U.S. Navy SEAL Chain-of-Command
This page covers a review of the "Totem Pole" or
"Food Chain" from the very top
of the Special OPS main command HQ down to the SEAL Operator level! The page
also lists the basic area assignments for the various SEAL TEAMs! UDT's were merged
into the Navy SEAL TEAMs in 1983, therefore they are not listed here.
On this page is listed the Chain of Command of the U.S. Navy SEALs; Top to Team size:
Top SPEC OPS Command: Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).
Note: Only NSWDG (former SEAL Team 6) is under JSOC command only, this
Elite Unit
is devoted to CounterTerrorism
deployments. It also works with Delta
Force special component missions.
United States Special Operations Command (USSOC).
Naval Special
Operations Command (NAVSPECWARCOM)
Commanded by O-7 (Eric T.Olson,RAdm, LH).
The Main Two NSW Groups are Divided as Follows:
HQ1: Naval SPEC WAR Group 1 (NAVSPECWARGRU1, West Coast) Commanded by O-6 (Capt):
NSWG 1 Detachment 10, 11, & 13 Coronado NAB, California
NSWG 1 Detachment
Kodiak
Kodiak, Alaska
SEAL Teams 1 &
3
Coronado NAB, California (Commanded by O-5, CDR)
SEAL Team 3
Detachment
(?) , Hawaii
SEAL Team 5 &
7
Coronado NAB, California (Commanded by O-5, CDR)
SEAL Vehicle Delivery Team 1 Coronado NAB, California
STVDT1
Detachment
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Special Boat Squadron
1
Coronado NAB, California
Special Boat Unit 11
(USNR) Mare
Island, California
Special Boat Unit
12
Coronado NAB, California
Special Boat Unit 13 (USNR)
Coronado NAB, California
Helicopter Composite
Squadron 5
(USNR)
NAS Pt, Mugu, California
Naval Special Warfare Unit
1
Guam
Naval Special Warfare Task Group
Seventh
Fleet
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
SEAL Element Western
Pacific
Guam
Special Boat Detachment West
Pacific
Guam
HQ2: Naval SPEC WAR Group 2 (NAVSPECWARGRU2, Eest Coast) Commanded by
O-6 (Capt):
NSWG 2 Detachment
6
Dam Neck, Virginia
SEAL Teams 2, 4, 8, &
10
Little Creek, Virginia (Commanded by O-5, CDR)
SEAL Vehicle Delivery Team
2
Little Creek, Virginia
Special Boat Squadron
2
Little Creek, Virginia
Special Boat Unit
20
Little Creek, Virginia
Special Boat Unit 22
(USNR)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Special Boat Unit 23
(USNR)
Little Creek, Virginia
Special Boat Unit
26
Little Creek, Virginia
Helicopter Composite Squadron 4 (USNR) Little Creek, Virginia
Naval Special Warfare Unit
2
Machrihanish, UK
Naval Special Warfare Unit
4
Roosevelt Roads, PR
Naval Special Warfare Unit
8
Rodman NAS, PM
Naval Special Warfare Unit
10 Rodman
NAS, PM
Naval Special Warfare HQ Base
Coronado,
California
NSW Task Group
Atlantic Norfolk,
Virginia
NSW Task Group
Europe
Machrihanish, UK
NSW Task Group
South
Rodman NAS, PM
Special Notes on SEAL Team Unit Strength:
Each SEAL Team is company size, and commanded by an O-5 (CDR).
Each SEAL Team is manned per NSW21 standard, 128 men (21 Officers, 107 Enlisted)
Each SEAL TEAM has 10 SPEC OPS Platoons.
Each SEAL Platoon has 2 Officers, O-3 (LCDR).
Each SEAL Platoon has 14 Enlisted Men.
Each SEAL Platoon is divided into 2 SEAL Squads.
Each SEAL Squad has 1 Officer and 7 Enlisted men.
SEAL Platoons are identified within using Phonetic Letters:
1/ECHO/SEAL4 = 1st Squad, Echo Platoon, SEAL Team 4.
Each SEAL Team is also assigned staff support of 11 men: 1 Officer, 10 Enlisted.
Teams when forward deployed are squadrons, under the NSW21 concept.
There are six Operating Platoons in each SEAL Squadron unit.
Credits for this page:
"US Navy SEAL Patrol Leader's Handbook" Paladin Press 1994
"The Finishing School: Earning the SEAL Trident" by Dick Couch, Crown Books,
2004
Additional
Chart of the Naval Spec War Command
Back To SEALs Page