Land
STANDARD DESERT OPERATOR LOAD OUT
The SEAL operators adapt to the cruel environment of the world's deserts by outfitting themselves with long range M-14's, desert camouflage fatigues, dust goggles, sat-com radios, gps, night vision devices, camelback hydration systems (see the Commissary for more information) and a host of other specialty gear.
ARCTIC OPERATIONS
SEAL Team TWO is responsible for Eastern Europe and the old Soviet Union. SEAL Team FIVE on the West Coast is responsible for the Northern Pacific regions - like North Korea and China. Both teams require a high degree of winter warfare training and are quite adept at operating in this forbidding environment.
MOUNTAIN & ARCTIC WARFARE
Cold Weather and Arctic Operations can be some of the most demanding operations that the SEAL Teams tackle. Imagine locking out of a submarine with zodiacs in your dry suits under the arctic sea, transiting 35 miles in the bitter cold, going over the beach and changing to land gear, then patrolling inland on cross country skis to your objective. Travel is conducted at night, laying-up during the day in carefully concealed snow caves. After hitting the objective you must traverse a mountain range to rendezvous with your extraction platform twenty kliks away. That sounds easy right? Well, throw in a blizzard or two, an enemy very interested in your presence and vertical cliffs, and you have quite a challenge on your hands. Fortunately, SEALs assigned to operate in the more forbidding environments of the world train rigorously to adapt to and operate effectively in these environments. Training takes place in Alaska, Montana, Norway, Korea, Canada, Britain and other cold spots around the world. A Mountain & Arctic Warfare Platoon workup will include several months of specialized preparation including cold weather amphibious operations, ski patrols lasting several days, winter survival and avalanche training.
Cold weather equipment must be versatile and durable to withstand the cruel effects of the Arctic elements. The Winter Warfare SEAL Operator carries a first line, second line and third line of gear, as with other more temperate operations (see load out for more detail). The SEAL Operator must strive to produce heat from exertion in a sub-zero environment, and to prevent heat loss from radiation, conduction, convection evaporation and expiration. The clothing worn, and the way it is worn, is instrumental to survival. Three principals are key to the clothing design: insulation, layering and ventilation. The layering is important because due to the heat created by exertion, the operator must remove clothing while patrolling, but he must re-layer when idle to prevent hypothermia from setting in. Ventilation helps by preventing perspiration from dampening the operators clothing.
The SEAL operators adapt to the cruel environment of the world's deserts by outfitting themselves with long range M-14's, desert camouflage fatigues, dust goggles, sat-com radios, gps, night vision devices, camelback hydration systems (see the Commissary for more information) and a host of other specialty gear.
ARCTIC OPERATIONS
SEAL Team TWO is responsible for Eastern Europe and the old Soviet Union. SEAL Team FIVE on the West Coast is responsible for the Northern Pacific regions - like North Korea and China. Both teams require a high degree of winter warfare training and are quite adept at operating in this forbidding environment.
MOUNTAIN & ARCTIC WARFARE
Cold Weather and Arctic Operations can be some of the most demanding operations that the SEAL Teams tackle. Imagine locking out of a submarine with zodiacs in your dry suits under the arctic sea, transiting 35 miles in the bitter cold, going over the beach and changing to land gear, then patrolling inland on cross country skis to your objective. Travel is conducted at night, laying-up during the day in carefully concealed snow caves. After hitting the objective you must traverse a mountain range to rendezvous with your extraction platform twenty kliks away. That sounds easy right? Well, throw in a blizzard or two, an enemy very interested in your presence and vertical cliffs, and you have quite a challenge on your hands. Fortunately, SEALs assigned to operate in the more forbidding environments of the world train rigorously to adapt to and operate effectively in these environments. Training takes place in Alaska, Montana, Norway, Korea, Canada, Britain and other cold spots around the world. A Mountain & Arctic Warfare Platoon workup will include several months of specialized preparation including cold weather amphibious operations, ski patrols lasting several days, winter survival and avalanche training.
Cold weather equipment must be versatile and durable to withstand the cruel effects of the Arctic elements. The Winter Warfare SEAL Operator carries a first line, second line and third line of gear, as with other more temperate operations (see load out for more detail). The SEAL Operator must strive to produce heat from exertion in a sub-zero environment, and to prevent heat loss from radiation, conduction, convection evaporation and expiration. The clothing worn, and the way it is worn, is instrumental to survival. Three principals are key to the clothing design: insulation, layering and ventilation. The layering is important because due to the heat created by exertion, the operator must remove clothing while patrolling, but he must re-layer when idle to prevent hypothermia from setting in. Ventilation helps by preventing perspiration from dampening the operators clothing.
