SEAL officers have been deployed around the world conducting multiple combat operations and very often their responsibilities, and role in combat operations eclipses their junior rank. Recognizing this, SEAL leaders requested an opportunity to use a decades old Navy program designed to spot promote young officers.

"It is critically important that our SEALs, who are making enormous contributions to the global war on terrorism, are afforded the rank commensurate with leadership responsibilities they are being entrusted with by their battlefield commanders.” said Rear Adm. Joseph Maguire, Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command. “These spot promotions will not only afford them the rank that will measurably enable their tactical success but also empower them to function more effectively in the prevailing joint, combined environment."

Increased demands of the global war on terror have caused an increase in the size and missions of the NSW force. In response to that increased growth, the significant responsibilities that SEAL task unit commanders have on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, and the need to retain as many of these valuable leaders as possible, the Secretary of the Navy approved the transfer of 19 of the Navy’s 325 lieutenant commander spot promotion billets to the Naval Special Warfare community in May 2006.

Since 2003, the Department of Defense has expanded the Navy SEAL officer community programmed authorizations by over 60 percent. The largest expansion was at the lieutenant commander (O-4) position, which doubled in the number of requirements from fiscal year 2003 levels.

In an effort to bridge as many of these critical leadership requirements as possible, the Submarine, Surface, and Special Warfare communities conducted a joint review of the list of eligible spot promotion billets to open the spot promote program to SEAL officers. Every year, the communities jointly review the limited spot promotion billets to ensure that the billets are utilized effectively.

NSW spot promote billets are being utilized for NSW task unit commanders. The position is a critical leadership position for joint warfare and carries significant responsibilities. A task unit commander is responsible for commanding SEAL platoons, special boat detachments, assigned Army and Marine Corps units and direct support personnel for a two year training and deployment cycle.

These experienced leaders plan and lead combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations around the world. Although planned as a lieutenant commander position, many of these leaders are experienced SEAL lieutenants because of the limited number of SEAL lieutenant commanders in the Navy today. Currently, NSW has several task units deployed throughout the globe in support of the geographic combatant commander’s missions against the global war on terror.

“This goes hand in hand with our efforts to grow the force,” said Capt. MaryBeth Newton, Director of Personnel, Naval Special Warfare Command. “With the expansion of the number of SEALs into the community by an additional 500 by 2010 high on our priority list for the community, you must have the officers to lead them. It’s no accident that our best and brightest who have been chosen for these promotions are also the ones who are right now operationally in the thick of what they do.”

The goal of spot promoting SEAL lieutenants to lieutenant commanders is to significantly improve the mission readiness of the Naval Special Warfare community and the Navy as they conduct operations in the global war on terrorism. The measure will also improve the manning of the SEAL community at a time when the community is executing multiple combat rotations into Iraq and Afghanistan.

Source and Credits  :  http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=27287

For additional information on the spot promotion program go to www.npc.navy.mil/Boards/SpotPromotions/.

For additional information on U.S. Navy SEALs visit www.seal.navy.mil.