One of the Navy’s top SEAL commanders said Wednesday growing insecurity and instability in the world requires training a “totally rounded warrior” who is as adept at political and humanitarian work as fighting.
Rear Admiral Brian Losey, who heads the Naval Special Warfare Command, said the SEALs seek to develop warfighters who can have a “good geo-political conversation with an ambassador” and win the support of local populations.
“It has to be more than kinetics. What are the dynamics of the host nation and its people?” he said. “I sound like a humanitarian guy, don’t I? But this is the core of our business.”
Losey spoke to the San Diego Military Advisory Council at its monthly breakfast meeting at Naval Base Point Loma.
He said the SEALs look for candidates with innate intelligence and adaptability and then focus on “grooming, cultivating and developing our people for the fight that lies in front of them.”
He said a $1 billion project to build 1.5 million square feet of training facilities on the south end of Silver Strand Beach is a major commitment that will “bring us into the 21st century. The Silver Strand Training Center will enable the SEALS to preserve their training tempo.
The native of Tacoma, WA, is a 1983 graduate of the Air Force Academy and headed SEAL Team One. He thanked the civic leaders in attendance for making San Diego a welcoming community to the Navy
“There is something truly unique about how San Diego treats its military community,” he said.
