In actual combat, soldiers can choose equipment many times, especially elite troops such as SEALs. They can even choose their own weapons, while ordinary troops can only use weapons such as standard rifles. As for whether the SEALs wear helmets or hats, in fact, they have both, but they are mainly chosen according to the combat situation. Although the helmet is highly protective, it is very heavy and uncomfortable to wear on the head for a long time, especially in hot areas such as deserts. Wearing a helmet and doing a lot of exercise in combat is extremely uncomfortable. Therefore, many soldiers choose to wear helmets and hats in actual combat, wear lightweight and comfortable hats in non-firepower battles such as marching and patrolling, and switch to helmets that can provide protection in combat.

The same is true for SEALs and Delta Special Forces. Special forces often sneak into combat, complete their tasks silently, and rarely confront the enemy head-on. So under such operational requirements, special forces emphasize portability rather than protection. For example, during the Vietnam War, US Navy SEALs mainly wore Beni hats or nothing in Iraq. In a battlefield like Afghanistan, American special forces also like to wear comfortable hats.

In addition, American special forces also prefer to use baseball caps, which are more comfortable to wear. This is also the hat style that American special forces prefer in basic training and other situations. However, with the improvement of equipment level, the head equipment of American special forces has also improved. Martime, FAST and other high-cutting helmets developed by the US military are tailored for special operations. They have sufficient protection ability and are lighter than conventional helmets such as ECH and Mickey. Helmets integrate lighting, recorders, tactical headphones and other equipment, so these special combat helmets are now more used in actual combat by US special forces.