Naval Special Warfare Group 3

Naval Special Warfare Group 3 (NSWG-3) was a former constituent formation of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command, the United States Navy organization responsible for the administration and operational readiness of Naval Special Warfare forces. Rather than being a consumer-facing brand or commercial enterprise, NSWG-3 was a military command whose principal specialization was the organization, support, and deployment of SEAL elements equipped for underwater delivery and submarine-based missions. The group was associated primarily with SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams. These teams combine Navy SEALs, divers, medical personnel, and technical specialists to operate swimmer delivery vehicles and related submarine support systems. Their purpose is to move personnel covertly toward or away from an objective, often from a host submarine equipped with a Dry Deck Shelter. This capability extends the operating range and stealth of Naval Special Warfare forces beyond conventional surface or airborne insertion methods. For most of its later existence, NSWG-3 was associated with SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One (SDVT-1), headquartered at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two (SDVT-2), historically based at Little Creek, Virginia. SDVT-1 moved its headquarters from Coronado to Pearl Harbor in 1994 and supported missions across Pacific and Central Command areas. SDVT-2 provided an East Coast and European operating base for delivery-vehicle capabilities. In 2008, SDVT-2 was disestablished and its personnel and functions were consolidated into SDVT-1, although a smaller Dry Deck Shelter presence remained at Little Creek under SDVT-1. The East Coast team was reactivated on 8 March 2019. The group’s work encompassed more than equipment operation. Its responsibilities included maintaining specialized underwater skills, integrating submarines and special operations forces, supporting mission planning, and developing readiness for varied maritime and littoral environments. Training connected with the wider Naval Special Warfare community included scuba diving, submersible launch and recovery, over-the-beach movement, parachute insertion, and operations in complex coastal terrain. During the late 2010s, Naval Special Warfare increased training activity in the Hawaiian Islands, reflecting a broader effort to prepare for strategic competition and maritime contingencies rather than focusing predominantly on the land campaigns of Iraq and Afghanistan. NSWG-3 also operated within a wider network of Navy, joint, and international relationships. Naval Special Warfare personnel participated in multinational exercises and partner-training activities, including activities associated with PANAMAX, where United States and partner forces practiced responses to threats involving the Panama Canal and other regional security scenarios. Such cooperation was intended to improve interoperability and the ability of partner special operations forces to respond to real-world crises. The group’s history was also tied to the Navy’s long-running development of swimmer and SEAL delivery technology. The modern wet-vehicle program evolved from underwater delivery craft developed for World War II-era Underwater Demolition Teams and later UDT and SEAL units. The MK VIII Mod 1 became a central platform for the contemporary swimmer delivery vehicle capability. The Advanced SEAL Delivery System was another related effort before its cancellation, while newer shallow-water and dry combat submersible concepts were intended to modernize the force. NSWG-3 was deactivated in August 2021 together with Naval Special Warfare Group 10. Naval Special Warfare Group 8 replaced both formations and assumed the units previously assigned to them, including SDVT-1 and SDVT-2. The reorganization was described as a response to changing strategic threats, particularly the need to align special operations, maritime capabilities, and intelligence-related functions with increased competition involving China and Russia.

Naval Special Warfare Group 3 formed part of the command structure of United States Naval Special Warfare. Its specialization was the maritime delivery of special operations forces, particularly the use of SEAL Delivery Vehicles launched from submarines or supported by Dry Deck Shelters. The group’s role therefore sat at the intersection of naval engineering, submarine operations, diving, and SEAL mission planning. The underlying technology had roots in World War II, when Underwater Demolition Teams developed underwater sleds and other delivery devices. After the war, UDT units continued experimenting with flooded vehicles and successive Mark-designated craft. This development eventually supported the wet swimmer-delivery vehicle program used by UDT and SEAL formations. The MK VIII Mod 1 became the principal modern vehicle associated with the program and incorporated improvements such as a dual sliding canopy and quick-release hatch. Earlier versions also carried communications equipment for use during operations. In its later organizational form, NSWG-3 was closely associated with two SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams. SDVT-1 was originally based in Coronado and moved its headquarters to Pearl Harbor in 1994. It organized its operational elements into task units able to deploy from host submarines, while retaining the flexibility to operate from shore or surface ships. SDVT-1 supported operations in Pacific and Central Command areas of responsibility. Its personnel included SEALs, dive medical technicians, and fleet support and maintenance specialists. SDVT-2 provided a corresponding East Coast capability from Little Creek, Virginia, with relevance to Atlantic and European operations. The team was disestablished on 8 August 2008 and merged into SDVT-1. A smaller Dry Deck Shelter establishment remained at Little Creek under SDVT-1, preserving some East Coast support. SDVT-2 was reactivated on 8 March 2019, restoring the separate team before the 2021 command reorganization. Training and readiness were central to the group’s wider purpose. Underwater delivery forces needed to maintain diving, navigation, vehicle-handling, submarine-integration, and recovery skills while also remaining capable of conducting the broader insertion methods used by Naval Special Warfare. During the late 2010s, increased Hawaiian training reflected a desire to prepare for a wider range of maritime, island, and littoral conditions. Activities included diving, launching and recovering submersibles, movement over beaches, and parachute insertion. This shift accompanied a broader United States defense emphasis on strategic competition and maritime deterrence. The group’s activities also supported international cooperation. Naval Special Warfare personnel participated in multinational exercises and training involving partners in the Americas, including Brazil, Panama, Colombia, and Peru. PANAMAX-related training emphasized practical scenarios and the ability of regional forces to respond collectively to threats affecting the Panama Canal and surrounding security environment. These activities strengthened interoperability but did not turn NSWG-3 into a commercial organization; its functions remained military and operational. The delivery-vehicle mission evolved alongside Navy plans for new systems. The Advanced SEAL Delivery System was pursued as a larger underwater insertion platform before being cancelled. The Navy also planned to replace existing SDV capabilities with newer shallow-water combat-submersible and dry-combat-submersible concepts. These efforts illustrated the continuing importance of covert maritime mobility even as specific platforms changed. In August 2021, the Navy deactivated NSWG-3 and NSWG-10 and established Naval Special Warfare Group 8 as the successor formation for the affected units. SDVT-1 and SDVT-2 were transferred to Group 8. The restructuring aligned the force with emerging threats and a changing operational environment, particularly the growing importance of China and Russia in United States strategic planning. NSWG-3 consequently became a historical command designation rather than an active Naval Special Warfare group.

• 2021

  NSWG-3 deactivated

  [1]Naval Special Warfare Group 3en.wikipedia.org

  NSWG-3 was deactivated in August 2021, and Naval Special Warfare Group 8 assumed its units and capabilities.

• 2019

  SDVT-2 reactivated

  [1]Naval Special Warfare Group 3en.wikipedia.org

  SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two was reactivated on 8 March 2019.

• 2008

  SDVT-2 consolidated into SDVT-1

  [1]Naval Special Warfare Group 3en.wikipedia.org

  SDVT-2 was disestablished and merged into SDVT-1, while a smaller Dry Deck Shelter presence remained at Little Creek.

• 1994

  SDVT-1 headquarters moved to Pearl Harbor

  [1]Naval Special Warfare Group 3en.wikipedia.org

  SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One relocated its headquarters from Coronado, California, to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

• 1975

  Modern wet-vehicle program established

  [1]Naval Special Warfare Group 3en.wikipedia.org

  The modern swimmer delivery vehicle program was established for UDT and SEAL use, later centering on the MK VIII Mod 1.

• 1940

  Early underwater delivery lineage

  [1]Naval Special Warfare Group 3en.wikipedia.org

  World War II-era Underwater Demolition Teams began developing underwater sleds and delivery devices that formed part of the lineage of later swimmer delivery vehicles.

A specialized United States Navy command focused on the readiness, organization, and deployment of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams and submarine-based Naval Special Warfare capabilities.

• Underwater delivery vehicle

  MK VIII Mod 1 Swimmer Delivery Vehicle

  The MK VIII Mod 1 was the principal modern wet swimmer delivery vehicle associated with the SEAL Delivery Vehicle program. It enabled covert underwater transport of SEAL personnel and equipment and could be operated in conjunction with submarine-based Dry Deck Shelter systems. The vehicle represented the continuation of a development lineage that began with World War II underwater demolition craft and was refined through successive UDT and SEAL vehicle programs.

• Submarine special operations support system

  Dry Deck Shelter

  A Dry Deck Shelter is a submarine-mounted system used to support the launch and recovery of special operations personnel and underwater vehicles. It provides a controlled interface between the host submarine, divers, and delivery craft, allowing SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams to conduct covert deployments while reducing exposure during embarkation and recovery.

• Advanced underwater delivery system

  Advanced SEAL Delivery System

  The Advanced SEAL Delivery System was a planned larger underwater insertion platform intended to expand the range and capacity of submarine-based special operations delivery. The program was ultimately cancelled. It remains relevant to NSWG-3’s technological context because the group’s mission required continuing modernization of underwater mobility and covert access.

• Combat submersible · 2019

  Shallow Water Combat Submersible

  The Shallow Water Combat Submersible was identified as a planned successor to existing SEAL Delivery Vehicle capability. It was intended to support special operations in coastal and shallow-water environments, continuing the group’s emphasis on covert underwater insertion and recovery.

• PANAMAX multinational training

  United States · Brazil · Panama · Colombia · Peru

  Naval Special Warfare personnel associated with the wider NSWG-3 capability participated in multinational training connected with PANAMAX. The exercises used realistic scenarios to improve partner-force readiness, interoperability, and collective responses to threats involving the Panama Canal and regional security.

  Outcome. The training strengthened cooperation among United States and partner special operations forces; a specific final performance outcome is not identified in the supplied material.

  Source

• 2021

  Reorganization into Naval Special Warfare Group 8Strategy

  Background

  The Navy sought to realign Naval Special Warfare capabilities with emerging strategic threats and a greater emphasis on competition involving China and Russia.

  Action taken

  NSWG-3 and NSWG-10 were deactivated in August 2021 and their subordinate units were placed under Naval Special Warfare Group 8.

  Aftermath

  SDVT-1 and SDVT-2 continued under the successor group, while NSWG-3 ceased to exist as an active command.

  Source

• 2019

  Reactivation of SDVT-2Strategy

  Background

  The Navy restored a distinct East Coast SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team after the earlier consolidation of the unit into SDVT-1.

  Action taken

  SDVT-2 was reactivated on 8 March 2019 at Little Creek, Virginia.

  Aftermath

  The team operated as part of NSWG-3 until the group’s 2021 deactivation, when it transferred to Naval Special Warfare Group 8.

  Source

• 2008

  Consolidation of SDVT-2 into SDVT-1Strategy

  Background

  The Navy reorganized the SEAL Delivery Vehicle structure by disestablishing SDVT-2 and merging its functions into SDVT-1, while retaining a smaller Dry Deck Shelter establishment at Little Creek.

  Action taken

  SDVT-1 assumed the consolidated capability and maintained East Coast support from the SDVT-2 location.

  Aftermath

  The separate SDVT-2 designation was later restored when the team was reactivated in 2019.

  Source

• 2021

  Naval Special Warfare Groups 3 and 10 deactivated and replaced by Group 8[1]Naval Special Warfare Group 3en.wikipedia.org

  Other

  In August 2021, NSWG-3 and NSWG-10 were deactivated. Naval Special Warfare Group 8 assumed the units and capabilities previously assigned to both formations.

• 2019

  SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2 reactivated[1]Naval Special Warfare Group 3en.wikipedia.org

  Other · Leadership change

  The Navy reactivated SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2 on 8 March 2019, restoring an East Coast base for specialized underwater delivery capabilities before the later restructuring of Naval Special Warfare groups.

1. 1Naval Special Warfare Group 3en.wikipedia.org