Differences

U.S. Navy

By Thomas B. Hunter

This section has been created to give very basic answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about U.S. Navy Special Warfare and USMC special mission units.  Of course this will will not provide a comprehensive, all-inclusive answer, as that can only be found through your own research on this site and everyone always has questions even after the questions have been answered.  Links are provided where appropriate to assist you in your search.  The number of questions and comparisons between units that could be provided here are infinite, so only those most popular questions are answered here.  Members of the units described below are welcome to provide their input by emailing the webmaster.

What is the difference between USMC Force Recon and the Navy's SEAL Teams?  

The primary difference is that the bread-and-butter mission of Force Recon is deep reconnaissance (usually farther inland than the SEALs).  Their mission is to get 'eyes-on' a given target, transmit photos and/or video of the target to command, then get out undetected.  If they end up shooting their way out, something has gone wrong.  FR is certainly capable of slugging it out, but like any small recon team, they are not equipped for a prolonged stand up fight (neither is a SEAL recon team).

The SEALs, on the other hand, are more direct action-oriented.  Their mission is to get to a target and destroy it, or to an individual and snatch him.  If they are able to set their delayed explosives and make it back to the water before anyone is the wiser, then they have done their job.  If the shooting starts, again, something has likely gone wrong.  In the latter case of 'snatching' an individual, the effort is always made to make sure their hostage (or rescued fellow sailor/Marine/solider/airman) gets back to the water with them, without a shot being fired.

Now, it should be noted that both units are trained in many of the same skills and missions.  They can do hostage rescue, assaults on oil platforms, and more.  Both are also highly trained in amphibious reconnaissance, and this is where they find mission overlap to be the greatest problem.  So how do they settle it?  Well, usually whoever is closest gets the mission.  Another factor is the commanding officer - if he is Navy, he may request the SEALs.  If he is the CO of a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF), then he will almost certainly ask his Force Recon Marines to perform the mission.  This is where politics can enter into the decision making process.  As both units are superb at such a mission, however, the end result is that the job gets done regardless - and gets done in a professional manner.

One retired SEAL officer had this to say:

"Personally, I like the FR folks. They go into the Force Recon game with a great attitude, 'every Marine is a rifleman'. Very basic... and very essential. All are cut from that very same cloth. Their standards are high. And what I like most about them is that they keep their mouths quiet. Notice how much the Agency uses them over SOF. Cause the boys believe they can count on 'em for,... more than just the ops. They're part of the team. They train as hard and school as much as we do. Man-for-man, pound-for-pound they're good troops and I wouldn't mind at all them backing' me up. I'd give our guys the overall edge physical fitness-wise, however. Where we have another edge, what I consider,... the real edge,... is how we SEAL people fight. "Unrelenting, violent aggression in the face of adversity." It's how you get through it, to live live through it. And each time something like that happens, your own life undergoes another quickening of sorts. Once it's over, one thinks, 'Great the breathing bags still work and the pulse is a-racin'. If one fights with his spirit, the sword inevitably follows. The spirit of a man can well be either white or black, for both are strong, and always competing. Shows self control. FR guys are right up there. On a parallel track,...We have the phrase in SOF, "Shoot-Move-Think-Communicate & Survive. " Well, it's one thing to know the phrase, another to believe, that practiced diligently, does really work. One of my own axioms, (something I used to say to myself before battle) "Only the most committed wins. Winning in this business... means living.""

Another senior retired SEAL officer:

Tom: I wouldn't begin to say that either unit is "better" than the other. FR is better at what they do than we are, and the SEALs are better at what they do. Missions are comparable, except FR go farther inland than SEALs and don't use the airborne entry method as much as SEALs do (or plan to do). SEALs are better in the water (naturally), and FR are probably better at conducting ops over long distances over the ground. Also, SEALs have a significantly better waterborne capability for the simple reason that they
have more and bigger boats.

I know a lot of Recon guys, and I'll hoist a beer with them any day! 

What is the difference between Battalion Recon and Force Recon?

Within a Marine Air/Ground Task Force there exists two separate recon units. The Ground Combat Element commander has a platoon of Recon Marines in his support. This platoon focuses on the Ground forces area of interest.  This platoon is commonly referred to as the "Battalion" or sometimes "Division" recon platoon, as their parent command is the Marine Division.

The MAGTF commander also has a platoon of Recon Marines to focus on the MAGTF (Force) area of interest. They are normally the ones tasked with the "special operations" missions which draw the imagination of Recon hopefuls. They also retain their mission of general reconnaissance support to the force commander. This platoon is commonly referred to as the "Force" recon platoon as their parent command is the Marine Expeditionary Force.

Basic training paths for Marines in both units are similar. More advanced training focuses on a platoon's likely missions while deployed, so training individual and unit training paths diverge as a deployment nears.

The answers to more Marine Recon/Force Recon questions can be found here.  The above question and answer was derived directly from that page.

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