NSFW - Operation Red Wings - graphic footage from battle (2005)

SEALs aren’t very good at reacting to ambushes? That’s an amateurish thing to say. They have practiced TTPs for ambushes like any unit. They are in the exact same ballpark as SF and 75th when it comes to executing IA drills.

I’ve seen it overseas in Iraq and I saw a lot of them during three years as an instructor at the Army’s National Training Center. If I had to choose (with no additional assets) between 4 SEALs, 4 ODA guys, or 4 Rangers to deal with an ambush, I wouldn’t give a single fuck which ones I ended up with. The problem that I’ve witnessed with SEALs, or rather the Navy, is that SEALs lack the assets that would have saved their ass in this situation. SEALs might end up with UAV coverage or dedicated CAS, but they probably had to beg, borrow, and steal to get it. Whereas it’s just part of a standard package for Army SOF.

So yes, the Navy might be less adept at planning for and dealing with a near ambush, but the guys on the ground are as good as any other shooters.

/r/CombatFootage Thread Parent