Recently, the media disclosed that the US Navy SEAL Team 6 has been training for over a year in preparation for a possible attack by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Taiwan. Such information, similar to the possibility of a US air raid on Beijing, is considered a tacit secret among various parties. The training of US special forces for potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait may have started long ago. So, if the CCP is ready to take the risk, what actions might the US Navy SEAL Team and others take?
When mentioning special forces, people usually think of activities such as assassinating key figures, rescuing hostages, and gathering crucial intelligence, like when SEAL Team 6 successfully killed terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. What most people are not familiar with is that in various large-scale military operations carried out by the US military, special forces are often the first to be deployed, leading the way in covert operations.
The publicly declared operational objectives of the US Special Operations Command include: shaping the environment to reduce risks, preventing crises, and creating conditions for success in competition and conflict; responding quickly to global crises and completing high-risk, politically sensitive missions; identifying irregular threats, enhancing partners’ response capabilities, and putting our adversaries in difficult situations.
From these descriptions, it can be inferred that US special forces need to act immediately when a crisis occurs or take proactive measures before a crisis arises. If it is discovered that the CCP is preparing to take a risky move in the Taiwan Strait, the US special forces should take preemptive action to disrupt the CCP’s plan to attack Taiwan, ideally forcing the CCP to abandon its plans; if war cannot be prevented, the goal should be to weaken the CCP’s ability to carry out its plan as much as possible.
The core activities publicly declared by the US Special Operations Command include: Direct Action – conducting short-term strikes and other small-scale attack operations, using specialized military capabilities to seize, destroy, capture, exploit, recover, or harm designated targets; Special Reconnaissance – actions taken in sensitive environments to collect or verify information of strategic or operational significance; Unconventional Warfare – actions that enable a resistance movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt, or overthrow a government or occupying force; Foreign Internal Defence – supporting a host nation’s internal defense and developing strategic plans and activities aimed at preventing subversion, insurgency, terrorism, and other threats to its internal security, stability, and legitimacy.
It is clear that US special forces may conduct preemptive direct attacks and reconnaissance operations against high-value targets in the Chinese military, attempt to incite internal turmoil within the CCP, as well as assist Taiwan in clearing out CCP infiltrators and spies.
Targeting senior Chinese military commanders up to the highest levels should be the most effective way to prevent war and something that concerns the top CCP leadership the most.
The South Korean special forces have long been preparing a plan to assassinate Kim Jong-un. The US and South Korean special forces have been fighting side by side since the beginning of the Korean War. Before the US amphibious landing at Incheon, special forces were deployed to conduct reconnaissance, mark low points in the navigational channels, clear obstacles, and search for potential mines. In the later stages of the war, special forces from both sides continuously infiltrated from the sea, causing significant damage to bridges, tunnels, coastal and offshore targets in North Korea.
Given that North Korea possesses nuclear weapons, eliminating Kim Jong-un would be the most effective way to prevent their use. The South Korean special forces’ assassination plan against Kim Jong-un is semi-public. As a result, Kim Jong-un lives in constant fear, frequently changing residences.
The US special forces may also have an assassination plan targeting high-ranking Chinese Communist Party officials, including the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Vice Chairman, Chiefs of Staff, Commanders and Deputy Commanders of various branches, Commanders and Deputy Commanders of various theater commands, and possibly certain Rocket Army brigade and regimental commanders. If these individuals or part of them were to die, the chain of command would be disrupted, making it difficult for the CCP to execute its plans to attack Taiwan, as well as making it challenging to activate the CCP’s nuclear weapons system.
Similar missions would likely be assigned to the US Navy SEALs and the US Army’s Delta Force.
The US Navy special forces, also known as the SEAL Teams, consists of several groups with each having specific roles and missions. The elite SEAL Team 6, which operates independently from the other SEAL teams, is considered the best of the best.
The structure and tasks of SEAL Team 6 are highly classified, and they usually carry out the most critical preemptive actions. Candidates applying to join SEAL Team 6 must have completed at least two deployment missions and then undergo an 8-month selection and training process, with an estimated dropout rate of around 50%.
Training for US special forces is extremely intense and risky, with the potential for severe injuries and fatalities. Training courses cover various skills such as free climbing, land combat, hand-to-hand combat, driving, diving, communications, as well as survival, evasion, resistance, and escape training.
SEAL Team 6 is divided into Assault Teams categorized by colors such as Red, Blue, Gold, and Silver; there is also a Black Unit responsible for intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance; a Grey Unit for mobility, transportation, logistics support, etc.; and a Green Unit responsible for selection and training.
Each Assault Team should consist of 3 platoons, with each platoon having about 16 members that can be further divided into smaller assault teams. SEAL Team 6 should have over 1,300 military positions and more than 400 civilian positions.
The US Army special forces, also known as the Green Berets, includes seven operational groups such as the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 19th, and 20th Operational Groups. Each operational group comprises 3 Special Forces battalions.
The US Army special forces typically deploy through methods like airborne insertion. In a possible conflict in the Taiwan Strait or South China Sea, the Navy SEALs are estimated to be the first to act, followed by the Green Berets. The Green Berets have openly assisted in training the Taiwan military.
The selection standards for the Green Berets are high but comparatively less stringent than those for SEAL Team 6. Those who excel in the Green Berets have the opportunity to be selected for the Delta Force.
The Delta Force, a special operations unit within the US Army, operates under the US Special Operations Command but takes commands from the Joint Special Operations Command. The Delta Force should consist of approximately 1,000 personnel, including Assault Teams and Signal, Support, Computer Networks, and Training Units.
The Delta Force has successfully carried out hostage rescue missions, assassination, and arrest missions. In Operation Desert Storm, a Delta sniper team in western Iraq discovered 26 Scud missiles and managed to stop one missile from hitting Israel by shooting through its fuel tank from 3,000 yards away.
In the ongoing Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the Delta Force’s primary mission has been to capture or kill senior Al-Qaeda and Taliban figures, with support from the SEAL Teams. They have been involved in critical reconnaissance and assault missions, totaling in the elimination or capture of over 2,000 enemies.
During the Iraq War in 2003, Delta Force reconnaissance operators successfully designated targets for coalition airstrikes, leading to the rapid destruction of many Iraqi armored vehicles and air defense systems. In another operation, they conducted a night raid on a strategic dam, holding it alongside cavalry scouts for 5 days. Delta Force also captured high-value targets like Saddam Hussein and his personal secretary.
In subsequent counterterrorism operations, Delta Force operatives have successfully captured and killed high-ranking members of terrorist organizations, including surrounding and forcing Islamic State leader, Kulei, to commit suicide in 2022.
Senior officials in the CCP leadership in Zhongnanhai, as well as key officials and top military commanders in coastal provinces, would be the targets of US special operations forces. Although these preemptive assassination missions will naturally not be made public, they could rapidly prevent the outbreak of war.
Regardless of the success of the assassination missions, US special forces would likely carry out reconnaissance and raid missions in coastal areas targeting essential facilities like military assembly points, ammunition depots, fuel depots, air defense systems, command and communication centers, pre-sited positions of Rocket Army missile units, airfields, etc., to facilitate more precise airstrikes.
US special forces could also conduct sabotage operations targeting critical infrastructure, making it difficult for the CCP to launch or maintain offensive capabilities as intended.
Former Deputy Director of the Military Science Academy of the CCP, He Lei, made provocative statements at the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, claiming that the US “will not always have patience” in the South China Sea. This kind of posturing is typical, and for the US Navy SEALs, seizing control of military islands controlled by the CCP in the South China Sea would be relatively much easier, while the reach of the Chinese military is limited.
The US special forces may deliberately release information through the media as a means of deterring the CCP. Beijing not only fears US airstrikes but also has to consider the threat posed by US special forces. Would the top leadership in Zhongnanhai and various levels of military officers dare to risk their lives?
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