Are Navy SEALs considered the most elite unit among U.S. special forces?
It's not a game of levels like Dungeons & Dragons where Rangers are level 10, Green Berets (SF) are level 15, and Navy SEALs are level 20. That’s simply not how U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) work.
Questions like these show a misunderstanding of how SOF units function. It’s not about one unit being "more powerful" than the others; it's more like a game of rock, paper, scissors. Every unit has its own purpose, role, and specialty:
Need a maritime team to plant explosives and slip away unnoticed? Call the Navy SEALs.
Need to capture and secure an airfield? That’s a job for the Army Rangers.
Need to rescue hostages from a hijacked airplane? Delta Force is your best choice.
Need to train foreign rebel forces to wage guerrilla warfare? Send in the Special Forces (the Green Berets).
Regarding the Bin Laden raid:
Many people mention this, but that operation was carried out by DEVGRU (SEAL Team Six), not a standard SEAL team. DEVGRU’s mission profile is closer to Delta Force than to traditional SEAL Teams.
DEVGRU was in a unique position for the raid because its operators were in the right place at the right time, with the necessary preparation, to be deployed without raising suspicion from foreign intelligence services.
At that point in the Afghanistan conflict, SEALs (including standard teams) were operating on land since there was no significant naval mission requirement. However, this doesn’t make them ideal for land-based infantry patrols. Many conventional troops were unimpressed by SEAL performance in that role because it wasn’t their specialty. Yet due to manpower shortages, even non-combat units like chemical corps and cooks were pulled into patrol duties.
DEVGRU specifically had responsibility for operations in Afghanistan, while Delta Force mainly focused on Iraq. Though both units were present in each area, this distinction explains their roles.
Lastly, the JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) leader overseeing the raid was a former SEAL, which may have influenced the operational assignment.
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