Great Lakes part of effort to increase numbers of Navy SEALs

Great Lakes Naval Station in Lake County has been part of an effort to boost the number of recruits who have a chance to join an elite unit known for sea, air and land prowess involved in the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Military officials Monday declined to confirm the Navy SEALs were in the bin Laden operation. However, The Associated Press has cited an anonymous U.S. official in reporting on Navy SEAL Team Six’s raid of bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan because certain aspects remain classified.

Great Lakes spokesman John Sheppard said there was no reaction at the base specific to the Navy’s apparent role in slaying bin Laden because it has not been publicly acknowledged by the Defense Department.

“I think we can all take a lot of pride in what the U.S. military did,” Sheppard said.

Great Lakes’ Naval Special Warfare Preparatory School was activated in February 2008 expressly for would-be SEALs to receive early training. Navy brass at the time said the SEALs were seen as crucial elements in the war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq.

If the SEAL recruits graduate from boot camp at Great Lakes, which is near North Chicago, they proceed to basic underwater demolition training in Coronado, Calif.

Great Lakes’ school was opened as part of a military goal to hike the number of enlisted SEALs from 1,800 to 2,500 by 2012.

Navy officials estimated 1,300 SEAL recruits would pass through Great Lakes annually. Roughly 31 percent of candidates who reach Coronado become SEALs, according to the Navy.

Capt. Roger Herbert Jr., now retired, was commanding officer for the Naval Special Warfare Center and attended the ceremony at Great Lakes when the SEAL training school was officially recognized in 2008. He said during a tour the SEALs are in the Navy, but they also are proficient in the deserts and mountains.

SEALs are maritime, multipurpose combat forces expected to handle a variety of missions in all operational environments and threat conditions. They often handle risky clandestine duties.