Seal Team Seven Read Free Page A

elite military forces.”
    â€œAh. But is it not true, Captain, that there have been numerous incidents near SEAL bases involving disorderly conduct? Drunkenness? Sexual harassment of both civilians and female military personnel?”
    â€œIt’s true, Mr. Chairman. There have been some incidents. But I should point out, sir, that these are very special men, highly trained, dedicated, motivated to a degree I never would have dreamed possible before I saw them in action.”
    â€œThat hardly excuses their actions, Captain Granger. Ah, you are not a SEAL yourself, are you?”
    â€œNo, sir. But I have worked closely with the Teams on several occasions.”
    A congressman several places to Farnum’s left looked up from the papers on the table before him. “When was it that you last saw SEALs in action, Captain Granger?”
    â€œDuring the Gulf War, Congressman Murdock. I was a commander at the time, attached to the boat squadron that put a SEAL detachment ashore off Kuwait City the night before General Schwarzkopf began his end run around the Iraqi right. It was a damned impressive operation, let me tell—”
    â€œI’m certain it was, Captain,” Farnum interrupted. “Some of these elite units make a point of carrying off flashy, showboat missions that grab the public eye.”
    â€œI’d hardly call that op ‘showboating,’ Mr. Chairman. The SEALs worked in complete secrecy, and their involvement in Desert Storm did not surface until some time after the war. In that particular instance, they swam ashore onto a heavily defended beach at Kuwait City and planted a large number of demolition charges. When those were set off, the explosions convinced the Iraqi commanders that the U.S. Marines were coming ashore there, at Kuwait City, rather than across their trenches and minefields in the south. In fact, our records show that several Iraqi units were moved back from the front lines to Kuwait City that morning, in anticipation of Marine landings there.”
    â€œAh, yes, Captain Granger,” Farnum said, shuffling through his notes. “We’re aware of all that. However, the point here is that all of our military services maintain—at great expense, I might add—elite special-warfare units. The Air Force has their First and Seventh Special Operations Squadrons. The Marines claim their whole corps is an elite force, but they reserve a special distinction for their Special Operations Capable units. The Army, ah, well, the Army has Rangers, the Delta Force, Airborne units, Special Forces. Is it not true, Captain Granger, that these units perform many of the same tasks as the Navy’s SEALs?”
    â€œWell, yes, it is, Mr. Chairman, but—”
    â€œMarine Recon teams could have planted those demolition charges in Kuwait as easily as SEALs, am I right?”
    â€œYes, sir.”
    â€œWhy is it that the U.S. Marines, the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Teams, the Rangers, Delta Force, the SEALs, and God knows who else all train extensively to carry out, for example, hostage rescue missions? How many hostage situations has our nation been faced with in the past, Captain Granger?”
    â€œI’m afraid I’m not qualified to answer that question, sir.”
    â€œThe point is that we simply do not need so many units all designed to perform the same basic tasks. This is an appalling and incredibly expensive duplication of effort, training, equipment, and budgetary allocation that this nation can ill afford in these times of fiscal challenge. It is our purpose here today to determine just why Congress should permit continued funding for the U.S. Navy SEALs.”
    â€œWell, Mr. Chairman, the SEALs add a unique and valuable dimension to our special warfare capabilities. Their ability to work underwater, for instance—”
    â€œIs duplicated by the Special Forces. Actually, I must admit that the old Underwater Demolition Teams did