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ASSAULT FORCE

An extreme response to a terrorist threat or urban combat situation. The Assault Force is composed of highly specialized members of the SEAL Platoon utilizing close quarter combat tactics, skills and equipment. Boarding ships at sea (VBSS-Visit, Board, Search and Seizure), Gas & Oil Platform takedowns (GOPLAT), aircraft hijackings and your basic room & building clearance operations in response to terrorist threats are all capabilities of the Assault Force. The response to these situations needs to be rapid, surgical and stealthy. Assault Force is composed of the Assault Force Commander, Team Leader, Breacher, Snipers and Shooters. The Commander is in overall tactical command of the force when in the field. The Team Leader is in charge of controlling his element while on the ground. The Snipers operate either from a hide site or from a helo covering the movement of the element. The Breacher carries the improvised breaching charges and other gear to get into the hard to get at places. The Shooters - you guessed it, shoot. These men are all highly trained in CQB tactics and room entry techniques. Below is a pictoral view of some Assault Team members jacked up for a mission. 

COMMANDER

The Assault Force Commander is often jacked up and on the ground with the Assault Team. This man will be a Lieutenant of higher, and in overall tactical command of the operation. He is in communication with the Task Unit HQ with his PRC 117 (carried by his radioman), and the sniper element and shooters with his MX-300 UHF. The Commander usually patrols in the patrol leader's position, but will enter a room at the end of the "train" to be one step removed from the chaos of the initial entries and to better control his team. 

BREACHER

The Breacher is responsible for forcing his way into closed spaces. He will do this with specialized explosives called breaching charges, which are shape charges designed to be surgical in their force and send the preponderance of their blast forward into the room, vice back at the Assault Team. He also carries a sledgehammer to use if explosives are not necessary, and a lock picking kit if stealth is preferred. SEAL Team Breachers get most of their training in house at their respective Teams, but also attend the Applied Explosives Technology course and SEAL Weapons Systems course for further tools of the trade. 

SNIPER

The Assault Force snipers are platoon snipers chosen for the special application of their deadly skill. The snipers will outfit themselves depending on the nature of the mission. If a VBSS scenario, they will ride in the UH-1's or MH-60, which take position along the gunwale of the vessel. From this position they can clear the way for the Assault Force, and relay real time Intel to the Commander. In a land scenario, the snipers may insert several days ahead of the Assault Force and act as a Special Reconnaissance element from a hide site. At a signal from the Commander, the snipers will initiate the action by removing any guards or terrorists within their view and cover for the Assault Force, which is moving toward the target site. The sniper team is a very valuable element of the Assault Force.

RADIOMAN

The Assault Force Radioman is a shooter with the added bonus of being in charge of making sure the Commander can talk to everyone at once! The Commander must be in constant contact with the sniper element, his element leaders and of course, the Task Unit Commander who will be relaying information and hounding the Assault Force Commander for information (not to mention probably trying to micromanage the op from his cozy office in the Tactical Operations Center). The Radioman stays within inches of the Commander at all times during the mission and is often the last to enter the hot zone. 

SHOOTER

The Shooters are the workhorses of the Assault Team. Each Shooter is highly skilled in close quarter battle and is assigned a position in the patrol. Their position in the assault "train," however, depends upon where the train is, and each member needs to be able to control the room after entry depending upon the Standard Operating Procedures of the Assault Team. Shooters train on average for six weeks per training cycle in Close Quarter Battle tactics. The shooting phase, emphasizing handgun and MP-5 techniques, sees the shooters expending several thousand rounds of ammunition to reach a base-line proficiency and accuracy level. Shooting is a highly perishable skill, and SEAL operators spend countless hours sending rounds down range - especially in close quarter battle training.

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