DEVGRU In the 80's Was a Different Beast (Here's The Biggest Difference)

About this video

A former DEVGRU commander discusses his experience being recruited by Dick Marcinko in the late 1980s and contrasts that era with modern operations. He recounts how DEVGRU’s early culture was shaped by Marcinko, with enlisted members running operations and a focus on hostage rescue during the Cold War. The guest describes taking command 10-11 days before 9/11, his concerns about leading inexperienced troops into combat, and his perspective on the Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns, including what he believes was President Bush’s long-term strategy for the Middle East.

Key takeaways

• The guest describes how Dick Marcinko’s leadership created a culture where enlisted members ran operations and officers had to prove themselves to ‘alpha dogs’ or be walked over
• The guest recounts that before 9/11, DEVGRU’s CT focus was primarily on hostage rescue operations, which shifted dramatically after the attacks to a broader counterterrorism mission
• The guest explains that President Bush told leadership his strategy was to maintain bases in the Middle East for 40-50 years (similar to post-WWII Europe and Asia) to allow the region to develop, though this strategy changed with subsequent administrations

Episode details: published June 22, 2026 · 9.8K views · 19:46 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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