Navy SEALs dropped in on a nuclear-powered submarine in the Pacific, drilling for a higher-end fight

• The Naval Special Warfare community’s role could be expanded in a conflict with China or Russia.
• Navy SEALs recently trained alongside the submarine USS Greenville in the Pacific.
• This type of training reflects efforts to prepare for a higher-end fight, in which waters may be highly contested.

In the event of a conflict with China or Russia, the Naval Special Warfare community is expected to have an even larger role than it had during the counterterrorism and counterinsurgency campaigns of the Global War on Terror (GWOT).

With the majority of the world covered by water, including oceans, lakes, and rivers, Navy SEALs and Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen (SWCC) operators are expected to be at the tip of the spear of the special operations community in a potential conflict with Beijing or Moscow.

This community, however, will need to in 1942.

However, the main difference between these units and Navy SEALs is that the former use combat diving to get to the shore and conduct their normal mission sets, whereas the latter use combat diving to both get to the shore to attack enemy positions and conduct underwater reconnaissance.