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!
