SEAL Team 6 vs. Special Boat Service (SBS) - What’s the difference?

Maritime environments present unique challenges and opportunities in the context of both peace and warfare. Their high strategic significance makes it crucial to have strong special operations units that specialize in maritime environments. This is exactly why two powerhouses on the world stage each have an elite Tier One special operations maritime unit. The United States has its world-famous SEAL Team 6, officially known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, and from the other side of the Atlantic, the United Kingdom has its Special Boat Service, which is their highly capable maritime unit that sets the standard for amphibious warfare. Both units represent the pinnacle of military prowess, excelling in covert missions and high-stakes operations in maritime environments.

With that explained, what exactly do SEAL Team 6 and the Special Boat Service do? Is one better than the other? What do they have in common? And most importantly, what sets them apart? Keep reading, and we’re going to answer all of those questions for you and much more.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEAL TEAM 6 VS. SPECIAL BOAT SERVICE: HISTORY

SEAL TEAM 6 VS. SPECIAL BOAT SERVICE: PRESENT DAY

SEAL TEAM 6 VS. SPECIAL BOAT SERVICE: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

SEAL TEAM 6 VS. SPECIAL BOAT SERVICE: TRAINING AND SELECTION 

SEAL TEAM 6 VS. SPECIAL BOAT SERVICE: CONCLUSION

SEAL TEAM 6 VS. SPECIAL BOAT SERVICE: HISTORY

Believe it or not, nearly every special operations unit, to some extent, can trace its lineage back to the United Kingdom's Special Air Service, an experimental unit formed in 1941 in the deserts of North Africa to insert deep behind enemy lines to gain intelligence and wreak havoc on the enemy. It was so successful that in 1942, Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill would famously go on to state the “need for specially trained troops of the hunter class who can develop a reign of terror down the Nazi occupied coasts of Europe with a butcher and bolt policy, leaving a trail of German corpses behind them.”

And just like that, the Special Boat Service was the Royal Navy’s answer to the SAS. 

Just as the SAS was considered experts on land, the British admiralty sought to create an equivalent to perform the same caliber of missions across bodies of water. And so, in 1943, the Royal Navy gathered a formidable team to develop experienced men and come up with new ways to wage war. The experience from the SAS was that units adjusted for one kind of operation were wasteful, so they needed to evolve the commando concept so that it would yield better returns for the resources that were invested in them. This mentality produced a new cult of special forces that had a blank check to create something never seen before. 

The three men that stepped up to the task were Colonel David Stirling, founder of the SAS, Major Ralph Bagnold, a Royal Engineer from the Long Range Desert Group, which had specialized in raids and reconnaissance behind enemy lines, and Captain Roger Courtney, who, before fathering the SBS, had been an adventurer and hunter in Africa before the war, navigating the Nile and interacting with the locals, which infused the attitude of learning to take risks with little to no gear. 

These pioneers attracted like-minded volunteers from across the British armed forces to start a water-based sabotage group, which Courtney called the Special Boat Section. They began conducting small-scale raids in both Scandinavia and the Mediterranean with folding canoes. 

This new breed of operators quickly became well-regarded for being both ruthless and experienced in maritime and amphibious warfare, which eventually made them indispensable,   not only to perform raids but also to conduct beach reconnaissance in preparation for the allied landings in North Africa and Italy. Since then, they’ve evolved into the Special Boat Service and have proven themselves time and time again. The Special Boat Service has been involved in numerous conflicts and operations around the globe since World War II.

SEAL Team 6’s history started much later than the Special Boat Service’s.

After the failure of Operation Eagle Claw in 1980, the aborted mission to rescue 53 American hostages seized at the American embassy in Iran, the U.S. military concluded that a “no fail” unit was needed in the realm of counterterrorism. The goal was to avoid any future repeats of the failed embassy rescue. Recognizing a need for an elite counterterrorism unit that could also provide capabilities in maritime operations, the Navy tapped Commander Richard Marcinko to create a SEAL unit that could respond quickly and fiercely to terrorist situations. 

This is where SEAL Team Six was created. Although only two SEAL teams existed at the time, it is thought that Marcinko named this team SEAL Team Six to make the Soviets overestimate how many SEAL teams they had. He was given six months to get it up and running, or the entire project would be scrapped. Needless to say, he was successful. Present day and over 40 years later, the unit boasts an impressive resume in the operations they’ve participated in. From Operation Neptune Spear to rescuing Captain Richard Phillips, many of their successful high profile missions have been in the limelight. 

But DEVGRU isn’t exactly like it was when it was stood up. As with all things in life, things change over time. For starters, while it’s still a common moniker, they are no longer officially called SEAL Team Six. DEVGRU’s mission set has evolved from its strict focus on counterterrorism into a multi-functional SOF unit with a worldwide operational mandate. 

SEAL TEAM 6 VS. SPECIAL BOAT SERVICE: PRESENT DAY

Today, both the U.S. and the U.K. share a very close relationship—the type that can only be developed through years of camaraderie and shared struggles. It is very common for their militaries to exchange enlisted troops and officers. As a former SBS operator once declared, “We’ve always had a close relationship, and for the last 20-plus years, we’ve fought and bled alongside in different places.” 

The two Tier One units were part of the Joint Special Operations Command Task Force since the early days of the global war on terror, helping each other out whenever they could. Both units have high regard for each other’s abilities. Another thing in common, besides the mutual banter and recognition, is that these are still two of the most secretive special operations units, partly due to their low profile. Despite both Tier One units remaining shrouded in secrecy and the details of their operations being highly classified, some information regarding their organization, personnel, and specific capabilities has come to light.

As we’ve mentioned above, the Special Boat Service is the elite maritime counter-terrorism unit of the Royal Navy. They have their hands in submarine infiltration, underwater & beach reconnaissance, and underwater demolitions. But they also have other specialized roles tailored to different mission sets, such as close quarters battles, HALO & HAHO jumps, fast-roping, surveillance and reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, you name it. They can do it all, and then some. Their motto is “By Strength and Guile”. 

When you flip the coin to SEAL Team Six, they are also primarily a counter-terrorism unit.  However, aside from being the group responsible for the development of new equipment and tactics for the general Navy SEAL organization, they’re also tasked with performing the most complex, riskiest, and most dangerous missions. DEVGRU has the capacity to conduct various specialized missions, such as Direct action, Special Reconnaissance, Counterproliferation, personnel recovery, and much more. To put it simply, they jump, dive, and shoot, just like the Special Boat Service does.

Which should come as no surprise, as these two units are leveraged in almost the exact same way. They are considered equivalents by many, and are even of similar size, having between 200 and 300 operators.

But there’s more to the Tier One unit’s than just their operators. Every special operations force needs its own support elements, and SEAL Team 6 and Special Boat Service are no exception. With that said, their support structure is different. SEAL Team 6 actively recruits high performing sailors from the conventional Navy to support its operations, whereas the United Kingdom has a dedicated support unit called the Special Forces Support Group, whose main purpose is to provide support, as the name would allude, to the United Kingdom’s Special Forces, SBS included.  

SEAL TEAM 6 VS. SPECIAL BOAT SERVICE: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Let’s start with the Special Boat Service. The SBS is organized into 4 squadrons, which are C, X, Z, and M, respectively. These squadrons are organized into 4 16-man troops, and these troops are usually broken down into 4-man patrols, 2-man canoe teams, or 8-man teams. However, it’s been reported that the SBS has been operating in larger teams as of late. 

These four squadrons have been known to specialize in certain roles. The C & X squadrons were specialists in canoe and small boat operations. The Z Squadron specialized in underwater attack and insertion, and the M Squadron was trained for marine counterterrorism operations, always on standby to respond to terrorist threats. It’s believed that the SBS squadrons rotate into these roles on a 6-month basis. 

The SBS also has a training wing, Operational Research and Development, and unlike SEAL Team Six, it also has a reserve element.

And speaking of SEAL Team 6, it’s time to move onto their structure. There are six squadrons within DEVGRU, each with their own purpose and specialty. Four out of the six squadrons are the assault squadrons, which are where the operators are placed. 

For the assault squadrons, there’s the two founding squadrons, which are the Blue Squadron, known as the Pirates, and the Gold Squadron, known as the Knights or Crusaders. Then there’s also the Red Squadron, known as “the tribe” or Redmen, and the Silver Squadron, which uses a mix of the other squadrons insignias. Each of these squadrons is divided into three troops of SEALs, and the troops are divided into smaller teams. Each operator plays a specific role in these teams. 

Then there’s the Grey and Black squadrons. These are the support squadrons. The Grey Squadron, known as the Vikings, consists of divers and personnel trained to drive the custom vehicles utilized by SEAL Team Six. And last but not least, the Black Squadron conducts reconnaissance, surveillance, espionage, and advance force operations.

As you’ve just learned, both of these elite Tier One units are carefully designed to ensure that their operators are used to the fullest extent possible. 

SEAL TEAM 6 VS. SPECIAL BOAT SERVICE: TRAINING AND SELECTION 

It should go without saying that to join either of these units, one has to go through unimaginable challenges and obstacles. It’s not like SEAL Team 6 or the Special Boat Service is going to come knocking on your door to come join them - you have to go to them and earn it. 

In comparing who’s eligible, the applicant pool for DEVGRU is definitely much smaller than the SBS’s. Let us explain.

To join SEAL Team 6, you first have to become a Navy SEAL. Becoming a Navy SEAL requires going through its very own pipeline, which many consider the toughest military training in the world. But becoming a SEAL is only the beginning. Not only does one have to make it through training, but they also have to move on to serve multiple years in the teams, develop an excellent reputation, deploy multiple times, and get tapped to try out for DEVGRU selection. This is why DEVGRU operators are well into their 30’s - they’re not going to let a SEAL fresh off the block from Coronado try out. This is unlike the Special Boat Service, where applicants must be under 32 years of age.

If a SEAL is allowed to try out for DEVGRU, they will report to what is known as the “Green Team,"  which is the name for their selection process. The Green Team’s selection process happens once a year and lasts around six months. These candidates, which we’ll remind you have already passed one of the hardest military selection processes in the entire world, are put through yet another challenging and arduous selection. They’re constantly observed, scrutinized, and evaluated by the DEVGRU instructors, putting them under immense pressure. Roughly 50% make it through Green Team and onto SEAL Team Six. The skills learned in this course are essentially a ramped up version of what SEALs already do. Those that move on to a squadron will enter a probationary period with additional training and assessments.

The selection process for the SBS is a bit better known. In fact, a majority of it is shared with the Special Air Service’s selection, collectively known as the UK Joint Special Forces Selection. In a nutshell, Special Boat Service candidates, alongside their SAS candidate counterparts, will go through three big phases of selection. There’s the Endurance Phase, which gets its name from how it tests physical fitness and mental stamina, such as making them ruck 40 miles with a 55lb pack in the Brecon Beacons. There’s also Jungle Training, where they receive loads of training in the dense, hot jungles of Brunei, Belize, or Malaysia. And then there’s the Escape Evasion, and Tactical Questioning phase, where they receive world class training in the SAS killing house and get SERE training.

But here’s the thing, when that phase is over, the SAS candidates get their berets and badges and can kiss selection goodbye. The SBS candidates, on the other hand, still have more training to do. They will move onto the Swimmer Canoeist, Third Class, or SC3, Course, which lasts for about 8 weeks. Here, they learn maritime skills such as diving, boating, submarine infiltration, canoeing, and underwater navigation and demolition.

Once that’s over with, then, just then, can they call themselves a real Special Boat Service Operator. So, in the end, all SBS operators receive the same initial training as SAS operators, plus they specialize in maritime operations. This is why some have endearingly said that the SBS chooses slightly stronger and bigger members than the SAS. 

But let’s be real here, even when DEVGRU and SBS operators finish their selection, their training has only begun. The skills needed to excel as a Tier One operator need to be constantly refined, otherwise, they will soon go rusty. 

SEAL TEAM 6 VS. SPECIAL BOAT SERVICE: CONCLUSION

So, with everything said, which is better: SEAL Team 6, or the Special Boat Service? If you’re familiar with who we are, you probably know what we’re about to say: Neither!

Both DEVGRU and SBS are elite special operations forces with a history of commitment to excellence, accuracy, and the capacity to function in the most difficult and high-stakes environments. Their specific training, missions, and roles reflect the unique requirements of their respective nations and doctrines. It’s safe to say that they will continue to contribute significantly to the world stage, working together and separately for many years to come. 

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