Newly graduate Navy Commandos headed for Mindanao.

Two Navy seal platoons from the Naval Special Operations Group (NAVSOG) were deployed to Mindanao on March 11, 2011 during a Send off Ceremony led by Philippine Fleet Commander, Rear Admiral Jose Luis Alano in Villamore Airbase, Pasay City.

The contingent are headed for Western Mindanao with five young officers who recently graduated the Seal Course Class 69, while the others are enlisted men. Navy Seal Course Class 69 graduated on December 2010 and this will be their first field assignment.

Aside from Class 69, the other members of the contingent are composed of Seal Teams 17 and 19 who underwent six months of retraining in Sangley Point, Cavite City and also participated in the joint RP-US exercise dubbed as Flash Piston last year.

Seals are under the NAVSOG, the Navy’s elite force that specializes in sea, air and land operation. They are known by far to have the most rigorous form of military training designed for stealth unconventional warfare.

“In seal led operations, failure is not an option,” Philippine Fleet Commander, Rear Admiral Jose Luis Alano said. He further said that “rigorous seal training is one way of ensuring the safety of our men.”

He added that, “the deployment of our troops to Mindanao is to maintain our security efforts there and to support in the rescue and humanitarian operations during calamities and disasters. Winning peace to foster economic stability in Mindanao is our goal.”