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United States Navy Sea, Air and Land Teams (SEALs)

The United States Navy Sea, Air and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Marine Corps' primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. As the largest military force in North America, SEALs are typically ordered to capture or kill high-level targets, or to gather intelligence behind enemy lines.

The modern-day U.S. Navy was established in 1962, and is now known as the United States Navy. Although not formally founded until that year, the concept of a special operations unit dates back to World War II. The Scouts and Raiders, formed in September 1942, was a joint Army-Marine-Navy unit tasked with identifying and reconnoitering objective beaches before landings.

The Scouts and Raiders were trained at Amphibious Training Base (ATB) Little Creek, Virginia, under the command of Army Lieutenant Lloyd Peddicord and Navy Ensign John Bell. The team's mission was to identify and guide assault waves to designated landing beaches. They embarked for the North Africa campaign in November 1942, with personnel from the 3rd and 9th Infantry Divisions.

The term "SEAL" is an acronym of Sea, Air, Land, which expresses the locations of the Special Forces. The unit's unofficial motto, "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday," reflects their demanding training and operational environment. SEALs are subordinate to the United States Naval Special Warfare Command (NAVSPECWARCOM), with its headquarters in Coronado, California.

Historically, the origins of the U.S. Navy SEALs lie in the Navy Combat Demolition Units (NCDU) and Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs). The NCDUs were a naval ordnance clearance service that cleared beaches before landings during World War II, while the UDTs worked in the Pacific War Zone with lighter equipment. In Japan, the UDTs played a crucial role in almost every landing operation.

The establishment of new military special forces was prompted by the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and the looming Cuban crisis. US President John F. Kennedy ordered the creation of SEAL teams to fill this operational gap. The first SEAL Team 1 was set up on January 1, 1962, in Coronado, California.

Today, Navy SEALs are a highly trained and elite special operations force