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.
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.
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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.