Naval Special Warfare Group 3 (NSWG-3), based at the

Naval Amphibious Base Coronado Naval Amphibious Base Coronado (NAB Coronado) is a US naval installation located across the bay from San Diego, California. The base, situated on the Silver Strand, between San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean, is a major Navy shore command, sup ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, was one of six constituent formations of the United States

Naval Special Warfare Command The United States Naval Special Warfare Command (USNSWC), also known as (NAVSPECWARCOM and WARCOM), is the naval component of United States Special Operations Command, the unified command responsible for overseeing and conducting the nation's ...

. Until 2008, NSWG-3 was composed of two

SEAL Delivery Vehicle The SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) is a crewed submersible and a type of swimmer delivery vehicle used to deliver United States Navy SEALs and their equipment for special operations missions. It is also operated by the Royal Navy's Special Boat S ...

Teams: SDVT-1 in

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

and SDVT-2 in Little Creek. In 2008, SDVT-2 was disestablished and merged into SDVT-1, which was then now headquartered in

and operated detachments in Pearl Harbor and Little Creek. SDV Teams are SEAL teams with an added underwater delivery capability. SDVT-2 was reactivated on 8 March 2019. NSWG-3 was deactivated alongside NSWG-10 in August 2021 and replaced by

Naval Special Warfare Group 8 A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...

which took in all units previously under NSWG-3 and NSWG-10.

Naval Special Warfare Group 3 Introduction

Naval Special Warfare Group 3 was one of the principal groups responsible for the organization’s leadership and deployment of

United States Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...

. The word SEAL is an acronym that stands for SEa, Air, and Land. This is named for the principal domains of operation that SEALs operate in. As the United States Navy’s primary

special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...

force it is imperative that they are highly functional in any terrain as they carry out the unconventional warfare missions that they are tasked with. There were many elements of Naval Special Warfare Group 3 that proved to be pivotal to the security of the United States. Such facets of Naval Special Warfare Group 3 included training, technology, and

allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

Training

One aspect of Naval Special Warfare Group 3 that was of importance included the continuous training regiment and upkeep of skills and abilities of the Navy SEALs; from the first day of the SEAL pipeline it usually takes about a year and a half of intensive training before a SEAL is ready to report to a SEAL Team. As of 2018, Naval Special Warfare had decided to triple the amount of SEAL training in the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

. This was an important development in the Naval Special Warfare community as it showed a shift in focus for future training. This also showed how the command within Naval Special Warfare Group 3 might have been training for a domain different from that of recent history (Iraq, Afghanistan). As stated, “after sixteen years of focusing predominantly on the terrain of Iraq and Afghanistan, they are expanding their training to be ready for other, more varied environments to be prepared for the missions to come”. This point also led to the transition of the entire U.S. Navy and its future plans with the help of Naval Special Warfare Group 3. Observations noted that a “strategic change to a ‘balance of power’ approach to deterrence should mean a tilt towards the Navy’s traditional missions” as well as how “inter-state strategic competition, not

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

, is now the primary concern in U.S. national security”. Returning to the Hawaiian Islands, the prime location of the islands offered SEALs the ability to conduct a multitude of training operations which include but are not limited to “

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

and launching and recovering submersibles, while land-based training would include transiting over the beach on foot and parachute insertions”.

Technology

Another key component to Naval Special Warfare Group 3 was their use of SEAL Delivery Vehicles and subsequent SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams. According to Stavros Atlamazoglou of SOFREP, the Naval Special Warfare Command had decided to reactivate SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2 (SDVT-2) stationed on the East Coast. SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams offered the Naval Special Warfare Community a unique opportunity to approach a designated target with minimal detection.

Allies

Another major importance for Naval Special Warfare Group 3 included relationships with other special forces groups. Naval Special Warfare is at the forefront of training and dominance over all terrains operators can be involved in, with an emphasis on the ocean. With that being said, it could be very beneficial for the United States to use Naval Special Warfare to train up other nations’ special forces. According to ''Targeted News Service'', this has been done over the past several years and recipient countries include Brazil, Panama, Colombia, and Peru. This joint nation special forces training took place during the PANAMAX multi-nation training operation; training was conducted in order to practice real-world scenarios that may arise and must be contained by allied partners. With the help of Naval Special Warfare Group 3 and subsequent SEAL and SWCC (Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman) operators, PANAMAX was able to effectively train up the allies of the United States and ensure they are prepared for a potential attack on the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

SDVT-1

SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One (SDVT-1) is commanded by a Navy Commander (O-5). The table of equipment for the unit included three operational

s (SDV) and a

Dry Deck Shelter A dry deck shelter (DDS) is a removable module that can be attached to a submarine to allow divers easy exit and entrance while the boat is submerged. The host submarine must be specially modified to accommodate the DDS, with the appropriate mating ...

(DDS). The normal table of organization includes three task units and a headquarters element. Each SDV Task Unit operates independently from a host submarine in the conduct of Naval Special Warfare missions. SDV Task Units typically deploy aboard host submarines, but may be deployed from shore or surface ships. The 40-man SDV Task Units are formed of a Headquarters element and 2 platoons of 16 men, comprising 11

SEALs Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...

, 1 dive medical technician, and 4 fleet support maintenance technicians. SDVT-1 conducts operations throughout the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

Command's and

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

Command's geographic areas of responsibility. SDVT-1 was initially headquartered in Coronado, California before being moved to Pearl Harbor in 1994. With Naval Special Warfare Group 3's deactivation in August 2021, SDVT-1 was transferred to Naval Special Warfare Group 8.

SDVT-2

SDVT-2 Naval Special Warfare Group 3 (NSWG-3), based at the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in California, was one of six constituent formations of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Until 2008, NSWG-3 was composed of two SEAL Delivery Vehi ...

is a team of Navy divers, SEALs, and SDV technicians based in

Little Creek, Virginia Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

and commanded by a Commander (O-5). It gives the Navy's SEAL Delivery Vehicles a base for operations on the East Coast and in Europe. SDVT-2 was disestablished on 8 August 2008. SDVT-2 was merged into SDVT-1, although the Navy continued to operate a small

establishment at Little Creek, albeit under the command of SDVT-1. SDVT-2 was reactivated on 8 March 2019. With Naval Special Warfare Group 3's deactivation in August 2021, SDVT-2 was transferred to Naval Special Warfare Group 8.

Mission

NSWG-3 was tasked with developing expertise in deploying Naval Special Warfare assets from

submarines A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely o ...

. Current non-classified methods of deployment include the

(SDV) from

s on submarines. The Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS) was also used before its cancellation. The SDV is planned to be replaced by the Shallow Water Combat Submersible in 2019, and the ASDS will be replaced with the

Dry Combat Submersible The Dry Combat Submersible (DCS) is a midget submarine designed and manufactured for USSOCOM by MSubs Ltd, a UK company located in Plymouth, Devon. MSubs is wholly owned by Submergence Group LLC, a Texas-based company that provides the linkages i ...

. Naval Special Warfare Group 3 and Naval Special Warfare group 10 were both deactivated in August 2021 and replaced by Naval Special Warfare Group 8, which took on all units previously assigned to NSWG-3 and NSWG-10. This restructuring was in response to emerging threats from China and Russia and reportedly seeks to realign the Navy's intelligence-gathering capabilities.

History

The SDV program dates back to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, when various sleds and vehicles developed for use by the

Underwater Demolition Team Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT), or frogmen, were amphibious units created by the United States Navy during World War II with specialized non-tactical missions. They were predecessors of the navy's current SEAL teams. Their primary WWII func ...

s. After the war, development continued in a garage-shop fashion by various UDT units, and included various "Marks" as the MK V, VII, VII, and XII. Intermediate numbers were assigned to some vehicles that never left the shop floor. All were of flooded design.Introduction to Naval Special Warfare
{{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080116021903/http://www.sealchallenge.navy.mil/seal/introduction.aspx , date=2008-01-16 The wet vehicle SDV program (officially named the Swimmer Delivery Vehicle, sometimes erroneously designated as the SEAL Delivery Vehicle after the Swimmer Delivery Vehicle Teams were renamed SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams) currently centers on the MK VIII MOD 1, was first established in 1975 for use among UDT/SEAL teams. The early MK8 MOD 0 SDVs had a PRC104 UHF

ultra high frequency Ultra high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequency, radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one ten ...

radio for use underway. The newer model MK8 MOD1 has a dual sliding canopy and quick release hatch.

References

Special operations units and formations of the United States Navy Combatant groups of the United States Navy