The majority of Navy SEALs (about 2,000) are Navy Enlisted personnel (E-4 to E-9). They are led by roughly 500 SEAL Officers (O-1 to O-10). There is also a small number of SEAL Warrant Officers (circa 30) who rank as officers above the senior-most Enlisted but lower than an Officer (O-1).
Most Navy SEALs, numbering around 2,000, are enlisted personnel holding ranks from E-4 to E-9 (Petty Officer 3rd Class to Master Chief Petty Officer). Approximately 500 SEAL officers lead these SEALs with ranks ranging from O-1 to O-10 (Ensign to Admiral Chief of Naval Operations).
Seaman (E-3)
Rank overview: Seaman is considered the entry level of the U.S. Navy SEALs and the third lowest ranking among enlisted in the USN. Navy Seaman (E-3) are classified as apprentices that remain in training.
Lieutenant (LT, O3)
Usually a division officer or service head on some smaller ships, in aircraft squadrons, submarines and ships, lieutenants serve as division officers. In some commands, senior lieutenants are department heads. For SEAL teams, LT, LTJGs and ENS serve as platoon leaders.
SEAL Team 6, officially known as United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), and Delta Force, officially known as 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), are the most highly trained elite forces in the US military.
The show was renewed for its seventh season in January 2023, and although an exact release date has not been announced, it is expected to premiere in the fall of 2023. Following the pattern of previous seasons, the production is likely to begin in mid-2023, allowing for a similar yearly gap between seasons.
Both units have the most sophisticated equipment and are highly trained in Close Quarters Combat (CQB), hostage rescue, high value target extraction, and other specialized operations. The difference is the extensive training DEVGRU operators have in specialized maritime operations, given their naval heritage.
As of Jul 22, 2023, the average annual pay for a Navy Seal in the United States is $103,954 a year.
Army Green Berets are among the most elite groups in the world, and provide a pipeline to higher units, like the Army's "Delta" CAG, and the CIA SAD. They have about as much street-cred as numbered SEALs and Force Recon, depending on who's doing the talking.
U.S. Navy SEALs are an elite unit, more exclusive and harder to be admitted to than the U.S. Marines . The United States Marine Corps (also known as USMC or Marines) is one of the 5 branches of the U.S. military under the Department of Defense.
While the route to SEALs training is more direct than for the Rangers, each training is more intensive. To be considered for SEALs training, candidates must meet a series of strict physical criteria and pass several tests.
Basic Pay Scale for Navy SEALS
Enlisted sailors entering the service at the lowest rank, E-1 (Seaman Recruit), receive $1,514 per month for the first four months of service and thereafter $1,638 per month.
Applicants must be from 17 to 28 years old. Waivers for men ages 29 and 30 are available for highly qualified candidates. Men with prior enlisted service as SEALs who are seeking to become SEAL Officers can request waivers to age 33. Vision must be correctable to 20/25.
GENERAL – A four-star general, the most senior officer rank, a General is nominated by the President and must also be confirmed for duty by the Senate.
On top of that, the first female special tactics officer graduated from the Air Force in 2022. Despite this attempt to have more women, there still aren't any female Navy SEALs. Jason Birch, a Navy Captain, explained how the Navy has made efforts to increase female special warfare candidates.
The highest ranking SEAL in the U.S. Navy (there is only one) is a four-star Admiral (O-10), the Navy's highest rank, who earns $15,583 a month.
Navy SEALs are eligible for retirement after 20 years of service, but many SEAL members continue service for at least 30 years to maximize their retirement benefits. After 20 years of service, Navy SEALS are eligible for 50% of their average base salary for retirement.
SEAL training has been described as brutal, preparing you for the extreme physical and mental challenges of SEAL missions. Training consists of: 12+ months of initial training that includes Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL BUD/S School, Parachute Jump School and SEAL Qualification Training (SQT)
Known as the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history, Navy Seal Chris Kyle, who served during the Iraq War, has become renowned as the American Sniper.
Nicknamed "White Death," Simo Häyhä tallied 505 kills, far and away the highest count from any major war. All of Häyhä's kills of Red Army combatants were accomplished in fewer than 100 days – an average of just over five kills per day – at a time of year with very few daylight hours.
Today's SEALs
Today there are 10 active-duty SEAL Teams, each made up of more than 200 men and women (SEALs and support and mission-enabling personnel), and each commanded by an 0-5 commander.
The SEAL teams are ranked as Tier 2 units by USSOCOM with DEVGRU/ ST6 being the Tier 1 Special Mission Unit. The SAS is considered to be a Tier 1 unit so roughly equivalent in training and capability to DEVGRU. Originally Answered: Who is better trained, a British SAS soldier or a U.S Navy SEAL?
Diving further in, SEALs can only be Sailors. You must be a member of the Navy to be a SEAL, but Delta Team pools from many branches. Many U.S. Navy SEALs become a part of Delta Force over time. Both operate very similarly, but where they conduct their operations usually varies.
SEAL Team Six was formally commissioned in November 1980, and an intense, progressive work-up training program made the unit mission-ready six months later. SEAL Team Six became the U.S. Navy's premier hostage rescue and counter-terrorism unit. It has been compared to the U.S. Army's elite Delta Force.