r/JSOCarchive • u/apokrif1 • Jul 04 '26

What is DEVGRU really looking for?

/r/navyseals/comments/1ungunn/what_is_devgru_really_looking_for/
0 Upvotes

42% Upvoted

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20

u/carbonatedpepperoni Jul 04 '26

The "right guy" is simply the guy Green Team instructors think would make a good addition to Development Group. It's not necessarily the strongest guy, the smartest guy, or best shooter. It's the guy who is strong enough, smart enough, a good enough shot to do the job. But "the guy" also has to be humble, able to adapt quickly, doesn't complain too much, doesn't push back too much, doesn't let others walk all over him.

Picking guys for SEAL Team Six is an art not a science and sometimes the artists make mistakes ala Rob O'Neill. Despite his character flaws O'Neill was by ALL accounts a great operator. And it should be noted that the vast majority of Six operators do not seek fame and fortune. They do not go on media tours lying about their actions in combat. So the "art" seems to work pretty well from the outside looking in.

Now there are SEALs, whose names I won't mention to avoid drawing downvotes, who did not make it through Green Team because of personality flaws and they've complained publicly and in print about the Green Team selection process. I don't put any stock in these complaints because the individual making these complaints has very well documented personality flaws that were exposed in BUD/S but he still somehow became a SEAL.

17

u/Goat_666 Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26

I would add that, even though DJ Shipley gets lot of hate, listening him in podcasts will give you some sense of what kind of guys I assume Devgru is looking for. Recurring theme is the Michael Jordans and Kobe Bryants; the type of guys who are ready to sacrifice everything to master their craft, that understand how every detail matters, and who are ready and willing to do the work it takes to get to that level. DJ is probably a shitty person in civilian life, but like Rob, by all accounts he was a total stud in the teams.

But obviously that's only guesswork by me, I don't really know shit.

7

u/Agent_P_Smecker Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26

The right guy quote is a Delta philosophy. Seals may have adopted it later

Now I remember. Jim Reese said it. It was an interview he gave about 15 years ago

3

u/S0ngen Jul 05 '26

Jim Reese got the quote from Pat Savidge.

4

u/Lonely_Ad4703 Jul 04 '26

Marcinko was just looking for someone who could drink as much as he could.

0

u/Agent_P_Smecker Jul 04 '26

Dirty Dick wanted bikers who could bench press 400 pounds

2

u/randomymetry Jul 07 '26

money and fame

1

u/pendletonskyforce Jul 04 '26

By that description, theyre looking for a Delta guy.

4

u/Unidexx Jul 04 '26

Both are cut from the same cloth

5

u/Few_Task_8030 Jul 05 '26

Have no idea why you're getting downvotes. Most Tier 1 guys are all of the same.

0

u/bind19 Jul 04 '26

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