5 of the Toughest Navy SEALs’ Missions

Sea, air, and land each come with its own set of challenges, shortcomings, and dangers in battle. These three geographical landmarks make up the name of one of the world’s most potent and globally respected special operations forces: The U.S. Navy SEAL.

That’s right, from direct raids to conducting complex reconnaissance missions, the Navy SEALs just about see it all regarding warfare and all-out combat.

Let’s delve into some of the most difficult missions they have embarked on.

Operation Nifty Package—1989

In Panama, in December of 1989, forty-eight members of SEAL Team 4 had infiltrated the land with one mission: to destroy General Manuel Noriega’s (a racketeer and drug smuggler) private jet at a coastal airport. However, this move to remove Manuel from power proved a more significant challenge than the commanders had thought.

A sizable fleet of heavily armed and well-trained Panamanian military forces had secured the parameter at the airport. An all-out firefight took the lives of four SEALs and wounded eight.

However, with persistence and fervor, the SEALs were able to deploy a shoulder-fired CT 4 anti-tank missile and neutralize the jet.

Operation Red Wings—2005

This operation was a counter-insurgent mission in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, carried out on the 28th of June, 2005, where the SEAL Team made an impossible decision.

In the middle of their mission to take out Taliban Leader Ahmed Shah, the team had stumbled upon a group of goat herders whose hostility was a question mark. SEAL Team Leader Mike Murphy had a difficult decision to make: to neutralize the herders or let them see another day. It all led to a group vote.

Since only one SEAL team member voted to neutralize the herders, the team decided to let them go.

Not long after their release, the SEALs were confronted with 200 well-organized Afghan fighters teaming up for an all-out, multi-sided ambush.

Seven helicopters were flown in an attempt to rescue the SEALs, which would end up being the greatest single loss of life for Naval Special Forces in history.

Operation Anaconda—2002

In March 2002, the CIA and the U.S. and Afghan military were in hot pursuit of destroying Taliban forces in the Shahi-Kot Valley.

In an attempt to develop observation stations at either end of the valley, two SEAL Teams were deployed on the third day of fighting. Both of the peaks were heavily occupied and aggressively defended by the Taliban forces. This led to the famous Battle of Takur Ghar, a heated firefight between the Special Forces and the Taliban. Eight U.S. soldiers were killed, with numerous others wounded.

The hills were, however, secured.

This operation is often referred to as the Battle of Robert Ridge in the name and memory of Neil C. Roberts.

Operation Prime Chance—1987-1989

During the Iran-Iraq War, there was an ongoing operation to help protect U.S. oil tankers. To facilitate, Navy SEALs and bomb disposal teams were flying at a low altitude over the Persian Gulf.

This was the first mission where night vision technology and infrared devices were utilized. And evidently, the gear played a significant role in the attack on the 21st of September, 1987, on the Iran Air, an Iranian mine-laying ship.

With the help of the technology, the Special Forces were able to detect the ship carrying several mines, along with high-speed machine guns and rockets.

The result? Five Iranians were killed, with 26 captured by the SEALs alongside valuable intelligence data within the ship.

Operation Geronimo—2011

On the 2nd of May, 2011, SEAL Team 6, formerly known as The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG,) flew to a Pakistani suburb where they neutralized one of the most wanted personalities in human history, Osama bin Laden.

The 40-minute operation comprised no force casualties and was a complete success. Before the mission, the SEAL Team had run multiple practice routines in a compound at the Bagram Air Force Base for months.

Moreover, there was a modified MH-60 that carried troops into the country, carrying false transponders, which were also camouflaged as Pakistani aircraft. The team also brought facial recognition and multiple biometric equipment to help verify the identity of bin Laden.

With these missions, you get the idea that the SEAL teams are a formidable force. But will a former Navy SEAL, Alexander Gray, conquer his impossible task in author Robert B. Marcus Jr.’s riveting action thriller, The Far Side of Silence?

The mission: Air Force One is shot down over the Mediterranean Sea; no survivors left. The new President has ordered the U.S. Navy to prepare the Sigonella Naval Air Station in Sicily for a covert operation to save the Russian President, the man suspected of being behind the Air Force One attack. Alexander must fight off antagonistic forces who are hell-bent on keeping the operation from taking place. Will he be successful?

Delve into one of the most thrilling and immersive pieces of fiction with The Far Side of Silence, now available on Amazon.