SEAL Team Six
| Naval Special Warfare Development Group | |
|---|---|
| Founded | November 1980 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Type | Special Operations Forces Special Mission Unit |
| Role | Special operations Counterterrorism |
| Size | 1,787 personnel authorized (2014):[1]
|
| Part of | Joint Special Operations Command United States Naval Special Warfare Command |
| Headquarters | Dam Neck Annex NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. |
| Nickname(s) | "SEAL Team Six", "DEVGRU", "Task Force Blue", "NSWDG" |
| Engagements |
|
| Unit awards | Presidential Unit Citation[2] |
The Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), abbreviated as DEVGRU ("Development Group")[3][note 1] and unofficially known as SEAL Team Six,[5][6] is the United States Navy component of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The unit is often referred to within JSOC as Task Force Blue.[6] DEVGRU is administratively supported by the Naval Special Warfare Command and operationally commanded by JSOC. Most information concerning DEVGRU is designated as classified, and details of its activities are not usually commented on by either the United States Department of Defense or the White House.[7] Despite the official name changes and increase in size, "SEAL Team Six" remains the unit's widely recognized moniker.
DEVGRU (along with its Army and Air Force counterparts, Delta Force, Intelligence Support Activity, the 75th Ranger Regiment's Regimental Reconnaissance Company and 24th Special Tactics Squadron) are the U.S. military's primary tier 1 special mission units tasked with performing the most complex, classified, and dangerous missions directed by the president of the United States or the secretary of defense.[8] DEVGRU conducts various specialized missions such as counterterrorism, hostage rescue, special reconnaissance, and direct action (short-duration strikes or small-scale offensive actions), often against high-value targets.[9]
- ^ "SEAL Team 6 by the Numbers – Foreign Policy". 28 July 2015. Archived from the original on 28 July 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ Brook, Tom Vanden (16 May 2016). "Navy SEALs' secret medals reveal heroism over last 15 years". Navy Times. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- ^ "Administrative Organization of the Operating Forces of the U.S. Navy" (PDF). 17 February 2023. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2023.
- ^ "Delta Force Gets a Name Change". theatlantic.com. 12 October 2010.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
janes-devgruwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Naylor, Sean. "Chapter 4". Relentless Strike.
- ^ Emerson, Steven (13 November 1988). "Stymied Warriors". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
- ^ Morgan Kostic, Wesley (27 October 2021). "The not-so-secret history of the U.S. military's elite Joint Special Operations Command". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ "Special Operations" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
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