7: It’s a Revolution

Get on board with the movement.

4: EXW
How NSW is implementing
the program and how to get
10: NSW
yours. retrospective
2: Meet the boss Where did it all begin?

From the front line to the front office.

Get to know NSW’s new commander.
11: Front
24: Family Ties & Center
Realizing the importance of Building the force of
sharing a family connection. tomorrow, today.

22: Beating 13: Below

the waves
the odds Changing the way we do
One man’s quest to fight business under the surface.
for his new country.

20: Reserve 17: SWCC’ked

Master mariners
Warriors expand their mission.
So which SEALs are reservists?
You can’t tell anymore!

COMMANDER > Rear Admiral Edward Winters, III PRODUCTION MANAGER > MC1 (SW/AW) Andre Mitchell
FORCE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER > Commander Gregory Geisen ART DIRECTOR > Ms. Mandy McCammon
DEP. PAO/EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS > Lieutenant Nathan Potter LAYOUT/DESIGN > MC2 (PJ) Michelle Kapica
DEP. PAO/INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS > Ms. Patricia O’Connor STAFF > MC2 (SW/AW) Arcenio Gonzalez, MC2 (SW) Shauntae Hinkle,
S TA F F

EDITOR > MCCS (SW/AW) Scott Williams MC2 (SW/AW) Erika Jones, MC2 (SW/AW) Dominique Lasco,
MC2 Christopher Menzie

Ethos is an authorized official production of the Naval Special Warfare Command Public Affairs Office, 2000 Trident Way, San Diego, Calif. 92155-5599.
Send electronic submissions and correspondence to [email protected] or call (619) 522-2825.
Cover photo by MC2 Dominique Lasco.
Special thanks to Roger Clapp, command historian for his contributions.
 “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.
The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion.
As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.”
– Abraham Lincoln

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent,
but the one most responsive to change.”
- Charles Darwin

“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.”
- Gen. Eric Shinseki, former Chief of Staff, U.S. Army

hree esteemed leaders from three different times. I’m not sure who said it best,
but the message is the same: change is necessary. Some people fear change,
but we don’t have that problem at Naval Special Warfare. “Change” shapes our
profession; we owe our very survival and success to constantly evolving our techniques
and bringing fresh ideas to the op plan. Quite simply, the ability to adapt is what separates
a successful warrior from a dead one.
The “Quiet Warriors” of Naval Special Warfare have experienced dramatic changes
during the last few years, so much so that we are in the midst of what you might call a “quiet
revolution.” In this issue of Ethos, we explore the topic of NSW’s revolutionary changes to
maintain and hone our potent, agile force in this post-September 11 world. We will discuss
the changing world of undersea warfare and how the leadership at Group 3 is reshaping its
resources to meet today’s demands. We’ll see how the reserve component at Group 11
has aligned to provide an improved operational boost to the active component forces.
The world of special boat operators has changed as well, and we’ll see what they
are doing at Group 4 to help win the Global War on Terrorism. And finally, we’ll
see how growing our force has changed from targeted recruiting to improving
basic and advanced training at the Center.
As a Sailor who has spent more than 40 years as a very small part
of this great community of maritime warriors, I really enjoy learning and
understanding our history. So, in a nod to our heritage, you’ll read an
excellent story developed by our command historian, Roger Clapp, about
an important piece of Naval Special Warfare’s early roots: the Scouts
and Raiders.
Now that Rear Adm. Ed Winters has settled in as the new force
commander, our leader shares a part of his emerging vision and
priorities for us in an eye-opening, candid interview I know you will find
very interesting and informative.
There are plenty of other subjects to read about in this edition
of Ethos that I hope you will find enlightening. Please take the
time to send feedback or submit an article to the editor of Ethos
[[email protected]], so we can continue to improve this
magazine which belongs to our entire NSW community. All the
best.
- Rear Adm. Garry Bonelli
Deputy Commander, NSW
 Rear Adm. Winters assumed command of Naval Special
Warfare Command Sept. 5. As the leader of SOCOM’s Navy
component, Winters is in charge of more than 8,300 active
duty and reserve SEALs, SWCC, and military and civilian
support personnel with an annual budget of more than
$1 billion.
His 28 years of service include tours
at Underwater Demolition Team 22,
SDV Team 2, Naval Special Warfare
Development Group, SEAL Team
4 and several joint assignments.
He returned from a 15-month
deployment this June as
commander of the Iraqi
National Counterterrorism
Force Transition Team.
He spoke with the
editor of Ethos Oct. 16
at his office in Coronado.

Given the
dramatic changes
with how Naval be narrow so finding the
Special Warfare enemy in time to kill or capture him What motivated you to
will become more and more difficult. Even now become a SEAL and why
has transformed
the finish piece of the Find, Fix, Finish triangle
to respond to this century’s threats, is the easiest part. Our success will become have you stayed in
where do you see NSW ten years dependent on our ability to find and fix the the community
from now? enemy. for so long?
Once we get off the battlefield (Iraq first
White SOF will become grey, grey and Afghanistan later), we are probably going When I was about 11 years old, I
SOF will become black and black back to smaller elements with expanded was sitting in a doctor’s office after
SOF will become blacker. I don’t technical capabilities and the ability to blend having my nose busted. There was
see us getting into another conflict like Iraq in environments where we typically do not a magazine on the table; I can’t remember if it
or Afghanistan, at least not in the near term. operate. I don’t sense those smaller elements was Life or Look but it was 1967 and I believe
We will be in CENTCOM in large numbers for will be all SWCC or SEALs; I believe they will it was the first article that came out about
some time but as Iraq winds down for us with be a mix of capabilities – men and women with the Teams. The cover of the magazine said
the Iraqis taking over the mission, we will have special training from NSW, mixing in with men something like, “U.S. Navy SEALs - Joined
the resources that we need for a global pursuit and women with special training from Army, the War to Scare the World.” After reading the
of Al Qaeda. The terrorists we will hunt are Marine, and Air Force units, other government article I thought, “That’s what I’m going to do.”
going to be more and more dispersed. They agencies and elements from partner nations It was a cool job. It was a challenge. I think
MC2 Michelle Kapica

will move quickly and cautiously with networks to execute low visibility missions in all this is why a lot of us get into it – because it’s a
that support and hide their moves. They have environments. We must be joint, combined and challenge. That got me in the door.
become savvy to our tactics, techniques and interagency leveraging all capabilities against The longer that I was part of the Teams,
procedures. Our windows of opportunity will the enemy. the more important I realized it was. Events
 military force that has ever walked the planet of while they are away. Preparing the SEAL/
and our NSW warriors are more experienced SWCC or support to go to war is the easy part,
in combat than they have ever been, however, preparing their minds for it is likely the difficult
what is required to win the fight will continue to part. At the same time, the burden is heavy on
change. We must be innovative; we must push the families so I will continue to do what my
technology to its limits; we must be problem predecessors have done to keep our families
solvers. We must continue to determine which at the top of the priority list.
is the best direction in pursuit of the enemy.
Being part of that “team of teams” – joint, How has your recent
combined, interagency – is the most direct combat theater
road to success.
experience affected
If you met a young man your perceptions
who was thinking about of GWOT?
joining the Navy In the GWOT, particularly with Al
and pondering a Qaeda, we must be prepared for
future with NSW, the long war. The long war may
what would you say to that person? not be in Iraq or Afghanistan; the battlefield
can change, the fight is going to evolve, and
Probably three things: One, it is a even the enemy will change to some degree.
job that is very satisfying; there is Americans must understand that even when
no job I would rather have. Two, we are successful, the enemy has no timeline
you build lifelong friends - teammates you can so in his mind, he has not lost, he has just
rely on and trust with your life. Three, it is a not won yet. The enemy will pick the time
job that is tremendously important. It is vital and place to fight if we let him and he will use
to protecting his family, his neighborhood, his sensational tactics to make it appear as though
community and the nation. Beyond that, it’s he is invulnerable. The enemy is smart and
a global thing. We are the sole superpower dedicated; he will continue to adapt. We will
and as the sole superpower, we have a global have to adapt faster than the enemy to win.
responsibility. The importance of it is beyond The battlefield will also change based on
what a young man coming into the Navy can our successes and the ability of partner nations
happened along the way that changed the to take over the mission. On a large scale,
imagine.
way I saw things. For example, I spent about for example, the fight in Iraq has gone from
a year straight in Bosnia; I understand that a primarily Direct Action mission to Security
more mines were laid in Bosnia than during Now that you are in Force Assistance (formally known as FID -
all of World War II. I saw lots of children who charge of Naval Special Foreign Internal Defense). When I was tasked
lost their arms or legs. I don’t think kids should Warfare, what to take over the mission as the commander
have to grow up in an environment like that and for the Iraqi National Counter Terrorism Force
is your highest
I believe we were doing something about it. Transition Team, I was not particularly thrilled
priority?
because it was primarily a SFA mission. Once
What is your message Sending the most capable NSW I was on the ground, it did not take long to
to today’s operators and team forward is my highest priority. figure out how important the mission was
support personnel? That means they must have the and how difficult it was going to be. SFA is a
best trained, equipped and supported warriors. difficult mission for NSW, not that we cannot do
They must be prepared for the current fight it because SEALs and SWCC are doing SFA
both mentally and physically with the flexibility very well in Iraq; However, I would venture to
First, the importance of the mission to change when and where required. The say that no SEAL got into the Teams to do SFA
and the success of the mission team must have the right knowledge and right missions; they got into the Teams to do Special
can not be overstated. We all know perspective on what it needs to do forward and Reconnaissance/Direct Action missions. We
that but sometimes we should be reminded. be prepared to execute combat operations are going to have to continue to look for and
Next, be flexible, be joint, be interagency, while still holding to the highest moral pick those important DA missions carefully to
be combined and use every advantage that standards. keep our folks engaged doing what most of
we have learned throughout our history but Along with this, for our warriors to be them signed up to do but we are going to have
particularly over the last few years. We have mentally prepared for the fight, they must know to stay as flexible as the enemy and do what is
the best trained, equipped and supported that at home, their families are taken care most important to defeat him now – SFA.

ETHOS 3
4 ETHOS
 Chief Electronics Technician Chris Milne looks down
the sights of his M-16 at a target more than 70 feet
away during rifle arms training and qualification.

MCSN Joseph Caballero

We salute you,
Naval Special Warfare technician:
You’ve been the guy, behind the guy on the front lines
of combat. You’ve been in the same sweltering 130-
degree heat and in the same freezing early morning air as
our special operators. You’ve fixed all the computer glitches,
administrative problems and weapon malfunctions a SEAL and
SWCC can handle for one deployment. You’ve served with distinction,
asking only for the chance to stay competitive with your maritime
peers. Now here’s your chance.

he Enlisted Expeditionary Warfare Qualification (EXW) people to help implement the expeditionary warfare program at NSW.
program, once available only to the Navy Expeditionary “We didn’t have anything that told us what was important to know in an
Combat Command community, is now permitted for expeditionary setting. The program did that.”
Sailors on sea duty status supporting NSW forces. Once conceived as way to earn recognition for deployed cargo-
“We’re all over the place – Afghanistan, Iraq, you name it,” said handling specialists, the EXW program has evolved into a broader
Chief Electronics Technician (EXW/AW/SW) Holly Mullins, one of the first warfare designation. Launched in 2006, the program recognizes the
ETHOS 5
efforts of individuals trained in support of
expeditionary warfare, maritime security
and anti-terrorism/force protection.
On July 31, 2006, former Chief
of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Mullen
officially approved the EXW device. Since
then, thousands of Sailors in NECC have
committed to the program.
“NECC includes EOD (Explosive
Ordnance Disposal), Seabees, riverine units,
pretty much anything that’s in the dirt except
for us,” said Mullins.
Plans to include NSW in the program
began soon after the introduction of the pin.
According to Mullins, the NSW community
became interested in the program after seeing
the similarities between Sailors attached to
NECC and NSW. Everything NECC Sailors did
applied to NSW support sailors, so it was only a
matter of time before the program’s reach expanded.
A year after the pin was introduced, NSW was approved
to instruct and award its personnel in the EXW program. The program
has become a career enhancement tool for the majority of NSW Sailors,
including members from the SEAL Teams, SEAL Delivery Vehicle weapon
Teams, Special Boat Teams, NSW Units, and Logistics Support Units. To and put it back
date, more than 500 Sailors have earned their pin while serving in Iraq, together again. You
Afghanistan and Kuwait. need to break apart a
Though NSW is now qualified to award EXW pins, not all members radio and put it back
are qualified to receive it. According to OPNAVINST 1414.7, released in together and make
Nov. 2006, the EXW pin is mandatory for all active-duty enlisted support it work. You need to
personnel, ranks E-5 and above, who meet eligibility requirements and explain hands-on stuff,
work in a command that allows the pin. E-4 and below and enlisted like how you would
selected reservists can qualify for the pin, but reservists must be exit a vehicle if it was
assigned to an NSW reserve unit for a minimum of a year prior to final under fire. Those are all
qualification, must be in a satisfactory drill status and must complete things that are important
three periods of training in accordance with the directive. SEALs and in an expeditionary
SWCC are allowed to pursue the pin, but like E-4 and below support environment.”
Sailors, it’s optional. The pin is more than
Sailors must be recommended by their chain of command, complete a little silver badge with a
an overseas deployment, maintain physical standards, take classes and boat, cutlass and rifle. It’s a tool
complete a appropriate Personal Qualification Standards booklet within for advancement. NSW Sailors
18 months of enrolling in the program to qualify for the EXW designation. competing for first class or chief will
The booklet itself was highly influenced by other warfare specialist have a warfare pin to make them
programs in use long before 2006. competitive against others from the fleet with typical surface or air warfare
“Much of the EXW PQS information came from the Seabee Combat pins. Those who already have warfare pins will make themselves more
handbooks, though there were a lot of small-boat qualifications and competitive and add further credibility by showing they have expeditionary
material pertaining to the ship navigation and fleet side of the house that experience. Most importantly, having the EXW pin means a Sailor is
Seabees rarely ever use,” noted Construction Mechanic 2nd Class (SCW/ an expeditionary asset. He or she understands war fighting, mission
EXW) Daniel Privett, a Seabee attached to Naval Special Warfare Group effectiveness and unit survivability, and can directly apply knowledge to
1. save lives and be more useful in a land warfare environment.
In its pages are the standards for core qualification: Sailors must be “If I get shot in the field, a storekeeper with an EXW pin could come
proficient in weapons qualification and maintenance, marksmanship, land along and know how to turn on my radio, establish communication, and
navigation, field communications and expeditionary camp deployment. call for help,” said Mullins.
As with any other PQS in the Navy, the candidate must demonstrate Regardless of how the program evolves in the future, these objectives
knowledge and competence in various skills prior to getting signed off. will remain the same. Tactics and technology will change. The conflicts will
After completing the PQS, candidates are required to take a written, always change. The program may change, if only slightly to meet future
oral, and demonstrative test before a board before earning the right to demands, but what ultimately won’t change is the need for knowledge,
wear the pin. and the desire for safety. The EXW program lends itself to both of these
“The board is at least an hour long,” said Mullins. “You need to break goals.
down an M-16 or M-4. You have to be able to break down your secondary - MC2 Shauntae Hinkle

6 ETHOS ETHOS 5
The Quiet Revolution
From our roots in
UDT, to our missions
in the mountains in
Afghanistan, NSW has
grown to become an
indispensable asset to
our nation’s security.
Let’s take a look at how
far we have come and
what the future of NSW
holds for us all.
ETHOS 7
the

Everyone seems to want someone or something different in an

era of weariness with the current state of affairs – whether it be politics,
music, society, or just about anything else. People want change. They
want a “change agent” to wave a magic wand and make their lives better.
Frequently, however, the change they get isn’t the one they expected. As
Brothers in Arms Crewman Qualification Training (CQT) students hit the
The Who singer Roger Daltrey once cynically declared, “Meet the new Coronado, Calif. CQT is a 14-week advanced training
boss – same as the old boss.”
But change is something the “quiet professionals” here at Naval
Special Warfare understand and expect. In fact, you might say they have past into the first Navy SEAL Teams.
revolutionized the art of change. It began a long time ago, when the Though originally developed for naval counter-guerrilla warfare,
special warfare community was in its infancy. the Teams’ directive quickly grew to include “a specialized capability for
The world was at war – in a big way. The Axis powers, led by Hitler’s sabotage, demolition, and other clandestine activities conducted in and
Third Reich had a stranglehold on most of Europe, North Africa and parts from restricted waters, rivers, and canals… specifically to be able to
of Asia. Imperial Japan controlled much of the Pacific and Far East. destroy enemy shipping, harbor facilities, bridges, railway lines, and other
America had officially entered World War II in 1941 and aimed to liberate installations in maritime areas and riverine environments.”
its Allied nations. It would begin with the coasts. The SEAL Teams and UDTs continued to grow and change over the
The invasion plans called for a new breed of warrior; men who decades. Vietnam, Panama, and other battlegrounds around the world
could penetrate and reconnoiter enemy beaches undetected. Sailors refined the shape and tactics of the force.
and soldiers were recruited for the Scouts and Raiders, Naval Combat In early 2000, Rear Adm. Eric T. Olson, commander of all NSW
Demolition Units, Office of Strategic Services Maritime Units and forces, envisioned a program that would create a “leaner, more capable,
Underwater Demolition Teams – and the prototype frogman was born. tailorable and focused war-fighting force.” The program, referred to as
Frequently armed with little more than a knife and explosive charges, NSW-21, set forth objectives to restructure Naval Special Warfare.
these combat swimmers with webbed flippers strapped to their feet swam SEAL Teams would deploy with all supporting personnel as integrated
ashore under the cover of darkness, collecting intelligence and removing NSW Squadrons; the addition of SEAL Teams 7 and 10 would help fill the
enemy defenses to clear water lanes for Allied landing craft. ever-increasing need for more special warfare operators; and the training
The careful work of Navy frogmen in the NCDUs, who suffered cycle realigned into a more predictable, well-organized pattern similar
tremendous casualties and demonstrated remarkable heroism, preceded to the Navy’s Inter-Deployment
the successful Allied landing at Normandy, France in 1944. It would be the Training Cycle.
beginning of the end for the Germans. These major changes were
On the other side of the world, a young Navy officer assigned to set in motion to meet the emerging
a fast-attack patrol boat squadron fighting the Japanese in the Pacific threat of combating terrorist cells on
realized how valuable the frogmen were to unconventional warfare. When a global stage. Unfortunately, the
he became President of the United States in 1962, President John F. ugly future would come a little
Kennedy passed a directive that transformed some of the frogmen of the quicker than anyone could

Scout and Raider School

established in Ft. Pierce, Fla.
Our missions,
1943

1962

BUD/S
successes established in
and growth Coronado.
1962

8 ETHOS
 the Gottman Institute and the University of California at Los Angeles. The
multi-phase program will identify potential family issues and resolve or
mitigate them before they become full-blown problems. This of course,
will enhance the combat effectiveness of the warrior. Bottom line up front:
A happy home life is not a distraction to the mission.
Roger Clapp, retired SEAL officer and now command historian
for Naval Special Warfare Command, has also seen plenty of changes
during his 27 years in the community. He felt the biggest change in
the organization was when the UDTs converted to SDV Teams, but he
hasn’t failed to notice the many improvements that have modernized the
warrior.
“We’ve come a long way, especially in terms of training and
equipment,” he observed. “And the students coming through BUD/S now
are much smarter.”

MC2 Christopher Menzie

NSW has taken advantage of these “smarter” special warfare
students – many of whom are entering the Navy with college diplomas –
by keeping them mentally sharp with a robust training regimen that targets
the mind as well as the body.
“We’re spending a lot more time now educating than training,” Bonelli
surf before the start of medical training instruction at the Silver Strand beach in said. The mental prep work pays dividends downrange when SEALs,
course teaching basic weapons, seamanship, first aid and small unit tactics. SWCCs and techs accomplish increasingly difficult tasks.
“It amazes me what we are asking our young warriors to do,” Bonelli
marveled.
have known when a wakeup call came to the people of the United States Although NSW is today’s “force of choice” in a “dynamic world,”
on Sept. 11, 2001. Bonelli believes the currently in-demand mountain and desert warfare
You talk with anyone who has been around the community for a long tactics will eventually fade and return full circle back to littoral warfare –
time, and they’ll tell you the changes are everywhere, in everyone. Rear the realm of the original frogman. “I think we’ll go back to our roots in a
Adm. Garry Bonelli, four decades as a SEAL, epitomizes the changing maritime environment. I think there will be more emphasis (on that),” he
warrior. Although he acknowledged, “Some things have changed quite a said.
bit and some things haven’t changed at all,” he recognized the differences The articles following will focus on some of the areas of NSW that
of today’s NSW. have changed the most over the last few years: Undersea warfare, training,
“It’s always been about mission accomplishment and now it’s more boat teams, and reserves. And while we follow along the progression from
about families,” he remarked. Not just rhetoric: Bonelli pointed out that past to present we peer into the future and catch a tantalizing glimpse of
today’s special warfare force is more married than yesteryear. Close to tomorrow’s elite specops organization.
one-half of West Coast operators and fully two-thirds of their East Coast With such an astonishing demonstrated flexibility, the world of Naval
counterparts have tied the matrimonial knot. Special Warfare might just cause you to, in the spirit of The Who, “take a
Therefore, this year NSW launched a major “family resiliency” bow for the new revolution.”
initiative, in cooperation with experts at the Bureau of Naval Medicine, - MCCS Scott Williams with contributions from MC2 Terrence Siren

First SEAL SEALs head Naval

combat operations to Grenada Special
begin in Vietnam. to participate Warfare
Go on to be known in Operation Unit 2
1983

1995

by enemy as “the Urgent transferred to

devils with green Fury. Others Boeblingen,
1987
1967

faces.” buy maps Naval Special Warfare Germany.

to locate Command established. ‘Trinken wir!’
Grenada.
ETHOS 9
 Back in the day:
the origin of Naval Special Warfare
oday’s Naval Special Warfare operators can trace their genesis trained U.S. soldiers and Sailors as irregular warfare advisors.
to the Scouts and Raiders, Naval Combat Demolition Units, When the first group arrived in China, Miles said, “They are the
Office of Strategic Services Maritime Unit and Underwater most outstanding lot that I have seen to date.” Unfortunately, many of
Demolition Teams of World War II. While none of those early the graduates never made it to China. Since the Army controlled the
organizations have survived to present, their pioneering efforts have laid transportation from Calcutta, India, the Navy had the lowest priority, and
the ground work for today’s Naval Special Warfare warriors. many remained in Calcutta until the end of the war.
As a result of a need for a pre-landing reconnaissance capability, the The Scouts and Raiders saw action in North Africa, Sicily, Salerno,
first Scout and Raider class was held on Aug. 15, 1942, at the Amphibious Anzio, the Adriatic, Normandy, Southern France, China and the Pacific.
Training Base in Little Creek, Va. Navy students were trained as landing By the end of the war, more than 1,200 men were trained as Scouts and
craft boat crew and Army students were taught to conduct reconnaissance Raiders. They earned 12 Navy Crosses, 19 Silver Stars and 132 Bronze
on the beach and hinterland. The Navy mission was to identify landmarks Stars.
on the landing beach prior to the landing, and then during the landing The most notable Scout and Raider was Phil Bucklew. He was in the
guide the landing craft to the correct beach. Navy Scouts and Raiders first class at the Amphibious Training Base and went on to participate in
went on to participate in Operation Torch, during the amphibious landings Operation Torch, where his ship, the USS Leedstown (AP73), was sunk
on North Africa on Nov. 8, 1942, with eight of them earning the Navy by an enemy submarine.
Cross. He was awarded a Silver Star during Operation Avalanche in
In January of 1943, the joint Scout and Raider School was opened Salerno, Italy; a Navy Cross during Operation Husky in Sicily; and a Navy
in Fort Pierce, Fla., and it remained open through World War II. The first Cross during the landing at Normandy. He and another Scout and Raider,
course was eight weeks long, but was later increased to 12 weeks. It Grant Andreason, conducted several cross-channel recons and collected
consisted of rigorous physical training, including long ocean swims, sand on the American landing beaches at Normandy to determine beach
runs in the sand, an obstacle course and log PT. Other training included trafficability.
weapons, explosives, radio and signaling, small boat handling, martial Bucklew was recommended for a third Navy Cross for his actions
arts and numerous night exercises. in China, but because it had to be endorsed by the Army, it was not
In early 1945, the Japanese still occupied much of China and the approved.
Chief of Naval Operations tasked Capt. Milton Miles to train the Nationalist Bucklew ended up making a career in Naval Special Warfare and
Chinese to conduct guerilla operations against their occupiers. On was the first Commander of Naval Operation Support Group Pacific,
March 1, 1945, two weeks after Class 8 graduated, which later became Naval Special Warfare Group 1. As a result, Phil
the Scouts and Raiders school was redesignated Bucklew is known as “the Father of Naval Special Warfare.”
as the Amphibious Scout School, and its - Roger Clapp,
mission changed to what was called NSW historian
“Amphibious Roger.” This
new mission, an early
example of Foreign
Internal Defense,
U.S. Navy photo

10 ETHOS
 The force of Navy
SEALs and SWCC has
seen plenty of change
over the past few years,
particularly in response
MC2 Kevin Beauchamp

to the heavy demand for

more special operators
to fight in the Global
War on Terrorism.
Cmdr. Brian W. Sebenaler, commanding officer of Naval Special Warfare Basic Training
History in the making Command (BTC) speaks to members and guests during an establishment ceremony
for the command Aug. 29 at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.

he GWOT has validated the need for the skill sets and unique
capabilities of NSW operators. The natural outcome of NSW’s
“The prep course is our
success has been more missions and new responsibilities, opportunity to counter attrition
which translated into two inevitable imperatives – grow 500
more SEALs by 2011 and maintain a high level of basic and
and increase the efficiency of
advanced training for the nation’s elite war fighters. the Center.”
At the center of this responsibility – to grow more SEALs and maintain Lt. Cmdr. Christian Dunbar
training excellence – is the birthplace of special warfare operators and director of training, NSW Center
special boat operators: the Naval Special Warfare Center. triathletes and marathoners, as well as planned and executed athletic
In 2006, the Naval Special Warfare Center underwent a restructuring events such as the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge, an event that allows
,creating the Advanced Training Command. This September, the Basic the public to test themselves again Navy SEAL fitness standards.
Training Command was also established. What seems to be an administrative “What we’re doing is figuring out ways to better target more ideal
shift is in reality the natural consequence of a rapidly evolving command. candidates who have a better chance of making it through,” said Lt.
“The change has allowed me to focus on training and goals for the Fernando Rivero, public affairs officer for the recruiting directorate. “We
claimancy as a whole, not just BUD/S students,” said Lt. Cmdr. Christian identify those guys at SEAL Fitness Challenges, scouting high school
Dunbar, director of training for the Center. wrestling camps, water polo tournaments, cross-country races and other
targeted events where there is a good opportunity to recruit highly athletic
young men who we think may have a better chance of making it.”
Fighting a war without borders requires a large amount of manpower. Earlier this year, the Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes,
In 2006, the Navy tasked NSW with making more SEALs. The current Ill., collaborated with Naval Special Warfare to create the first BUD/S
force of 2,100 swiftly became the “go to” force for the GWOT. Preparatory School. The prep school can hold up to 360 candidates and
Even with the mandate to expand, operators knew well that two SOF runs them through a course lasting six to eight weeks to prepare them
Truths applied: SOF cannot be mass-produced, nor can competent SOF physically and mentally for BUD/S upon completion of recruit training.
be created after crises occur. “The prep course is our opportunity to counter attrition and increase
With that in mind, an increase in “Motivators” at the Center’s Recruiting the efficiency of the Center,” explained Dunbar. “Many who would have
Directorate are working tirelessly to find qualified candidates, and are on quit here, have already quit (in Great Lakes).”
track to fill ever seat at BUD/S at a higher rate than ever before.
This success is due to new recruiting efforts over the past three
years. The Motivators have focused their effort on getting the right kind In the beginning, the Center trained Underwater Demolition Teams,
of student in the program. They have targeted extreme sports athletes, and then SEALs. SEAL training was tough, arguably the most rigorous
ETHOS 11
training in the world. It’s still tough, but so very much has
changed.
The Center adapted some aspects of training to help new
Sailors achieve their goal of becoming SEALs and SWCC.
The subject matter is the same – after all, the fundamentals
of navigation and seamanship just don’t change. The training
is still as rigorous as before; there is no shortage of push-
ups, sit-ups, conditioning runs and swimming. However,
now instructors and proctors are doing more “mental fitness”
training because of the dangerous situations and hectic
deployment schedules facing graduates – and often because
of the students’ youthfulness and lack of naval experience.
“The proctor for a class becomes somewhat of a father figure to the the same techniques and to the same standards the Teams need them
students,” said Chief Special Boat Operator (SWCC) Christopher Moore, to be at,” noted Dunbar. “Specifically, our close quarters training and
a Basic Crewman Training instructor. “The proctor is the lifeline between individual movement training are constantly shifting.”
the students and the rest of the instructor staff.” The training pipeline never sacrifices quality, and some candidates
The Center has been providing mentorship training to the instructor are weeded out when they don’t make the cut.
cadre and proctors for quite some time, but this year they took the “There will always be a certain amount of attrition in A-schools,” said
mentoring to a new level, adding a mentorship cell and designating Dunbar. “But the reality is the force must grow. We just won’t sacrifice our
an official mentor on the staff who will give guidance to the students standards to do it.”
throughout their training.
“The mentor is really acting as a gateway to the NSW Ethos,”
explained Dunbar. “We have developed a mentoring program aimed at Training SEALs goes beyond just BUD/S and SQT. After assignment
teaching these guys lifelong lessons, not just lessons for BUD/S success. to a Team, SEALs are still subject to further professional development.
Our goal is to transform them into SEALs who can think tactically and That’s where the Center’s Advanced Training Command takes over.
ethically in an environment of irregular warfare.” Center and ATC staff evaluate lessons learned from NSW Groups
to gain valuable insight on training gaps and ensure professional
development phase courses are current.
Although many of the subjects covered in training throughout the “New courses such as Basic Explosives and the Advanced Special
years have stayed the same, the basic training pipeline has evolved over Operations Course have been developed from input in the Groups’
the past few years into a compartmentalized system. Basic training splits lessons learned,” Dunbar said. “The lessons learned showed us that
into two parts; BUD/S and SQT for SEALs, and BCT and CQT for SWCC. the breachers were doing well, but lacking in more robust explosives
BUD/S students must first complete six months of rigorous training knowledge. We developed the course here to fill that gap in training.”
consisting of weapons, swimming and physical fitness designed to test Two years ago, ATC was teaching about 1,200 students a year
their limits and ability to work as a team. Upon graduation, students in various professional development courses like sniper, breacher and
complete six more months of training including individual movement, diver. Due to the increase in courses, as well as the growth of the force
close quarters combat and small unit tactics. and new readiness requirements, the school today graduates nearly
BCT is a seven-week program that covers basic seamanship, 2,400 students.
followed by 14 weeks of
Crewman Qualification
Training, also held at NAB Over the next year, the Center will continue to grow the force,
Coronado. CQT teaches focusing on recruiting the right candidates who will succeed in the most
students how to operate as extreme and stressful environments. It will also continue to streamline
a member of a boat team. It the training pipeline.
covers weapons, seamanship, “We are working to bring (a SERE School capability), as well as
first aid and small-unit tactics establish a Foreign Language Program here to the Center before (2010),
and teaches students every with the goal of improving continuity and professionalism throughout the
facet of their craft. force,” Dunbar said. “We will also continue to assess our recruiting efforts
“Our goal is to ensure we – because the bottom line is we must grow the force.”
are training the students with - Mandy McCammon & MC2 Michelle Kapica
 The ever-evolving
climate of war
is drying out our
traditionally maritime
special operators. This
has forced the ‘wet’
MCCS Andy McKaskle

SEALs in the SDV

world to work harder
at staying effective –
The water is o-kay! A member of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2 gives a hand
signal while conducting training operations in the Caribbean. and efficient..
magine working in a world with no sun to give you warmth or light. Your eyes are The first swimmer vehicle used by American commandos
unable to see the danger lurking around you. And, an enormous weight is trying was the Sleeping Beauty #72, a British-designed submersible
to crush all the bones in your body and choke the air from your lungs. canoe. Operational Swimmer Group III in Ceylon employed the
Now realize your continued existence in this world is in the hands of someone submersible during World War II.
else – and others implicitly trust you for their very survival. Also, it was during World War II that OSS-MU recruited Dr.
Now, imagine that this strange, hostile world doesn’t only exist in your mind, Lambertson – who invented the the Lambertson Underwater
but is the reality of the environment of the special warfare operators of SEAL Rebreather Unit – to initiate the Operational Swimmer
Delivery Vehicle Team 1. Their work is primarily underwater, and as many SDV program.
Team members can attest, there’s never a typical day at the office when your “office”
covers more than 70 percent of the globe.
“While what we do harkens back to the real, old-fashioned ‘frogman’ days of
yore, we constantly develop new technologies and advancements to take the Naval
Special Warfare Undersea Enterprise into the new millennium,” said Capt. Gardner
Howe, commander, Naval Special Warfare Group 3.
In order to take that fight into the future, it’s important to take a solid look at
what we’ve done in the past as well as what we are doing at present to make a more
effective and efficient undersea war fighter for the future.

Italian combat swimmers were pioneers in combat submersibles. They

successfully sank or damaged numerous British warships in the Mediterranean
Sea during World War II using various wet submersible vehicles, including two-man
torpedo-shaped vessels known as “pig boats.” The British later developed their own
XE craft and used it with some success against German shipping, including the
famous sinking of the German battleship Tirpitz.
Meanwhile, the forerunners of today’s SEALs – the Underwater Demolition
Teams, Naval Combat Demolition Units, Scouts and Raiders, and Office of Strategic
Services Maritime Unit reconnoitered enemy-held beaches, collected intelligence
on enemy defenses, and removed obstacles to landing craft before guiding them in
during the battle.
 Post-war, American development of the underwater craft began in the 1950s. In (USERT), a team made up of SEALs and support personnel
the following decades, engineers created further versions until the development of within the NSW undersea community. USERT was one of
the present-day SDV model, the MK VIII Mod 1. multiple efforts to optimize NSW relative to evolving operational
requirements and was in alignment with NSW-21.
“This whole undersea review… came about from just an
Originally, SDV Teams provided a means of insertion for Special Operations analysis of how we have been doing business versus how can
Forces (SOF) at the tactical level; recent operations had begun demonstrating a we do it better,” said Master Chief Special Warfare Oerator Joe
trend toward increasingly sophisticated Larkin, Operations Leading Chief Petty Officer for Group 3.
and sensitive operations in support of Larkin, a nine-year veteran of the SDV Teams and a member
more high-priority theater and national of Group 3’s review team, said “We felt that there was a way to
requirements. While these operations go about our day-to-day business in a better fashion.”
were successful, they also exposed The USERT’s analysis revealed that combatant
certain areas within the NSW commanders were employing NSW undersea capability at
Undersea Enterprise that a much lower operational rate than had been anticipated.
needed improvement. Findings showed that executed missions were significant
At the same time that and successfully addressed a variety of tactical, theater and
the nature of NSW undersea national-level issues, but the call for this specialized capability
employment was evolving, the seemed to be limited in the face of a war entrenched in “urban
Global War on Terrorism was combat, close-quarter combat, highmountain [and] desert
creating an increased demand for combat,” Larkin said.
NSW forces in non-undersea missions An excess SEAL capacity in the NSW Undersea Enterprise
and operational requirements had was also evident during the period from 2001 to 2007, said
begun exceeding the force’s Larkin. SDV SEALs routinely deployed to support non-SDV
capacity as it was structured. counter-terrorist missions with other SEAL Teams.
“We were no longer “During the analysis, it was felt that we had an
deploying for forward presence, overcapacity of forces committed to Naval Special Warfare
but rather, we were deploying for undersea operations,” said Larkin. “At the same time, (in the
a specific purpose every time,” larger NSW community) we had an under-capacity within the
said Cmdr. Stephen Masi, a senior regular teams or squadrons to go forward and fight the Global
leader in the NSWG-3 Operations War on Terrorism.”
Department. To provide full-time help, the USERT consolidated the
By late 2007, Rear Adm. commands within Group 3. These commands were spread
Joseph Kernan, commander among multiple geographic locations due to decades of
of WARCOM, directed a organizational changes and efforts to optimize resources within
comprehensive “bottom-up” the community. NSWG-3, the headquarters, was located
review of the NSW Undersea in Coronado, Calif., while SDV Team 1 was in Pearl Harbor,
Enterprise and authorized Hawai’i; SDV Team 2 was in Little Creek, Va.; and the SDV
the formation of the NSWG-3 Training Detachment (“the schoolhouse”) was co-located with
Undersea Enterprise Review Team the NSW Center detachment in Panama City, Fla.
 Naval Special Warfare Command and Special
Operations Command approved the result
of the USERT’s analysis this summer. The
analysis outlined significant initiatives
be executed across the NSW Undersea
Enterprise:
He’s got a
ticket to ride operational capacity from the multiple
existing SDV Platoons to fewer, larger and more
A member of capable Undersea Troops at SDV Team 1.
SEAL Delivery
Vehicle team one SDV Team 2 and reorganize the
prepares the SDV command as a Dry Deck Shelter (submarine-mounted
for launch off
the USS Hawaii.
docking areas for SDVs underway) maintenance
Every member detachment in Little Creek.
of the SDV team
is critical to its the number of operational SDVs.
success.
the emphasis on training, planning,
By consolidating the expertise, resources, training and rehearsing and executing SOF undersea operations at
infrastructures of these commands, NSWG-3 would be able to the Group and Team levels.
form a single “center of excellence.” The streamlined undersea
warfare force would be tailored and focused on meeting combat development and Group 3 Undersea
today’s challenging global mission requirements with the Training Detachment functions.
utmost efficiency.
“The results of the USERT showed that… we could use jobs and personnel available as a
our limited assets with maximum efficiency; that we could result of the Undersea Enterprise Consolidation,
reallocate valuable NSW manpower – our SEALs and support thereby alleviating the SEAL and combat support
personnel – to meet the high-priority needs of the Global War shortages in other NSW elements within the force.
on Terrorism; and we could do this without sacrificing SOF
undersea capability responsiveness,” said Howe. and relocate the remaining NSW
Once fully implemented, the USERT’s Undersea undersea commands – NSWG-3 and the schoolhouse
Enterprise Consolidation will net a savings of $124 million over – to new facilities at Naval Station Pearl Harbor.
the Future Year Defense Plan and provide the redistribution of
more than 250 SEAL and combat support billets, both officer
and enlisted, to other elements within the NSW force. The
projected timeline puts completion of the plan at 2013.

Howe said the overarching objective is to

implement a three-phased plan to achieve the
NSW Undersea Enterprise Consolidation.
Many of the initiatives of phase one are
complete or are underway. As of August,
Group 3 had already disestablished
SDV Team 2 and re-designated it
as Naval Special Warfare Group 3,
Detachment Little Creek.
From this point, Det. Little
Creek’s excess work force will
shift to SEAL Teams and other
Global War on Terrorism support
activities within NSW. Personnel
will redistribute over time to
maintain optimum efficiency
without hindering career
advancement opportunities.
Significant responsibilities include
 the maintenance of the Dry Deck Shelters and career advancement will not be a problem at any
supporting undersea operations on the East Coast. level, Nichols said.
Group 3 has initiated leasing temporary “They can expect professional development:
facilities in Pearl Harbor and established Naval Expeditionary Warfare Specialist (EXWS
Special Warfare Group 3, Detachment Pearl Harbor, qualification; professional development in undersea
while awaiting construction of permanent undersea warfare,” said Nichols. “It opens up a lot of new
facilities beginning in 2011. opportunities for both (SEALs) and support billets.”
If the temporary facilities are sufficient, the In phase three, scheduled for Oct. 2012
SDV schoolhouse will relocate from Panama City and beyond, the NSW undersea commands will
to Hawai’i, said Chief Warrant Officer Pete Sagasti, permanently move into their new facilities.
Training Officer for NSWG-3. According to Masi, the frogman of the future
“The goal is to have all undersea elements will reach many more milestones down the road,
at one location… greatly enhancing the alignment including new and improved updates to the
and standardization of training,” said Sagasti. underwater craft in which they drive into battle.
“Curriculum development will be greatly impacted. “We will have a robust SEAL Delivery Vehicle
Within the next four to five years, the quality of SDV Team in Hawai’i,” and eventually will get the follow-
pilots and navigators coming out of the schoolhouse on to ASDS to meet our requirement for a long-
will be at an advanced and higher tactical level.” range, dry submersible, Masi said. “So, in a way,
During phase two, scheduled to begin in Oct. we’ll actually become a hybrid of some of the
2009, Group 3 will begin transitioning personnel to Groups that exist. We’ll own a team full of (special
Hawai’i. Realignment of Group 3 and SDV Team 1 warfare) operators – much like Groups 1 and 2 –
responsibilities regarding SOF undersea operations and we’re also going to own a Team whose major
will begin during this phase as well. function is (undersea) mobility … and a group with
“My main concern is the civilians,” said Vickie a very robust maintenance capability as its own
Richmond, Civilian Personnel Programs Manager separate command.”
at Group 3. “I appreciate that those in authority For frogmen like Larkin, Nichols and Howe, the
are taking tentative steps to ensure that civilian sea still remains a hostile enemy willing to capitalize
employees are well-informed on entitlements and on any misstep, but the prospect of finding new tools
allowing them to make the appropriate decisions.” to tame that adversary is a very promising one.
What will not change is that future NSW “These are exciting times,” said Howe.
Undersea Enterprise operations will remain low-rate, “The undersea warriors of NSWG-3 have been
deliberate, pre-planned, rehearsed and strategic in conducting extremely relevant and significant
nature, according to Master Chief Special Warfare operations in the past several years. While we will
Operator Andy Nichols, operations master chief at be a somewhat smaller element of the overall NSW
Group 3. These operations focus more on short- Force structure in the future, we are going to be a
duration ‘over-the-beach’ special reconnaissance more specialized, more capable and more effective
and sensor-emplacement missions. undersea force. With emerging mission areas and
Personnel joining or returning to the NSW advanced platforms coming to fruition, the force of
undersea community can also be reassured that NSW’s frogmen is bright indeed!“
- MC2 Terrence Siren
It’s in the bag Getting an SDV and its team ready to go is a coordinated effort. There are divers,
SEALs and techs who must work together in order for the mission to be a success.

16 ETHOS
 More than just

That’s the motto of SWCC. They get SEALs and other special operations forces
MC3 Robyn Gerstenslager

where they need to be, when they need to be there – and they get them out, safely.
That’s what SWCCs are trained to do and there’s no doubt they do it well.

Since the Global War on Terrorism began, Naval Special Warfare

has seen a distinct increase in operational tempo. Deployments are more
he mission of the Special Boat Teams, home to SWCCs, frequent and the pace doesn’t seem to be slowing down. It’s not that the
is extremely diverse. As U.S. Special Operations boat teams are being tasked with missions that they haven’t been trained
Command maritime specialists, they are tasked with for – they are just being sent on more of them.
anything from the clandestine insertion and extraction “When you go on deployment, there’s a constant six months of work,”
of SOF personnel or training foreign forces to assisting with said Chief Special Boat Operator (SWCC) Christopher Moore, leading
humanitarian missions. They are continuously deployed globally chief petty officer at Basic Crewman Training, also known as the SWCC
as master mariners who dominate the littoral battle space. “A” school. “It’s not like you’re waiting for something to happen or creating
“We are evolving into a force that has many different needed jobs. You’re looking for boats that are not supposed to be carrying certain
talents beyond our maritime mainstream and many different things, doing search and seizures, intelligence gathering, like photo
requirements from our SOF brethren,” said Command Master intelligence -- collecting images from different platforms that are out
Chief Richard Evans of Naval Special Warfare Group 4. there.”
ETHOS 17
 “Prior to the GWOT, the SWCC role was deploying in the direct
support of all SOF maritime missions,” said Evans. “The only real
difference between then and now is that we are executing real world
SOF maritime missions globally – and often the only SOF personnel on
board are SWCC personnel.”

Warfare systems and

boats are constantly being
updated and new ones
introduced. Operators must learn how to use them to their fullest extent
and that only comes through constant training.
“We have new, bigger, better and faster boats,” said Moore. “They
are a lot more technologically sound and you have to keep up with those
craft. You have to be constantly ready for change. When I first got to the
teams, I deployed on the 24-foot RIB. If you put a couple of guys on it, it
couldn’t even plane out… now I’m driving the 36-footer, which has 940
horsepower, so it comes up out of the hole in a split second. I’ve also With more than 900,000
deployed on the 82-footer, the MK V, which is the same way. Craft-wise, navigable rivers in the world,
we’ve come a long way.” SBT-22 specializes in a unique
The SWCC inventory includes the MK V Special Operations Craft, type of warfighting: riverine. Since 2003, SBT-22 has been operating
the Special Operations Craft – Riverine, the Rigid-hulled Inflatable Boat in and around the waterways of Iraq. Possessing an extensive river
(RIB) and various other small craft. Though all SBs receive the same system, Iraq itself provides a plethora of opportunities for insertions and
general training on these platforms, there are also opportunities to hone extractions, reconnaissance, indigenous craft interdiction and providing a
certain special skills. quick reaction force.
“We all get the same training when we go through our work-up Created solely for this type of environment, the Special Operations
phase,” said Special Boat Operator 2nd Class (SWCC) Jordan Binion, Craft-Riverine was in the design phase before 9/11, but no one could have
stationed with SBT-22 at John C. Stennis Space Center, Miss.. “After guessed these craft would be continuously deployed to Central Command
deployments we go through a professional development phase where for five years.
we can go to advanced schools and focus on different areas that our job “The SOC-R was the first craft designed with that much operator
entails.” input. It was built to rule the river, and in a few years, it’s more than proven
that with the right craft, the right equipment and the right training, there’s
no mission our SWCC can’t accomplish,” said Evans.

One of
the SWCC’s
most enduring
mission sets is also the one that takes them the furthest geographically:
Foreign Internal Defense, or FID. This involves SWCC operators training
foreign military or police personal in maritime security. In some cases, just
the basics of driving and maintaining a boat are covered. In others, such as
the Republic of the Philippines, SWCCs assist the local military in mission
planning against terrorist threats where the SWCC and SEALs serve only
in an advise and assist role. FIDs are perhaps the most important of all
SWCC missions, as building relationships with host nations is a vital role
of the U.S. Navy’s global maritime strategy.
“FID is an ideal way to support and strengthen host nation
infrastructure. Working with these nations, we continue to build partners
in our fight against terrorism around the world,” said Capt. Charles Wolf,
commander of Naval Special Warfare Group 4, and executive manager
Binion is the Unmanned Aerial System subject matter expert at his of the SWCC community. “Many of these missions require my operators
command, a role he took on as a collateral duty. The UAS program is to truly focus on maintaining and learning new skills as they train on
relatively new to the boat teams, making its debut in 2005. Through the unfamiliar waterways with unfamiliar craft.”
program, SWCCs have the capability to provide real-time intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance, building profiles and monitoring river SWCC are also being
traffic patterns in direct support of the mission. called upon to provide
“It’s a huge asset to us, being able to follow and have eyes on a disaster relief support around
target without actually having to put ourselves at risk,” said Special Boat the world. SWCC use shallow-draft vessels, such as the RIBs and Patrol
Operator 3rd Class (SWCC) Christopher Kelly from SBT-12. “It gives us Boats-Light (PBL) to gain access to shallow areas, including flooded
a situational overview that we wouldn’t have had before.” neighborhoods, where larger craft simply can’t go. It is this flexibility
 that makes these highly-maneuverable SWCC vessels perfect for flood-zone recovery
operations.
“SWCC personnel have always been on the “ready five” for OCONUS and CONUS
humanitarian missions and will continue to be,” said Evans. “They, along with our SEAL
brothers, are ready for crisis response and respond with absolute mission focus and
maritime professionalism.”
Nearly 50 SWCC from SBT-22 and Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical
Training School were ready when Hurricane Ike struck Texas and surrounding states
in September, standing by to provide search and rescue, recovery and clean-up
operations. The key to these types of operations is cooperation. The teams work
closely with local government agencies to get the job done, fast.
“We have all the right equipment to get to hard-to-reach areas by water and
our training is more than sufficient to rescue people and provide temporary medical
treatment to injured personnel,” said Binion. “It is just part of being flexible and
responding to an emergency to provide the best possible support we can to help
the overall effort.”

The future of the boat teams is certain. They are a

group of highly-effective warriors who deploy globally and
are proving themselves on the waters on a daily basis.
Training continues to evolve, from increasing the number of SWCC qualified
as special operations combat medics, a qualification not offered to the boat guys
until after 9/11, to being trained to convoy in non-permissive environments, SWCC
will continue to be masters of the maritime environment.
“I don’t see the role changing in the SWCC future that takes us too far off
the water,” said Evans. “We are the SOF maritime experts and with 72 percent of
the globe being water, SWCC personnel will always be utilized in the SOF littorals.
We’ve trained to do these missions for years. As we continue doing real-world
employments, our training and missions increase in variety and quality. Our reputation
as a professional force is opening up doors that weren’t even there before.”
- MC2 Michelle Kapica
MC2 Terrence Siren

MC3 Robyn Gerstenslager

ETHOS 19
HANGING TOUGH: Chief Yeoman Ronald
Loewenthal, a member of SEAL Team 17, rappels
from a 60-foot tower during a team-building
exercise at Naval Special Warfare Center, July 30.

counterparts. Beginning with the establishment of

NSW’s Operational Support Group to manage the
NSW reserve component in 2003, and more recently
with the re-designation of OSG to Group 11 on Aug. 1,
the NSW reserve component has been restructured
to deploy and operate in roles that better support
One weekend a month, two weeks a year. active-component SEAL and Special Boat Teams.
It was a good deal for NSW professionals who The functional word here is operationalizing.
wanted to pursue a career in the civilian sector “Operationalization is the organization for, and execution of, specific
while maintaining a connection to the teams. missions by the NSW reserve component; – it is the professionalization of the reserve
Then came the Global War on Terrorism. force,” said Capt. Robert Monroe, Group 11 commander.
As active-duty SEAL teams came under These missions include participation in joint and combined military exercises by
the strain of repetitive combat missions, reserve component SEAL squads and platoons, participation in joint and combined
reservists were called up to fill roster slots for military exercises by reserve component special boat detachments, expeditionary
deployments. So much for the old ‘weekend support, and individual augmentation in support of the NSW force – missions that, for
warrior’ routine! the most part, were traditionally tasked to active component SEALs and SWCCs.
In terms of how they look and how Rewind prior to the establishment of the OSG. As the new millennium approached,
they function on the battlefield, Naval there was a sense among some SEALs that the community had moved too far away
Special Warfare reservists are becoming from its roots and become conventionalized. SEALs were looking for a way ahead, a
less discernible from their active-duty way to best support the theater commanders and maintain relevancy in the 21st century.
Ideas were discussed, strategies proposed and plans were tested. Eventually, the way
ahead became clear. The way ahead was “NSW 21.”
“Without The flag officer in charge of NSW at the time, Rear Adm. Eric Olson, and his
commanders envisioned NSW 21 as a plan that would produce a “leaner, more capable,
the continual tailorable and focused fighting force.” This transformational strategy, driven and
eventually validated by the demands of a wartime environment, ultimately included a
support of Navy whole new plan for employing NSW reservists.
What really kicked the plan in full gear was the GWOT. Special operations forces,
reservists, NSW’s experts in irregular warfare, suddenly were in high demand. And unlike conventional
forces that have had to shift dramatically to adapt to this new, asymmetric threat, NSW
active-duty was already there.
Which brings us to the employment of the NSW reserve component. Before NSW
force would be managed its reserve resources, staff liaison officers would comb through reserve unit
rosters all over America and coordinate with numerous reserve centers before finding the
pushing the limit right person to fill an NSW requirement. It was a slow, inefficient process that eventually
met requirements, but was never about maximizing force power. That is until Olson,
of its operating armed with the NSW 21 vision, faced with a war, and with reservists in mind, met with
his staff in April 2002.
capacity.” “ADM Olson’s perspective was, ‘I need every available asset at my disposal to fight
the War on Terrorism and that includes my reserve component,”’ recalled Cmdr. Gregory
Granieri. As a former NSW combatant craft OIC and a reserve officer with a corporate
 Rear Adm. Garry
Bonelli was not only
background in mergers, acquisitions, and organization strategy, Granieri was recalled to the first reserve
active duty to lead the reserve realignment project. commander of NSW
At Olson’s direction, Granieri and his team restructured the reserve component over but is also one of the
a period of 18 months and delivered the infrastructure to manage it by establishing OSG original plank owners
and two subordinate commands, OSTs 1 and 2, along with a host of Operational Support of the first NSW
Units and NSW reserve detachments across the country. augmenting reserve
The team realignment team identified 17 capabilities required by the active unit, stood up in
component, including battle staff augmentation, training detachment support, and February 1974.
logistical support. Then they aligned the reserve units to develop and deliver those
capabilities. On Oct. 1, 2003, OSG assumed responsibility for providing management,
training, and readiness oversight of Navy Reserve special warfare manpower,
while restructured NSW reserve units and detachments helped NSW reservists
maintain operational qualifications and professional knowledge regardless of
where they resided.
OSG was redesignated Group 11 in recognition and support of its
revised mission, to “organize, man, train, equip and deploy reserve SEAL
platoons, boat detachments and combat service support teams for special
operations missions in support of NSW active component commands
worldwide.”
This transition continues the evolution and professionalization
of the NSW reserve component into a professionalized force better
able to support active-duty requirements. The transition includes
new names for OSTs 1 and 2, Operational Support Teams 1
and 2 to reflect the emphasis on operationalizing the reserve
component. Now the OSTs are called SEAL Teams 17 and
18. They train differently than before, focusing specifically
on work ups for their deployments. Operationalization
also comes with a more predictable schedule of training
and deployment. Monroe said he expects the change
to ease the burden on families and employers.
Once thought of as a source for individual
augmentation personnel, SEALs, SWCC and
combat support reservists are redefining their
image as fully capable units, able to more
professionally and effectively support their active-
duty counterparts. Comprising almost 20 percent
of the total NSW force, they remain a significant
asset in the fight against terrorism, and this most
recent change reflects their growing importance.
“Without the continual support of Navy
reservists, NSW’s active-duty force would be
pushing the limit of its operating capacity,” remarked
Cmdr. James Gracio, chief staff officer for Group 11.
With reserve support, NSW’s active component
can shuffle manpower from regions like South America
and Africa, and add combat capability to volatile areas in
Afghanistan and Iraq.
According to Monroe, the total concept of the restructuring and the
future of NSW reservists depend on their ability to integrate with the active
component and complete their missions.
“I realized that our efforts were being recognized when I was in Baghdad and I
asked a commander if I might speak with the NSW reservists on his staff,” Monroe said.
“The commander responded with “I’d like to help you out but I don’t know who they are.’
His response told me that our NSW reservists were professional and well trained – and
that they were fitting in seamlessly.”
- MC2 Christopher Menzie
W
ith a stocky,
muscular frame
and a down-to-
earth personality, it’s not hard to
imagine Chief Warrant Officer
Frank Montano as the prototype
Navy SEAL. He’s skydived (with
guns), been above and below the ocean
(with guns), made things go boom, seen
combat, led the world’s most elite warriors
and served his country. Montano has spent
his life fighting for his dreams, and is now
inspiring others to follow in his footsteps.
Montano, recently commissioned as
chief warrant officer, works as the combat
systems officer at SEAL Team 1.
In 2007, he was assigned to the
Recruiting Directorate, where he worked to
grow and strengthen the diversity of NSW was a 20-foot-tall fence that stretched for
forces worldwide. By using his own story, miles along the Mexican-American border.
he inspired others to think big and achieve. His mother, Maria Del Refugio
The odds were stacked against him Montano, was pregnant with her fourth
from the beginning of his life. Raised in a child when his father died in 1978. She
humble border neighborhood in Mexicali, desperately wanted to make a better life for
Mexico – “it was a dirty, rustic place” – them. In broad daylight, she smuggled her
Montano remembers the silent barrier children in a car going across the border to
between him and his future. Less than a mile America, and later herself crossed on foot. “HERITAGE” sprawled across the top. It
away from his home It was the start of a new life for seven-year- featured a Sailor in his dress blue uniform
old Frank. towering in front of the USS Constitution.
They settled in Calipatria, a small town “I remember walking to school and
near the Salton Sea in California. Montano looking at it, thinking, someday I’m going to
remembers his first day in an American wear that uniform,” Montano said. “I made
school. my mind up right there.”
“It was amazing,” Montano recalled. He was further influenced by the
“Everything was nice and clean. There men he saw shooting guns and setting
were signs on the wall, like the alphabet.” off explosions at a military training range
But there was the not-so-small (today’s Camp Billy Machen) near where
issue of language. Montano didn’t he lived. He later learned they were Navy
speak English. When classes began, he SEALs.
spent two hours a day learning a new “I became pretty good friends with the
language. SEAL who ran the camp,” Montano said.
On the way to school one day, “He showed me photos and that got me
Montano said he stopped by the post really interested in Naval Special Warfare.”
office and noticed a classic Navy After high school, Montano visited
recruiting poster with the giant word a Navy recruiter, intending to become a
SEAL. Two years prior, he was granted gonna be tough. Once you get there, you recruiting and outreach programs into
legal residence status, making him eligible realize many of the guys in your class have cultures not traditionally visited by NSW”
to join the Navy, but not the SEALs, who had rough lives. They’ve had to fight for he hopes to tap into people with big dreams
required trainees to have been U.S. citizens what they’ve got.” who might be interested in a career with
for at least five years. As a result, Montano’s The rest is history. Montano finally NSW. People like Montano who are willing
orders to Basic Underwater Demolition/ earned his “Trident” in 2000. He completed to fight for a future within the community.
SEAL (BUD/S) training were cancelled tours with SEAL Teams 3 and 1. “I believe that if they really want to do it,
while he was in hospital corpsman school. After joining the Motivators, he toured they’re gonna do it,” Montano said of guys
“I was heartbroken,” Montano said. the country telling Sailors and civilians about considering a future as a SEAL or SWCC.
“But I knew that there are always obstacles the community he fought so hard to be a “I came from a town with 2,636 people. It’s
in life, no matter what you do. You’ve just part of. His goal of drawing more attention in the middle of the desert. There’s nothing
got to go around them, over them, through to the community is aligned with the Navy’s around. If the guy really wants it, he’ll find
them. So I went on a crusade to become a diversity policy released by the Chief of a way.”
citizen.” Naval Operations in March. That policy - MC2 Christopher Menzie
Montano spent the next few years states, “Our involved, proactive leadership
petitioning for his citizenship while serving will create and enable an environment and
his country. In 1993, he went through the a total work force that values uniqueness,
training pipeline to become a corpsman different perspectives and talent.”
for the 1st Marine Force Recon Company As such, NSW is meeting
stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Finally the challenge by diversifying
in 1995, while serving with the company, he its workforce to resemble the
was granted U.S. citizenship, but it would changing demography of the
be another four years before his patience United States. This means
and perseverance paid off. bringing in people from differing
“I tried to get orders to BUD/S but force backgrounds regardless of
recon corpsmen were an undermanned race, color, age, language, or
Navy enlisted classification so they wouldn’t culture.
let me go,” Montano said. “I still hadn’t got “As we look at our
to where I wanted to be, and had exhausted operational requirements and
all my resources, so as a last ditch effort, as we look at the Global War on
I contacted my congresswoman, Dianne Terrorism and where it’s going,
Feinstein, and explained my situation. The we’re going to need more people
next day I got orders to attend BUD/S.” who are more diverse to operate
After years of working toward his in areas where they fit in better than
dream, Montano finally had his shot at the next guy,” said Capt. Richard
being a SEAL. Though his experience was Sisk, who serves as NSW’s
rough, he had years to prepare, and was diversity officer.
mentally ready for the challenge. Sisk said by
“I knew I wanted it for a long time,” expanding the
Montano said in reference to BUD/S. “You organizations’s
gotta come here ready and knowing that it’s “marketing,

ETHOS 23
Defining
Commentary by Mandy McCammon

ur SEALs, our SWCC, our techs, our families. Sailors, fathers, mothers, sons,
daughters, men and women. NSW is a family of people. That’s what they
tell us, but aren’t we more?
Makes sense, right? Probably not, but a few weeks ago I got to
thinking about what a family really is. Each year, NSW hosts a family
campout on each coast where employees of
NSW in any capacity can get together for a
day and have fun. I went last year to
the campout in Coronado
with my two older
children and again this
year with all three of my
children and my sister, Melissa.
Around the grinder, I saw many
people in our NSW “family.”
There were moms and dads
watching their kids playing. Retired
SEALs were talking with old friends.
Civilian employees were relaxing in
lawn chairs and enjoying the day.
Boat team guys laughed about an
inside joke. Everyone a family, connected
to each other somehow by some invisible,
intensely strong tie. Although you can’t see what is
holding us together, it holds us tight and can always
be felt, even if just a little.
Our ties hold us to our traditions. For the SEALs and
SWCC, their responsibility to each other is a testament to
the loyalty to the “family.” Their grandparents were Scouts and
Raiders and fought in Vietnam and everywhere in between. No one
wants to be the kid who lets grandpa down – and never be the one
who lets down their brother. As a civilian
Our ties also hold us to our families, and for very different reasons. member of NSW I
Our families don’t care what our history says about us and what we am in many ways an
are expected to do. It’s not that they don’t respect it, but they care outsider looking in to this
about who we are as people and love us for us. family. I am honored to hold a place here and
Wally Graves is a retired SEAL, now turned family support guru attempt to make every day better for our family in
for Group 1. He was at the campout with his children and was one any way I can. This family is a shining example to my
of the volunteers who drove the buses from the Center to the pool. own children of what is really important in life. Not stuff, not
Wally spent more than 20 years as a SEAL. He risked his life for our work, but each other.
country on many occasions, but his children, his family, know little So can we be more than a family? We are a family in many
of that man. His daughter was standing beneath him this Saturday senses. We are a brotherhood. We are kin. We are relatives. We care
beaming at him – just beaming. It wasn’t because he is a warrior, nor about each other. We care about the group more than the individual.
because of his contributions to our NSW family, but because she has We do what we do because of what our “family” means to us. I don’t
discovered something more amazing to her by far. He was that day, think there can be anything bigger than family and we shouldn’t have
a hero of momentous proportions – her dad knew how to drive a bus! it any other way.
Wally decided then that he would rent buses for all family outings.
24 ETHOS
 Ever get the feeling
you’re being
watched?
A Basic Crewman Training
(BCT) student demonstrates
underwater knot tying skills
during water proficiency
training at Naval Amphibious
Base Coronado. BCT is the first
phase in the SWCC training
pipeline. SWCC operate and
maintain the Navy’s inventory
of state-of-the-art, high-
performance boats used to
support SEALs in special
operations missions worldwide.
MC2 Christopher Menzie

ETHOS 25
 water face plate.
Jack Brown self-contained oxygen unit with modified shallow
Naval Combat Demolition Unit, Fort Pierce, Fla. Oct. 6, 1944.