History of the U.S. Navy SEAL

Most of us may have heard of the U.S. Navy SEAL. One of their biggest operation would be taking down Osama Bin Laden, the founder and first leader of the Islamist group Al-Qaeda. However, how many of us know the history behind this group of elite soldiers? Luminox have been working with the U.S. Navy SEAL for more than 20 years and here is some background information about them. 

The U.S. Navy SEALs were established by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 as a small, elite maritime military force to conduct Unconventional Warfare. History itself has demonstrated that formation of the SEAL Teams was an evolutionary process, which didn’t happen overnight or result from the efforts of an isolated few. This was in response to developments surrounding UDT experiences in Korea, post-Korea, and emerging world events; especially in Laos and Cuba. 

In early 1960, because of the crisis in Laos and Cuba and the increasing insurgency in South Vietnam, it was suggested that the Underwater Demolition Teams and Marine reconnaissance units were considered organized and capable of expansion into unconventional warfare.

The concept for special operations units within the Navy, and even the acronym SEAL had already emerged in outline form by 10 March 1961, when preliminary recommendations of an Unconventional Activities Committee were sent to the CNO for review and concurrence. Included among these was a recommendation for a wide range of “additional unconventional warfare capabilities within, or as an extension of our amphibious forces;” and, emphasized operations conducted in “restricted waters.”

While they began organizing as early as November 1961, two SEAL Teams were officially authorized by the CNO that December, and both units were formally established in January 1962. Their mission: conduct unconventional warfare, counter-guerrilla warfare, and clandestine operations.