Both Navy SEALs and Army Rangers are highly respected but distinctly separate wings of the United States armed services. Army Rangers and Special forces both roll up to the U.S. Army, while on the other hand Marines and Navy SEALs roll up to the U.S. Navy.
Army Rangers
With origins dating back to colonial times the Army Rangers are part of the US Operations Special Forces that became a more permanent part of the military around the 1970s.Army Rangers are front line special light infantry American troops and their primary focus is on infiltration by land, air or even sea they are specialised in the recovery of personnel and special equipment, conducting raids and direct action operations.
Selection
To be selected to be a Ranger a soldier has to prove his physical capability through various endurance tests designed to establish that he’s physically capable of entering the program. Once into Ranger School his training is categorized into three phases namely Crawl training, Walk training and Run training.
Crawl training: is to develop the foundations and trains the soldier in hand -to hand combat, immersion in water and the use of fists and sticks in combat.
Walk training: covers rappelling, ambush training, knots tying and intermediate level airborne operations.
Run training: is the advanced training covering such aspects as water bound infiltration, troop extraction in hostile situations, working with explosives, skills for sabotage, navigation and reconnaissance
Only on completion of the above does a Ranger officially graduate from Ranger School.
Navy SEALs
The Navy SEALs were established formally around the 1960s but have their roots dating back to the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Navy SEALs specialize in sea, air and land specific missions and operations, Basic Underwater Demolitions (BUD), reconnaissance, information warfare, personnel recovery, unconventional warfare, counter terrorism, internal defense on foreign soil, and security assistance.
Selection
In order to make it as a Navy SEAL an individual has to undergo a seven month long Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training which is divided into phases:
Indoctrination: to prepare the new initiates physically and mentally for the gruelling training ahead and the ways of the Navy SEAL.
Basic Conditioning: eight weeks of subjecting the individual to test of endurance including the famous Hell Week.
SCUBA training: eight weeks of water based training, diving, water infiltration, sabotage, etc.Land-warfare training: Nine weeks of land warfare training, in hand-to-hand combat, weapons usage, etc.
Similarities
Both Army Rangers and Navy SEALs undergo very Intense and gruelling training programs designed to weed out the ones who just dont cut it.
The U.S. Navy SEALs and the U.S. Army Rangers do not recruit women. Women do however work in several significant posts in support levels with the Navy SEALs, and serve at group levels in the U.S. Army Special Forces.
Both elite units exist for covert operations and while there are several differences in the way they operate there are definitely areas of overlap in terms of functions.
Differences
Rangers operate in platoon sized or larger units and are capable of handling direct action missions while Navy SEALs operate in smaller teams and handle specialised covert operations.Rangers primarily perform military support functions while Navy SEALs are primarily for selective roles and most often not directly get involved in front line combat.The Rangers are typically known to be ready for rapid deployment, has an airborne advanced infantry and generally tends to fight primarily using conventional warfare. Navy SEALs on the other hand are responsible for unconventional warfare, they are all trained paratroopers, they integrate with foreign forces, are generally independent and have high sustainability working within small groups with limited or no support; they specialise and execute underwater reconnaissance , infiltrations and demolitions.
While both Army Rangers and Navy SEALs are highly skilled specialized forces whose functions tend to overlap, the Army Rangers specialty is land warfare, while the Navy SEAL as the name suggests excels where water bodies are involved.
November 17th, 2009 - 6:52 pm
This is a very accurate layout on how we do things. I am a former US Army Ranger; now a veteran of 4 combat deployments to two third world countries.
I will give it to you, you know your shit; although we (US Army Rangers) also perform alot of unconventional warfare ourselves, as well as working in smaller groups for certain SOP’s per operation and/or mission.
As Rangers, we conduct covert operations including reconnaissance and surveillance missions as well as front line raids, assaults, and the liking that are generally carried out for strategic purposes; such as recovering air-fields/air-bases, and other high priority targets that other troops (your typical US Army/US Marine grunts; and armored units) can not.
As you said, we also conduct support operations for Special Forces groups (such as SEALs, and Green Beret Special Forces) in order for them to be able to perform their job effectively. Our capabilities as an all-around, flexible force allow us to be able to perform any type of mission or operation in the modern battlefield; from conventional to unconventional.
Unlike the rest of the Army and the Marines; we Rangers can perform not only amphibious and basic land based attacks, but we can also perform airborne and air-assault missions at lightning speed where it would take any other type of grunt/infantryman to do this in a considerably less amount of time.
Hence the word, “Range” that you can take out of, “Rangers” we are an extremely flexible force in a wide “Range” of attacks and defenses; unlike many other forces.
Good work!!!
November 21st, 2009 - 5:11 pm
Remember bro….a kid could kill in one shot,so dont think you are all that.WAr is hell and nothing to brag about because you “earned” a tab…..food 4 thougt…………………thank u 4 your services
November 21st, 2009 - 5:13 pm
Remember bro….a kid could kill in one shot,so dont think you are all that.WAR is hell and nothing to brag about because you “earned” a tab…..food 4 thougt…………………thank u 4 your services,maio
November 24th, 2009 - 6:17 pm
us navy seals all the way baby im 17 and ready to go im ready to serve the country that has given me freedom hoooyahhh
December 17th, 2009 - 7:46 pm
I am Bad. You are not. I can beat you all up at the same time! I was also a member of the Navy’s elite “tattle tale” team to rat on my brothers to their C/O’s…..The Navy Squeals!!!!
December 18th, 2009 - 12:28 am
Good post, id personally rather be a ranger. And @ josh, mushahah, defend the country that gave you its freedom…man ur warped and retarded bro.
January 13th, 2010 - 10:54 pm
first off josh lowman… its U.S Navy SEALS, not us navy seals. second off, u wouldnt make it into the Navy! U are a Pissant wanna be. Stick to paintball kid
January 30th, 2010 - 5:02 pm
I an still deciding whether I should join the U.S. Army Rangers or if I should join the U.S. Navy SEAL’s. After reading the article above, I’m starting to lean toward SEAL’s. The only problem is that my goal is to get into 1st Special Forces operational Detachment – Delta (A.K.A. Delta Force), which is the Army. I’ve done a lot of research about Delta Force and they like to recruit from the Rangers. My question is: is there any program in which I can be in the Army and receive Navy SEAL training? For those of you who are probably going to ask, I am only sixteen. I am training hard and doing my best in school. I take this extremely seriously.
January 31st, 2010 - 10:29 am
The second word is supposed to be “am” not “an”. Sorry I missed that earlier.
February 6th, 2010 - 9:59 pm
Hey kid if u are in th seals there’s no since in going to the delta force
February 8th, 2010 - 1:14 pm
Look into the U.S Army Green Beret. They go through very similar training as the SEALS, and Delta recruits out of Berets as well. Keep in mind though, from what I have read, Delta only takes about 50 people a year out of the Rangers and the Green Beret combined.
March 30th, 2010 - 4:39 pm
hey im in SEALS and I just transfered to Army Rangers. And now im getting a fat paycheck! do both if you can
im 235lbs
6″7′
German-american moved to u.s in 86′ when i was 7
let me tell u now. I did more crying and whining
in ranger training than SEAL training but ill get thru it
CHOOSE RANGER FIRST then seal and try Ranger again
not what i did but thts what u should do
April 10th, 2010 - 8:11 pm
You guys are so full of shit it’s not even funny.
May 1st, 2010 - 6:50 pm
Same team amigos. Great job paying homage and sparking the biggest pissing contest to ever come out of the spec-ops community. Both units are ELITE and are so because the caliber of soldiers that volunteer for them. Truth is not everybody can do what SPEC-OPS soldiers can, that is exactly why there is a selection process. Hey, it is what it is and we do what we do. I miss it every day. For those aspiring to do so, whether be a HOOAH or a HOOYAH, “where the mind wants to go, the body might follow (depending on how strong your mind is).” Don’t be dissuaded by trash talkin wanna be salty dogs. There are even dirt bags within elite units. They forget that they were once in your shoes and hopefully some day you will be in there’s, just not a prick. Good luck to you. Earn your stories. Great job with the entry by the way. RANGER T………out
July 22nd, 2010 - 5:24 pm
Getting tabbed makes you Ranger qualified.
Getting Ranger tabbed and being a Ranger in the 75th are two different things. Ranger school is just that, a school. You graduate that and most of the time you go back to your unit with advance knowledge in infantry tactics. Active duty infantry officers have to go to Ranger School before they can lead. So do officers in LRSD units.
If you wear the scroll, your in the Regiment, and a Special Operations warrior. You have to go preranger, Ranger Assessment/Selection Program (four week physical mental workover followed by four weeks advanced weapons/tactics training) and then if you make it those 8 weeks plus preranger without dropping out/getting sick/injured your in the Regiment. (selection is shorter if your prior service and an nco since they assume you know your shit).
Ranger School only comes into play in the Regiment if you want to be an NCO or an Officer. You can’t hold leadership Rank in the regiment without passing Ranger School, even though it is possible you could serve in the Regiment WITHOUT ever having been to Ranger School (option 40 starts you out this way).
You’ll also have to be MOS qualified to land there. Mostly in infantry (plus airborne training). A few other support positions as well.
If your looking for Delta in the Navy side of things its Devgru. They are the other tier 1 unit in the us military.
I believe the FBI’s HRT is the only other faction considered Tier 1 in the US. But you’ll only get there outside of the military.
August 12th, 2010 - 6:20 pm
Fist of all you can’t just waltz in saying Im going ranger or SF. You have to be selected, i know android like E-7 and 8s that run 12 min. two miles and where even faster and stronger in there younger years that said that they quit after the first couple of days. You don’t get to eat much at all, you get tortured and drowned depending what route you take. I’ve been through basic training and had a ranger drill and he had grown men crying “for real”. If people have a hard time with basic and regular army stuff I doubt most of you guys can make it. If you really want to do it and you like to push yourself by all means try it out, if you don’t make it at least you’ll learn some stuff. Also the guy who went Navy SEAL then Ranger is a fake. First of all if you take his advice that means you would enlist/ fulfill your contract and then do that process two more times. Oh and good luck to you guys who really do it.
August 16th, 2010 - 4:15 pm
@ Ryan Govreau. I know man ,people at my school don’t understand why I want to be in the military and i’m kinda like u I like the Navy Seals but u like them the most. What i plan to do when i graduate from high school is join the army get past BMT (Basic military training) and become the necessary rank to join the U.S. Army rangers and if i get through their training i will train the hardest and try to be top of my class so the Delta Force will look at my profile and select me as their next recruits and try my hardest to become a Delta Operator. Because u can’t just join Delta they select you and if the government ( and that already says who is the more well trained force) would reveal Delta Force’s training and missions i promise you that the delta would be recognized as the most elite in the country because just look at it man the government won’t tell you that they exist and even though we have cold hard facts they still deny their exist. I take it very seriously like you and it is my dream to become a 1st SFOD- Delta operator. May the lord strengthen me to become a Soldier. And may my friend Kaiti be right by my side when i graduate from anything the military throws at me. I know the challenges that lie ahead and i am training very hard like you and doing my best in school. I drink and eat healthy and that will help me in the long run. I am 14 and take this very seriously. Good luck man this is our dream