SEAL Team 6 and Delta Force are two of the world’s most elite counterrorism special
forces units.
Their highly-trained operators undertake the most risky and dangerous missions for the
U.S. Military, and even though they operate under absolute secrecy, we do know that these
units have been responsible for some of the highest-profile successful counterrerorism
missions in recent decades, from the dramatic sea rescue of a hijacked ship and crew, to
the take down of America’s number 1 enemy - Osama bin Laden.
We know both units are the best of the best, but if it came down to U.S. Navy SEAL Team
6 versus Delta Force, who would win?
The first official special forces units were formed in the U.S. in the 1950s, although
there is ample evidence of unofficial special operations throughout history, including World
War 2 and even as far back as the Revolutionary War.
The Navy SEALS can trace their roots back to World War II’s Naval Combat and Underwater
Demolition Teams.
These special units were disbanded after the war, but resurrected during the 1950s and
60s during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
When SEAL Team 6, officially known as the United States Naval Special Warfare Development
Group, or DEVGRU, was formed in 1980, it was one of only 2 Navy SEAL teams in operation
at the time - the use of the number 6 in the unit’s name was a ploy to trick the Soviets
into thinking that the U.S. had more active special forces units than they really had.
Delta Force, or the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, was formed in the late 1970s
in response to worldwide political unrest and a rise in international terrorism.
It was inspired by the British Special Air Service, or SAS, and a 1977 proposal painted
a picture of an elite force that could respond to “highly sensitive situations, including
international acts of terrorism.”
Officially, Delta Force and SEAL Team 6 don’t even exist, making it hard to get accurate
information about their operations and members.
Best estimates place the total number of Delta Force operators at around 1,000, and there
are an estimated 300 active SEAL Team 6 operators.
Unofficially, these 2 units carry out some of the U.S. Military’s most dangerous and
risky missions.
With so many similarities between the two units, and the wall of secrecy that surrounds
their operations, it’s no wonder that people often find it hard to keep them straight.
Both Seal Team 6 and Delta Force are Special Missions Units, or SMUs, under the control
of the secretive Joint Special Operations Command, or JSOC.
Both are Tier 1 units, closed teams that are staffed by invitation only.
There are only 4 Tier 1 units in the U.S. in total - Seal Team 6, Delta Force, the Air
Force’s 24th Special Tactical Squadron and the CIA’s Intelligence Support Activity
team.
The Tier 1 units are the most elite and selective special operations units, and their operators
are the best of the best of the best.
Both Seal Team 6 and Delta Force undertake similar clandestine missions, primarily counterterrorism
operations, but they are also trained in Close Quarters Combat, hostage rescue and espionage.
But despite their many similarities, the units differ quite a bit in terms of selection and
training, operations and culture.
If Seal Team 6 and Delta Force were ever to go head-to-head, how would these two ultra-elite
units fare against one another?
Let’s find out by taking a closer look at two of the U.S.’s most secretive and elite
special missions units.
One of the main differences between SEAL Team 6 and Delta Force is the way that the units
select and vet their candidates.
Delta Force candidates largely come from the U.S. Army - most come from the 75th Ranger
Regiment or the Special Forces, but they’ve also been known to accept candidates from
other military branches, including the Coast Guard, the National Guard and even the Navy
SEALS.
SEAL Team 6, on the other hand, selects candidates exclusively from within existing SEAL team
units.
This gives SEAL Team 6 the advantage of having a common culture among recruits who all came
from a Navy SEAL background, and operators often already know each other from previous
missions or training.
Once candidates have been selected, the process of qualifying and training as a SEAL Team
6 operator is quite different from the path that a new Delta Force recruit will follow.
Delta Force holds selection courses twice a year at a secret location somewhere deep
in the Appalachian Mountains, where more than 100 candidates attend the gruelling course.
Candidates come from diverse military backgrounds but all are battle-hardened, seasoned soldiers
- and still, the failure rate is over 90%.
The selection course is exactly as tough and demanding as you would expect a course with
such a high failure rate to be.
Candidates undergo a grueling test of their physical fitness, stamina and mental determination.
Candidates must complete a series of navigation tests, where they must navigate a foreign
landscape with nothing but an old-fashioned map and compass.
They are also subjected to physical endurance tests, like a timed 18 mile “ruck march”,
a night-time hike carrying a fully-loaded 35 pound pack, and a timed 40 mile mission
carrying a 45 pound pack over steep, rough terrain.
The lucky 10% who manage to survive the gueling test of the selection course are then subjected
to a barrage of psychological evaluations and a Commander’s Review before being officially
accepted into the unit.
Even once they are accepted though, they are not in the clear.
New recruits must attend a 6-month Operator Training Course, or OTC, where another 30
to 40% of the candidates fail to make the final cut.
SEAL Team 6 has a 2-part selection process - the Review and the Green Team.
After a Navy Seal submits an application, his picture is posted on the wall at the unit’s
headquarters in the Navy’s Dam Neck Annex.
Current SEAL Team 6 members, who may have worked with the candidate in the past, then
mark the candidate’s photo with a check mark if they should be accepted into the elite
unit, or with a minus sign if they don’t think they’d make the cut.
Once a candidate has passed this daunting review, they’ve earned the right to attend
a Green Team - a 6-month long training and selection course similar to Delta’s OTC,
where they face a 50% failure rate.
The remaining graduates are then drafted.
For the rare few that make it through the selection process and are admitted into the
elite ranks of SEAL Team 6 or Delta Force, their further training will look remarkably
similar.
Both units are highly trained in counterterrorism, close quarters combat, hostage rescue, high
value target extraction, espionage, explosives and marksmanship.
Thanks to their Naval heritage, SEAL Team 6 operators receive additional training in
specialized maritime and underwater operations.
This gives them an advantage at sea, but Delta Force has an edge in ground combat.
In cases where a mission devolves into a large unit action, Delta Force operators can rely
on their greater ground combat experience to switch into infantry mode - SEAL Team 6
operators may lack as much experience in large-unit infantry tactics as Delta Force given their
highly specialized training in small-unit tactics.
Both units receive similar training because they undertake similar missions and objectives.
Because of the clandestine nature of these elite units, we know very little about their
actual operations, though that’s changing in recent years.
Increased media scrutiny and coverage of the elite teams’ operations is driving a strong
public interest in these secretive special forces.
Hollywood, always quick to capitalize on a trend, has further raised the profile of these
under-the-radar units with a string of blockbuster hits.
Black Hawk Down was a dramatic retelling of the 1993 capture of Somali strongman Mohamed
Farrah Aidid by Delta Force operatives.
Zero Dark Thirty received 5 Academy Award nominations for its portrayal of the SEAL
Team 6 raid of a compound in Pakistan that resulted in the death of Al-Qaeda leader and
9/11 architect Osama bin Laden.
The 2013 film Captain Phillips told the amazing true story of Captain Richard Phillips, played
by Tom Hanks, who was rescued by SEAL Team 6 operatives after he was hijacked and kidnapped
by Somali pirates in 2009.
Because of their overlapping mandates and skill sets, there is certainly some rivalry
between SEAL Team 6 and Delta Force.
SEAL Team 6 have been called out by Delta Force for “courting the spotlight” after
the takedown of bin Laden, though this criticism might stem from the fact that Delta Force
felt that they should have been the ones to lead that important mission.
It was insinuated that the SEALs only got to take the lead because Navy Admirals were
in high command positions in the JSOC and the Special Operations Command at the time.
While there may be tension between the groups from time to time, both SEAL Team 6 and Delta
Force are on the same side in the War on Terror, and in reality they often work together on
counterterrorism missions, albeit unofficially.
As you’d expect, these elite teams have access to state-of-the-art weapons and technologies
to help them complete their dangerous missions.
The HK416 carbine is thought to be the assault rifle favored by Delta Force operators, though
they also have their pick of other high-powered assault rifles like the Colt M4A1 or the M16.
Delta Force also uses the MP5 9mm submachine gun, Colt .45 pistols and Beretta and Glock
9mm pistols.
In addition to the impressive array of weapons at their disposal, Delta Force operators are
supported by a team of gunsmiths who help customize the moving parts, sights, stock
and grips to each operator's personal specifications and provide Delta Force snipers with hand-loaded
ammunition.
SEAL Team 6 operators have a similarly impressive weapon’s cache.
They also favor the HK416 and M4A1 assault rifles, but use Sig Sauer 9mm pistols.
SEAL Team 6 also uses the MK46 and MK48 machine guns, and a modified M79 grenade launcher
dubbed the “Pirate Gun”.
SEAL Team 6 snipers have their pick of the world’s best sniper rifles, like the MK
11, 12, 13, and 15 medium- and long-range sniper rifles, the M82 .50 caliber extreme
long-range rifle, and the McMillan TAC-338, which fires the deadly .338 Lapua Magnum round.
Now that we know more about the selection process, training and operations of these
Special Mission Units, we can’t help but wonder how they’d fare in a head-to-head
competition.
If SEAL Team 6 and Delta Force had to complete identical missions, which team would put up
the superior performance?
Better yet, how would they fare against each other in a hypothetical adversarial combat
situation?
In a competition-style head-to-head, it would be a tight race to say the least.
Both units are highly capable counterterrorism units, and their similar training allows both
teams to effectively execute many of the same missions.
SEAL Team 6 would have a clear advantage if the competition included a marine element,
and their homogeneous culture and the fact that unit members often knew and worked with
each other prior to joining the ultra elite team might just be enough to give them a slight
edge on land, too.
If, on the other hand, we were to pit SEAL Team 6 and Delta Force against each other
in a brutal battle royale, the units’ similar training and overlapping mission objectives
would mean that both teams would know how the other operates, and therefore their usual
tactics would be useless.
In an adversarial situation, they’d have to improvise and rely on combat instincts
to survive, and this is where Delta Force has the edge.
Unlike SEAL Team 6 operatives, the vast majority of Delta Force operatives have served in the
infantry and have direct combat experience, making them more adaptable to changing battle
conditions and more effective in an ambush.
Whether you think SEAL Team 6 is the last word in special forces, or you’re a Delta
Force fan through and through, there’s no denying that both elite units are head-and-shoulders
above every other unit in the U.S. Military, and maybe even the whole world.
Let’s just hope they never go head-to-head for real...
If you enjoyed this video, be sure and check out our others, like “Weirdest Weapons In
The World”, or this other video instead!