Which Knives Do The US Navy SEALs Commonly Use?

When you think of all the armaments that Navy SEAL (Sea Air and Land) teams carry, it's hard to imagine a knife isn't one of them. It's a weapon, a tool, and, ultimately, a soldier's last line of defense. Even an elementary, quasi-military organization like the Boy Scouts drives home the importance of carrying a good knife in the outdoors. Of course, it's the U.S Navy we're talking about, so they can't settle for just any knife, it has to be something sturdy, versatile, and in most cases, corrosion resistant for wet and salty marine environments.

It's quite difficult to verify all the knives that claim that they are standard-issue Navy knives, but there are some that are undoubtedly held by SEALs. One of such knives is the Ontario Mark 3 Navy Knife (MK3), the officially issued fixed-blade knife for active-duty U.S. Navy SEALs. That doesn't mean that's the only knife SEALs carry around. In fact, some SEALs have historically called the MK3 "deadweight," choosing to use their own knives instead.

There's also the Cold Steel SRK (Survival Rescue Knife), standard-issue for BUDS (Basic Underwater Demolition) training. It's a durable weapon you can buy online but it's lighter than the MK3. Then we have the SOG SEAL Pup, a short and light knife that's been issued to SEALs, according to SOG's brand manager. It has a U.S. National Stock Number, so that adds even more credibility to those claims. As for switch knives, there's the Emerson CQC-7, one of which was sold for $35,400 after a Navy SEAL used it in the Osama Bin Laden raid.

The Ontario Model 497 Mark 3 MOD 0 knife is a successor to the Mark 2 (Ka-Bar) which served the Navy from World War II to the Vietnam War. It was originally for the Marines but also got adopted by the Navy. From the 1980s onward, the Mark 3 replaced it as a knife actually designed with maritime warfare in mind. 

The Mark 3 was created and fulfilled by American New York-based manufacturer, Ontario Knife Company (OKC), which had been in business as far back as 1889. By 2023, the financially-struggling Ontario Knife Company was acquired by Blue Ridge Knives, Inc. and officially relocated its headquarters to Marion, Virginia. For now, production is paused and no one's really sure if this new company will keep making the combat knives, we'll just have to wait and see.

The MK 3 MOD 0 has had two blade profiles: the original curved tip, prone to snapping, and the later flat clip point from the late 1990s for better prying strength — both kept the same designation. Its low flat–grind clip-point blade is made from 440A stainless steel with a black oxide finish, about 6 inches of sharpened edge (6.5 inches overall), and a saw back for cutting wet rope or webbing. The glass-filled polyamide handle offers a secure grip, electrical insulation, and shock resistance, with an isolated steel pommel for hammering. Rugged and low-maintenance, it's a great maritime tool, though some SEALs find it too heavy to carry in the field. Perhaps that's why they don't qualify for the list of coolest pieces of gear Navy SEALs use.