search and seizure

[cheap_shot]

I got a qestion for SWCC guys. do you guys do HALO jumps and thing like that? Or is most of your action on the sea? My recruiter was telling me that some of the ships have a search and seizure team, where you go and search the other ships, is that really related to SWCC as much as my recruiter makes it seem?

[Kinnikinik]

Yes SWCC guys train in HALO jumps. Most real world jumps are low altitude because dropping a boat from HALO heights is crazy. Still, the training is there. It is a mobility thing. SWCC guys are Special Warfare, so there may be times that they need to be inserted, perhaps into a landlocked sea, that HALO may come in handy.

The search and seizure teams onboard ships do compliant boardings to investigate smuggling, or other violations. The key word is compliant. If there is expected resistance, a Special Warfare boarding team will be used. SWCC and SEALs specialize in non-compliant boardings. These are boardings where... well the really don't want us on there for some reason or another. For the most part SWCC guys will augment their team with SEALs or Marines to do large boardings. This is to allow the SWCC operators to be able to continue communicating with the command centers and to provide for disabling fire if the vessel tries to flee. Another major difference is the depth of the water. Large ships can not go close to shore since most have a draft of 15 feet or more. RIBs have a draft of 6" at speed and can catch most small craft short of gasoline powered jet boats. The equalizing factor there? SWCC craft can maintain their speed in 4-6 foot seas and are operational well above that range. Speed boats can not.

So, no those boarding teams aren't really related to SWCC. They do an important and dangerous job, and are generally the best of the best from the ship, but they haven't been through SWCC training and have specific training areas as opposed to the "know everyone's job" mentality of the SWCC guys.

What else has your recruiter told you?

[FLaGaSS]

I mean this is slightly off the topic of the post, my bad. I was wondering though are boatguys taught combat on land at all? And if so would they ever use you guys for some close to shore combat?

[Kinnikinik]

Yes, part of the initial training is in Land Navigation. All SWCC guys who are deployed in a riverine environment are given additional training specific to the area of the world they would be going into. For example, the guys who are operating in the rivers and estuaries of South America receive extensive Jungle Survival training.

SWCC guys are special warriors and are cross trained with the idea that they should be prepared for just about anything. Jack of all trades would best describe it.

SWCC guys train mostly for close in fire support, that means firing from the water to the shore... and let me tell you we can really tear up a beach. We carry M4 Carbines and 9mm or .45 pistols on our person, but we make a much bigger bang with the .50 caliber machine guns and MK19 automatic 40 mm grenade lauchers onboard our boats... oh and SOC-R crews get to fire gatling guns. And you thought a chainsaw was the only way to cut through a tree quickly...

So, yes we are trained for it, but if you don't have to get off the boat to kill the bad guys, why should you?

[FLaGaSS]

Thanks again K.

[cheap_shot]

What else has your recruiter told you?

Sorry for the late reply. thanks for the information and the recruiter hasnt said much els, everything else he says about SEALs and SWCC makes sense to me, its just that when i asked him about SWCC and he told me the details, then he went off on this "search and seizure deal, and he said alot of the boats have there own search and seizure team which is pretty much like SWCC but more of them. That just didnt make no sense to me because SWCC, i understan anything with Special in front is pretty difficult to get accepted into. not just anyone can go join SWCC i wouldnt think. So i was thinking that if its pretty much the same why the hell do they even have a SWCC? but now that you clairified for i understand and next time i talk to him i will be educated, i hate talking about things im not too sure about, ive been tought that you only get screwed when you let yourself get screwed. and now i know a little about the subject, it makes me feel a little better. so again, thanks for help. your a gentleman and a scholar.

CS