It looks different fighting insurgents and not nation states. Army SF, CIA and Airforce bombing effectively eliminated the people we were fighting in very short order. But the big government, big military and big industry didn't want to stop. We expanded scope with an impossible objective of imposing democracy, nation building, etc. That never works with third world countries.
By the way, your comments make you look really uneducated.
A. Afghanistan? You have devolved into making personal attacks and have not proven one thing Se.A.L.s did on land in Afghanistan Marines couldn't do. Since Afghanistan is a land locked nation, no need for Se.A.L.s in Afghanistan.
I actually don't broadly disagree with you--it always seemed weird to me that Navy special forces were all up in Afghanistan, and got the trophy for OBL.
But here's the thing, and what I try to remember in reading anything about special forces--any public information, is information the enemy can access, and is hence disinformation. You, me, and anyone claiming both to know the truth, and be telling us in public channels, do not, and will not know what the truth is.
I got kinda into reading up on spec ops, as I assume many people do. I got to know enough to realise the above, and stopped wasting my time.
My working assumption is Navy spec ops got the credit for OBL, because Navy spec ops were nowhere near it. Same with anything at all about height, weight, race, numbers, command structure, names, duties--anything which can aid the enemy in forming an accurate picture about spec ops. That means pretty much anything.
Some people might disagree and that's cool but as for me, if I were running interference for clandestine fighting forces the absolute top priority, right out of the gate, would be to make sure any public information was specifically untrue
The first thing to realize is that it is two different things... 1) the fitness required to make it through BUDS... and 2) the fitness required to be a successful SEAL team member.
I can't speak for the Navy's selection process, but as it relates to the Army's Special Forces it is typically the skinny endurance kids that have an easier time making it through selection (physically speaking only as the mental game is a different story). Once a person is selected, then they tend to bulk up and build a specific body type for their role on the team.
The next thing to realize is that there is a difference between being a SEAL and being on SEAL Team 6. And there is a difference between being a Green Beret and being Delta. Within the special ops community, there are many different body types for a variety of roles.
So, I think the guy's general training advice is pretty spot on as long as it takes in all the other components needed to be a successful candidate.
I think a lot of folks outside the military don't quite have context for what non-Hollywood SOF guys look like. These guys are (95% of the time) not built like the Rock or a Hemsworth type - the majority of guys are 5'7 - 5'9, 160-190lbs, and trend towards endurance types. It's a product of what body type makes it through BUD/S, SFAS, etc - big guys break easier under the mileage, and selections are inherently endurance events.
To those saying that there aren't guys who can hit that proposed 7:30 for 1.5 miles - you'd be shocked at the type of athletes walking around in Tier 1 units. FWIW, it takes an 8:15 for 1.5 to max the Navy PST for the young fellas. I will concede - nowhere near everyone hits 7:30 - but among the officer types, there are more than you think. I had the pleasure of racing against a few guys who ultimately became SEAL officers after college - they were rolling 34-35min for 10k at the end of olympic triathlon races.
Funny how runners recognize lies from ordinary people ("I ran a sub 4 mile" says their half-fit friend) but not from prestigious military units
despite that exaggerating your abilities is standard bluff to impress the opponent.
offended personnel can be satisfied with their fitness without having to go tell everyone. Better yet let the enemy think you're a pathetic fatty then surprise them.
The article is pretty sobering -- Seal candidates hiding steroids and other PED's in the trunk of a used car purchased specifically for that purpose to use during BUDS. But you have to assume that if a significant number of candidates consider PED's as necessary during BUDS, they also use them during their training and build up to BUDS. Concerning. The question isn't just how many miles you need to run each week in preparation, but also what drugs you might use to maximize your recovery,