WASHINGTON â Ten years after they found and killed Osama bin Laden, U.S. Navy SEALs are undergoing a major transition to improve leadership and expand their commando capabilities to better battle threats from global powers like China and Russia.
The new plan cuts the number of SEAL platoons by as much as 30% and increases their size to make the teams more lethal and able to counter sophisticated maritime and undersea adversaries. And there will be a new, intensive screening process for the Navyâs elite warriors, to get higher-quality leaders after scandals that rocked the force and involved charges of murder, sexual assault and drug use.
US Navy SEALs boosting numbers and returning to sea to tackle threats from China and Russia
For the past two decades, the Navy s special operations forces have been focused on counter-terrorism. Now they are going back to sea.
29 April 2021 • 4:09pm
The decision reflects the broader Pentagon strategy to prioritise the maritime threat from China and Russia
Credit: Steve Salisbury / REUTERS
The US Navy SEALs are reorganising and retraining to focus on the maritime threats posed by Russia and China after decades fighting against militants and extremists in the Middle East.
Ten years after killing Osama Bin Laden, the number of platoons will decrease by 30 per cent, but the number of elite special forces fighters will increase, as the Navy looks to streamline and expand its capabilities on and under the water to counter “peer threats”.
Ten years after they found and killed Osama bin Laden, U.S. Navy SEALs are undergoing a major transition to improve leadership and expand their commando capabilities to better battle threats from global powers like China and Russia
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That decision reflects the broader Pentagon strategy to prioritize China and Russia, which are rapidly growing their militaries and trying to expand their influence around the globe. U.S. defense leaders believe that two decades of war against militants and extremists have drained resources, causing America to lose ground against Moscow and Beijing.
The counter-terrorism fight had its benefits, allowing the SEALs to sharpen their skills in developing intelligence networks and finding and hitting targets, said Howard, who heads Naval Special Warfare Command, which includes the SEALs and the special warfare combatant-craft crewmen. “Many of these things are transferable, but now we need to put pressure on ourselves to operate against peer threats.”