SWCC’s: The Horsepower Behind The Navy Seals
Although the US Navy SEALs are the tip of the spear and are the elite of the elite, they are not the only component that is vital to the effectiveness of the US Navy’s Special Warfare Operations. Objectives are usually incredibly deep in hostile territory, and one mistake is all it takes to alert the enemy to the team’s position and compromise the mission. So how are Navy SEAL teams covertly inserted behind enemy lines with overwhelming speed and efficiency? The answer is simple: by Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman Teams.
Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman (SWCC), commonly referred to as “swicks,” are as efficiently trained in special warfare, small unit tactics, and weaponry as the Navy SEALs. In order to be combat-effective, SWCC candidates go through two phases of training. The first phase is Basic Crewman Training, which is a five-week course that physically and mentally prepares recruits for the arduous lifestyle that SWCCs endure. The second phase of training, Crewman Qualification Training, is a fourteen-week course during which candidates are introduced to and grasp the wide range of skills that are imperative for SWCCs to be successful.
After completing the intense SWCC training process, swicks are assigned to one of three SWCC teams. Although their initial training is completed, swicks live a career similar to that of Navy SEALs in that they are constantly reinforcing their training with additional exercises and training operations. Each of the three teams (Teams 12, 20, and 22) has a designated operations area and is also primarily specialized with a certain class of craft. The SWCC teams utilize three primary crafts: the Mark V SpecOps craft, the high-speed Rigid Inflatable Boat, or the Special Operations Craft-Rivine. All of these boats are heavily equipped with a deadly arsenal of weaponry capable of handling any threats that may be encountered.
So what exactly do Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen do with their impeccable training and highly sophisticated equipment? Swicks provide the most expedient transportation for Navy SEALs. Whenever a Navy SEAL team needs to be stealthily inserted on a beach, down a river, or any location near the shore, a SWCC team is always standing by to prove their worth.
