a college degree: If you have a diploma or a GED, the criteria for applying in the military is complete as early as 17 years with parent permission. There is no particular college degree that is needed to become a Navy SEAL but the candidate may choose to get one.They can enroll in the US Naval academy and get a degree from there and a lot of Navy SEALs have a reputed degree in their name. Pursuing a degree may help one to enlist at an officer ranking which eventually gives a higher base salary.
4. Talk to a recruiter: Book an appointment and meet a recruiter who will determine whether the basic requirements to be an officer are fulfilled. Let the recruiter know that you want a challenging contract before enlisting yourself. This will help the candidate to earn a higher signing bonus amount. Once the recruiter analyzes and determines your potential, they will help you to connect with a special operations mentor who will eventually help you to train for the physical test.
5. Earn a high score on the ASVAB: All the candidates who are interested in enlisting must take the ASVAB test. The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test is composed of word knowledge, mathematics, arithmetic, reasoning, general science, auto, and shop information. The test is important because it helps the recruiters to determine the types of jobs they are available for.
6. Get a high score on the C-Sort: The candidates who are interested to become a Navy SEAL need to score well in the Computerized Special Operations Resilience test. This test is conducted to analyze the maturity and mental resilience of the individual. These trials are conducted to ensure that the candidate meets the minimum requirements for the training program. The C-Sort result will be added to the PST and all the other required tests to determine a good fit for the SEALs.
7. Start your Navy career: The training for the Navy SEAL starts with complete basic training in Illinois and after that, you will be assigned another Navy job. During the time of the basic training, you will be assigned another mentor or coordinator who will assign and prepare you for your PSTs. The mentor will also submit your application package to the recruiting command and it is very important to follow their directions.
8. Pass the PSTs: If you meet all the minimum standards which are very strict and require a great amount of physical fitness. One might need to take the PSTs many times and expect an improvement each time. The PST includes-
   • Swimming for 12.5 minutes
   • 75 pushups in 2 minutes
   • Six pull-ups
   • 1.5 mile run in 11.5 minutes
   • 75 sit-ups in 2 minutes
9. Receive the SEAL contract: Once the candidate meets the minimum requirements on the ASVAB, C-SORT, PSTs and the offer letter will be replaced with the original Navy contract and include a camp date.

What constitutes SEAL training?

Once the candidates earn their SEAL contract, specialized training becomes necessary to become a part of this operations force.

1. Attend the preparatory course: The preparatory course for the SEAL team lasts for two months and is an intense boot camp designed to prepare the candidates for their initial training program. The course includes two PSTs and is more challenging than the initial text. To move to the next level, pass the exit PST.
2. Complete the training: The basic underwater training is the next part and tests the ability of the candidate to handle the physical and mental challenges of the SEAL missions.  A 26-week training program in Coronado, the underwater training has three different phases. The first is focused on physical and mental ability the second has underwater skills and the third is done with demolitions, and the basic tactics.
3. Complete the surface warfare training: Followed by the basic training is the three weeks of airborne training at Fort Benning. The training starts with the static line jumps and increases in difficulty gradually up to the accelerated free falls. The combat equipment acceleration is done from a minimum of 9,500 feet in the air. The 13 weeks at the Naval Surface warfare helps in preparing the candidate for the future difficulties and challenges that are a must at the Navy SEAL operations and missions.
4. Qualification training: After the completion of the basic warfare training programs, the candidate moves to the qualification training. This is a 26-week advanced tactical training focusing on land navigation, small unit tactics, cold weather climates, and maritime operations.
5. Complete the additional training: The candidate now chooses a training that determines the next training. The several options include foreign language study, sniper, jumpmaster, tactical communications, explosive breachers, and many others. They spend 18 months to complete this additional training.

Conclusion

The Navy SEALs are members of the special force of the US Navy and are trained for any kind of unconventional warfare either on land, sea, or air. There are a few requirements to be a part of the SEALs and all of those are mentioned in the article above. This is a very rigorous training program that ensures that only the most elite members complete the program.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much money do the SEALs make?

The average salary of a Navy SEAL varies and depends on the post and rank of the individual. The base salary is up to $60,000 per year and they may receive several bonuses depending on the types of missions they have worked upon.

2. What is the work environment?

The Navy SEALs work and are trained in the hardest of environments including deserts, urban areas, woodlands, jungles, and they get indulged in many typical missions. These may include dealing with a combat situation with the use of a submarine, helicopter, high-speed boat, or foot patrol.