US Navy SEALs to shift focus to ‘global threats’

Elite military force will shift from ‘counterterrorism’ to focus on threats such as China and Russia, commander says.

Ten years after they found and killed Osama bin Laden, United States Navy SEALs – an elite military force used in special operations across the globe – are undergoing major changes to improve leadership and expand their commando capabilities to better battle threats from powers like China and Russia. The new plan cuts the number of SEAL platoons by as much as 30 percent and increases their size to make the teams more lethal and able to counter sophisticated maritime and undersea adversaries. And there will be a new, intensive screening process for the Navy’s elite soldiers, to get higher-quality leaders after scandals that rocked the force and involved charges of murder, sexual assault and drug use.