What exactly happened during the raid that killed Osama bin Laden? Mark Bissonnette, a Navy SEAL who participated in the mission, has written No Easy Day, his own account that differs from the official version from the Obama administration. Here's a further behind-the-scenes look at the military's elite unit in action.
In a world where enemies who agree to wear black hats are hard to come by, the military and President Obama have begun to lean on the highly trained, whip-smart services of elite Special Forces units. While other budgets are shrinking, funding for special ops has doubled since 2001; in the same time, the numbers of deployments has quadrupled. Admiral William H. McRaven, who heads the Special Operations Command, is seizing the moment, asking for expanded authority to conduct the lightning-fast, pinprick strikes that have laid low al-Qaeda operatives and Somali pirates alike. At the same time, McRaven is working to increase the Special Forces’ media profile, arguing for increased transparency and signing off on a feature film, ‘Act of Valor,’ that will star active Navy SEALs.
Navy SEAL trainees look on during a visit to the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in Coronado, California, by Vice President Joseph Biden Thursday, May 14, 2009.
Denis Poroy / AP Photo
Navy SEALs are shown kneeling in the surf in unison as part of their ocean training.
Gary Kieffer / Zuma Press
Navy SEAL trainees are forced to lie in the frigid surf at a beach in Coronado, California.
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Navy SEALs practice temperature survival techiques at the swim tank.
Gary Kieffer / Zuma Press
Navy SEAL recruits perform an endurance exercise in the sand in Lake Worth, Florida.
The Palm Beach Poast / Zuma Press
The most intense week of SEAL training is called ‘Hell Week,’ 132 grueling hours of training and physical trials.
Wet Navy SEALl trainees from class 259 crawl down to the surf line during their High Intensity Wet testing as instructors call out the next command.
Lance Iversen, San Francisco Chronicle / Corbis
Navy SEAL trainees lock arms during their High Intensity Wet Testing.
Lance Iversen, San Francisco Chronicle / Corbis
Navy SEALs practice Over the Beach evolutions during a training exercise in a Remote Training Facility.
U.S. Navy via Getty Images
Navy SEAL trainees bounce off the bottom of the tank to catch their breath during the Drown Proofing Test at the Combat Training Tank. The trainees have their feet and hands tied and once freed they swim to safety.
Lance Iversen, San Francisco Chronicle / Corbis
Navy SEALs do pull ups on the beach during training in Coronado, California
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Three Navy SEALs stand against a wall momentarily exposed to tear gas during training in Coronado, California.
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Navy SEAL trainees wait prior to taking the Drown Proofing Test with their feet and hands tied at the Navy's Combat Training Tank.
Lance Iversen, San Francisco Chronicle / Corbis
A SEAL in a camouflage suit aims an M-88 .50 caliber rifle with a range of 3,000 yards.
Jim Sugar / Corbis
Navy SEALs perform Advanced Cold Weather training to experience the physical stress of the environment and how their equipment will operate, or even sound, in adverse conditions in Kodiak, Alaska.
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Navy SEAL trainees do push ups prior to taking the Drown Proofing Test at the Combat Training Tank.
Lance Iversen, San Francisco Chronicle / Corbis
A U.S. Navy Seal looks toward insurgent movements from the rooftop of an observation post January 21, 2007, in Ramadi in the Anbar province of Iraq.
John Moore / Getty Images
American Navy SEALs land on the main beach in Monrovia, Liberia, Aug. 18, 2003.The local population appeared surprised when around 15 SEALs joined a peacekeeping effort.
Schalk van Zuydam / AP Photo
A Navy SEAL member provides cover for his teammates advancing on a suspected location of al Qaeda and Taliban forces. Navy Special Operations forces were conducting missions in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Tim Turner, US Navy / Corbis
This Oct. 29, 2002, U.S.Navy photo, shows U.S. Navy SEALs, at sea aboard the USS Oscar Austin after landing on the fantail of the guided missile destroyer during a training exercise. SEAL training paid off April 12, 2009, when three of them took out three pirates who were holding U.S. merchant ship Capt. Richard Philips hostage off Somalia with one shot apiece.
US Navy / AP Photo
U.S. Navy SEALs investigate a cache of munitions in one of more than 70 caves explored in the Zhawar Kili area of eastern Afghanistan Jan. 14, 2002, in this image released by the U.S. Navy Sept. 18, 2002.
US Navy / AP Photo
Navy SEAL trainees carry inflatable boats during a visit to the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in Coronado, California, by Vice President Joseph Biden, on May 14, 2009.
Denis Poroy / AP Photo
