On the surface, it makes sense for someone to make a comparison like Navy SEALs vs Marines. To the unindoctrinated, these are two of the most popular and formidable military forces in the world, so naturally it would seem like a good comparison to make. However, while the two have much in common, the two forces could not be more different.
The Marine Corps is a branch of service that is a part of the Department of the Navy. While it is a part of the Navy, the Marines are their own branch. Because they are smaller, they can have exceptionally rigid standards because there are less bodies needed to fill the needs of the Corps. Marines want smart but rugged men and women.
The Navy SEALs (Sea, Air, and Land) special warfare sailors must also be smart and rugged, but their training is at a much different and higher level than that of Marines. For example, the dropout rate of Marine Corps boot camp examined in a recent study commissioned by the Marine Corps found that female recruits dropped out of training at a 13 percent rate. Male recruits dropped out at a 21 percent.
Compared to Navy SEALs, Navy SEALs vs Marines, the SEALs dropout rate is more than 85 percent.
1. Navy SEALs vs Marines (2 Different Branches)
Both the SEALs and Marines are a part of the Department of the Navy, they are both from two different branches of service. A Marine, cannot become a Navy SEAL. There is no process for that. Now, that is not to say that Marines cannot leave the Marine Corps and become Navy SEALs. That has happened, but there is no direct pipeline for a Marine to join the SEALs. Each is in their own branch of service.
Marine Corps training can certainly help a SEAL candidate because the Marine will have the experiences of Marine Corps training to fall back upon. Physically, mentally, emotionally, a SEAL candidate who served in the Corps might have an edge over others in the class.
Similarly, a SEAL cannot become a Marine. There is no process stream for that action. If a SEAL wanted to become a Marine they would have to complete their term with the Navy and then apply to become a Marine. And here’s the kicker, if accepted, despite all of the badass training that the SEAL completed, they would still have to attend and successfully complete all Marine Corps training, including boot camp. The Marines have policies that stipulate that all Marines must go through their basic enlisted or officer training.
Navy SEALs vs Marines? In this case, the SEALs are more highly trained and if a SEAL went to the Marine Corps, it would be considered by most as a step backwards, but one of the great things about the Marine Corps is that they have high standards. If a Navy SEAL wanted to earn the Eagle, Globe and Anchor (EGA), they would have to do it like everyone else and earn it. Just because they are Navy SEALs, does not give them the right to wear the EGA. That probably might not make sense to many, but it definitely makes sense to us. That’s why they’re the few and the proud.
2. Navy SEALs vs Marines (Training is different)
While Marine Corps boot camp is the most challenging initial military training of all the branches, it is also the longest. However, it is initial military training. It is a place where civilians are taught to wear a uniform, how to perform military customs and courtesies, how to walk and talk like a Marine. Civilians are transformed at boot camp. They learn to use weapons and they themselves, become weapons. But we cannot lose sight of the fact that it is, basic training. Yes, it is hard. Yes, it is the hardest boot camp out of all of the services, but it is nowhere near as hard as the training that Navy SEALs endure. Navy SEALs vs Marines? SEAL training is much harder than Marine Corp boot camp; by a lot.
Navy SEAL candidates endure a grueling program that most would agree is the toughest training in any branch of service. SEAL classes have an 85 percent dropout rate and the training to become a SEAL lasts for about a year compared to three months of Marine boot camp. Not to mention, SEAL candidates must attend Navy basic training first before they attend SEAL training.
SEALs then are trained at HALO (high altitude low opening parachuting), HAHO (high altitude high opening parachuting), SCUBA and all sorts of other rigorous schools. SEAL training is far harder and far more technical.
3. Navy SEALs vs Marines (Operator vs Rifleman)
Third, SEALs become special operators upon completion of six months of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) Training and roughly four months of high-paced advanced tactical training known as SEAL Qualification Training (SQT). While some may attend additional training opportunities, most will join a SEAL team and start platoon training not long thereafter.
Things are different for Marines. Upon completion of boot camp, recruits become Marines and some will work as aircraft mechanics, others might work in personnel, and others might serve as supply personnel. The point is that not all Marines become part of a tactical force. And even if they did, they would be basic infantrymen.
SEALs specialize in combat arms trades. They will all have specialties and some will become snipers, explosive experts, medical, and other related specialties. Some of the teams specialize in counterterrorism and direct action, so there are not a lot of desk jobs for SEALs.
The two are very different in this regard. While it is true that every Marine is a rifleman, not every Marine is a special operator. Yes, some Marines go on to become Force Recon Marines which are basically special operators, but those are a select few. In the case of SEALs, every SEAL is an operator.
Navy SEALs vs Marines? Well, much depends on what you want to do. If you just want to serve, but you want a difficult challenge and you want to earn something, then the Marines are for you. Earning the EGA will make you a part of one of the oldest military families in the world.
If you are looking for the ultimate physical, mental and emotional challenge, then the Navy SEALs are it.
22 comments
Interesting article and comments. One thing is you hear of Navy Seals every day, while you don’t ever hear of Army and Air Force SOGs. I heard of the Marines Force Recon from talking with a recruiter in 1969. I heard of Army Green Beret from the song. I never heard of other SOGs. This is not to say one is better than the others, it is just a fact as I’ve seen it. Some would likely not want any publicity.
Two friends became Marines when they were threatened with the draft in 1970. A third asked me to see the recruiters with him when he was faced with the decision to enlist or be drafted, to ask questions for him. We talked with Navy and Air Force, he not being interested in Army or Marines. He settled on Navy, mostly because his father had served in the Navy. All three were pretty high capability guys and were likely a credit to their branches. None saw combat, though enlisted in 1970. A fourth friend went Air Force and suffered aerial attack (wounded, with life-long effects) and saw ground combat, sometimes carried an M60. This guy thought ahead, considered situations carefully before acting. I think he was likely an excellent soldier, and was a bit more mature than the other three of us at that age.
I got a high draft lottery number and never faced being drafted. My father recommended against enlistment, saying “you probably wouldn’t do well in the military”. I listened to him. He’d enlisted in the Army in 1944, having been held in a defense-vital job before that. He got along well, later mentioned that he wouldn’t have minded staying in. I’ve always been curious as why he gave me that advice. I was able to handle myself physically, maybe he saw some mental aspect that would have caused me problems. Certainly the military know how to turn every type to good use.
Used to be go through Marine Corps boot camp not needed to go any other boot camps, any other service needs to go through Marine Corps boot camp no matter how long you were in another service Army, Navy ect.
I joined the Marine Corps in 1967. Basic training was only half of our initial training. After boot camp (13 weeks) all Marines had to go through Infantry Training Regiment (ITR – 14 weeks). After ITR each Marine was sent to a combat unit, or to schools if they were picked for specialty training.
I don’t know how much that has changed but I suspect it is close to the same for the basics. The special training is way different do to the explosion of electronics and greatly improved weapons systems.
I remember when I learned to scuba dive I was taught by a SEAL, then they were called UDT (Underwater Demolition Team). My instructor told me Force Recon used to train with them for the Scuba component. I’ll paraphrase, he Force Recon ran three miles or more miles to the Seal site exercised for about 1/2 hour to 3/4 of an hour then after the training day ended they would do the same routine. You have to realize most guys in Force Recon were grunts who went through jungle survival school, E & E (escape and evasion), cold weather training, etc. back in the 1960s. At least we did.
L.G. Lewis
The Few the Proud THE MARINES 145 lbs into 16 weeks later 205lbs 60 one arm pull ups #2. 0f 70 Marine Barracks After Camp Lajune. to 8th & I. DC Under JFK white house details library of Congress Drill team Memphis 39 weeks training F8’s and A4’s Backto Beautiful Beaufort by the sea Spain etc Evan today Beautiful little children say " thank you for your service.Secret clearance can not say more Once a Marine always a Marine I am 81 years Old and can stull whip 2 sailors Which I had do before at the E club I pastored a Church in b. Buffoon while a full tome Marine gettum saved on Sunday of to Veit Nam on Tuesday Semper Fidelis
Ummmm I think I’m missing something here? Why is Navy Seal training being compared to Marine boot camp?! If your going to do a comparison u have to do it fairly. Example: Navy seals vs Marine Force Recon or Marine Raiders. Raider school alone is 9 months opposed to seals 6 months. What an intellectually dishonest article this is.
I was in the Marines in 1982 and left in 1986. Sorry but the Seals I interacted with on ship didn’t impress me much. Another thing you have to remember the Seals are not equipped or prepared for long fire fights with the enemy but the Marines are prepared for long fire fights. As I recall the Seals have 1 week that they call Hell Week not getting much sleep. Well Marine Corps boot camp is 13 weeks of hell and not much sleep. The Seals have a lot of technical training after their hell week. Once Marines leave boot camp.nothing really changes because you have the remaining 4 years of hard core training and sleep deprivation. No the Seals are not better than the Marines. Seals are taught to evade the enemy to get in and get out without enemy contact if possible. The Marines are taught to SEEK OUT, CLOSE WITH, AND DESTORY THE ENEMIES OF AMERICA. Big difference. Bottom line Marines are killers first and formost.
I believe the Marine Raiders were the first Special Operations group, I think the Raider Battalion landed on the island of Tulagi in the Solomon Islands the same day of the Marines landing on Guadalcanal . So that was August of 1942 , I’m not sure when exactly the Navy Seals were established? I’d appreciate anyone who’s good on research could contact me and let me know I’d appreciate it. My Uncle landed on Tulagi that same day of Guadalcanal landing, unfortunately he’s no longer with us and I never had the chance to talk with him on that issue. Thank you , SEMPER FI
You’re comparing apples with oranges. Try comparing Nvy basic training with Marine basic training, then compare force recon training with Navy Seal training.
S.E.A.L. teams are special operators with a number of tiers. Make it through the training and a lifetime of this and that taking you away from family. Same goes for USMC Recon (Battallion Recon, Force, etc), Army Green Berets, Rangers, AF S&R… SEALS are far from the best operators over all others in general. They are the best at their role. As are the other elites. Last time you heard about a Recon Marine on the news? AF S&R? I think if Raiders killed Binladen the news story would have said he fell out a window (and the airlift would have been a C-130 not a rotary crash in the backyard). Basic Marines however can’t touch any of those groups. Even as a prior active Marine, AF special operators I’d say usurp any other branch. Some SEALs and Recon try to transfer in and fail. Basic Marines are trained mentally more than anything else. 2nd with marksmanship. A person with a weapon trained very well to shoot you in the face at 500m with muscle failure if the thought of 180 degrees crosses your mind is a thing to fear.
I see many comments about why would anyone compare Marines to seals because they are not the same. Marine Raiders and Seals would be a better comparison. The comparison is valid because non veterans don’t have the basic concepts. So the article is very helpful for civilians. All the vets who have cried foul are also valid but you guys don’t need this basic comparison. It’s not for you.
First of all, the drop out rate doesn’t mean anything. Did any of you keyboard warriors ever think that maybe the Marine Corps basic training drop out rate is lower than the SEAL’s because the Marine Corps Drill Instructors are far better trainers than the SEAL instructors? Look at the history of the Marine Corps. 249 years of excellence. Not just winning battles but winning entire wars. The first special op was Presley O’Bannon taking Derna in 1805. I judge training by the results that it reaps. Marines are far better than SEAL’s. Just a simple fact.
This sounds like a Navy Seals mom wrote this article? Why would you compare special operations training of one branch to basic training of another branch?
To Marianne Guevara,
An excellent book to read about an exceptional Marine is called Marine Rifleman by Wesley L Fox. It’s his story from boot camp as a private to Colonel. He was also awarded the Medal of Honor.
I and my team served alongside SEAL Team 10 “Desert Frogs” in the AOR around Fallujah in 2006/2007 timeframe. They were completely unprepared for sustained ground combat ops, nor the intensity of combat WE MARINES dealt with on daily basis. When I asked the team leader where the hell he learned to go on a patrol in a tactical column formation…he said “Fort Bragg”…apparently they attended a shortened version of the Army’s basic infantry course.
These jokers showed up with 10+ inch barreled M4s, SIG 9mm, and the absolute shitshow of a “tactical collector” they had to support them was a complete lardass (kid you not folks) from DIA who carried a Glock with a mag in it that stuck out close to 2" beyond the magazine well, and maybe a 13" long barrelled H&K or M4 rifle.
It was embarassing watching them try to go after a local IED cell walking along the main water canal in Zaidon. They didnt even bother to properly study the terrain topography, build a sand table, or they would have known a small unit could use the dried out wadis (dried out Euphrates river canals) which were perfect natural concealment for one’s movement at night or day.
Just finished reading an article which went in depth through all the discipline problems SEAL Team Six (DEVGRU) has had since 2001 with unanswered war crimes, mutilations of enemy bodies, canoeing of enemy heads’, taking ears as souvenirs, etc.
It was sad to read because I know thousands of Navy SEALs serve/d very Honorably, as quiet professionals, and gave their hearts/minds/lives for our country and the constitution, and to earn their Trident. I hold those men/women in very high regard…but the ones who got away with murders, war crimes, etc. are dulling the shine of the Trident which stands for some of the finest warriors the Navy has to offer.
DEVGRU and NSW’s WARCOM need to pull their heads out of their ass and get back to basics of excellence through bringing back pride in military bearing and discipline. One doesn’t need a beard and endless tats (tatoos) and look like a bag of ass in uniform or in-country during combat to be a great SEAL operator!
Much love to my Navy brothers-in-arms who hold high the torch!
Semper Fi
Becoming a Marine was one of the best things I could have done. Becoming a Marine from being a civilian is much harder than becoming a Seal. We have to learn from scratch. Seals have formal training. Seals are already in shape. It seems someone is trying to compare Marine Boot Camp to Seal Training. Please stop there is nothing like becoming a Marine. Remember the Few, the Proud, the Marines.