There are eleven Navy SEAL teams in total: eight numbered active-duty teams, two reserve teams, and the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, still widely known as SEAL Team 6. The eight active teams are SEAL Teams 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 10. The two reserve teams are SEAL Teams 17 and 18. Together they sit inside Naval Special Warfare Command at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California, alongside roughly 2,900 active-duty SEALs.
The Eight Active Duty SEAL Teams
The eight numbered teams split evenly between the two coasts. SEAL Teams 1, 3, 5, and 7 are based at Coronado, California, under Naval Special Warfare Group 1. SEAL Teams 2, 4, 8, and 10 are based at Little Creek, Virginia, under Naval Special Warfare Group 2.1Naval Special Warfare Command. CONTACT Components
Each team carries a regional focus. West Coast teams orient toward the Western Pacific, the Korean Peninsula, and the Middle East. East Coast teams focus on Europe, the Mediterranean, and Central and South America. Those assignments can shift with operational demand, but they shape each team’s training emphasis and language skills.
Why the Numbering Skips 6 and 9
The roster jumps from 5 to 7 and from 8 to 10 for a reason. Team 6 was redesignated as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, and Team 9 was never created. So while the highest number is 10, only eight numbered teams actually exist on active duty.
DEVGRU: SEAL Team 6
The Naval Special Warfare Development Group sits apart from the eight numbered teams. Naval Special Warfare Command provides administrative support, but DEVGRU takes its operational orders from the Joint Special Operations Command, which coordinates the military’s most sensitive missions across all service branches. That arrangement means DEVGRU trains and deploys on a different track than the regular teams.
DEVGRU’s official charter is to test, evaluate, and develop tactics and technology for all of naval special warfare. In practice, the unit handles the highest-priority direct-action missions, hostage rescues, and counterterrorism operations worldwide. Its operations are classified, and details rarely surface publicly. The 2011 raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, remains the most widely known DEVGRU operation.
Internally, DEVGRU organizes into color-coded squadrons. Red, Blue, Gold, and Silver Squadrons are assault units. Black Squadron handles intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance. Gray Squadron provides mobility and quick-reaction support. Only experienced SEALs are eligible to try out; candidates typically need at least five years of operational time at a regular SEAL team before they can apply. Selection runs through a training program called Green Team, which carries its own significant attrition rate.
The Two Reserve SEAL Teams
SEAL Teams 17 and 18 are the reserve teams. Both fall under Naval Special Warfare Group 11, headquartered in San Diego.1Naval Special Warfare Command. CONTACT Components They are staffed primarily by former active-duty SEALs and Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen who transitioned to reserve status after their initial service commitments.
Reserve SEALs maintain their qualifications through regular drill weekends and annual training periods. When activated, they augment active-duty teams or fill specialized roles the regular force needs during surge periods. The reserve pathway is not a shortcut into the community. Anyone not already qualified as a SEAL or SWCC on active duty must complete the full training pipeline before joining a reserve team.
How a SEAL Team Is Organized
Knowing how many teams exist is only useful if you know what a team actually contains. Every SEAL team is commanded by a Navy Commander (O-5) and built around a headquarters element and eight 16-person platoons. The platoon is the basic tactical unit that goes out the door on a mission. A Navy Lieutenant (O-3) commands each platoon, which consists of two officers and 14 enlisted operators. Depending on the mission, a platoon can break into two eight-person squads or four four-person elements, giving commanders flexibility from a full-platoon assault down to a small reconnaissance cell.2Federation of American Scientists. US Naval Special Operations Forces – Section: SEAL Platoon
Every operator in a platoon is qualified in combat diving, military free-fall parachuting, and demolitions. On top of that shared baseline, individual SEALs specialize as medics, snipers, breachers, communications experts, or navigators. That layered skill set means even the smallest four-person element can operate independently in remote environments without outside support.
The Groups Above the Teams
SEAL teams don’t report directly to Naval Special Warfare Command. They sit under intermediate headquarters called Naval Special Warfare Groups, each commanded by a Navy Captain (O-6). The current group structure reflects a reorganization that took effect in August 2021, when NSWG-3 and NSWG-10 were disestablished and their missions merged into a new Naval Special Warfare Group 8.3DVIDS. U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command Establishes Group Eight, Disestablishes Groups Three and Ten
The active groups today are:
- NSWG-1 (Coronado, California), which oversees SEAL Teams 1, 3, 5, and 7.
- NSWG-2 (Little Creek, Virginia), which oversees SEAL Teams 2, 4, 8, and 10.
- NSWG-4 (Stennis Space Center, Mississippi), which commands the Special Boat Teams that provide maritime mobility for SEAL operations.
- NSWG-8 (Coronado, California), which manages undersea platforms like SEAL Delivery Vehicles and the Dry Combat Submersible, along with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.
- NSWG-11 (San Diego, California), which administers the reserve teams.1Naval Special Warfare Command. CONTACT Components
Only NSWG-1, NSWG-2, and NSWG-11 sit directly above SEAL teams. The other groups command boat and undersea units that support them. Total headcount across the whole Naval Special Warfare enterprise runs over 10,000 people when SEALs, SWCC, civilians, and reservists are counted together.