The SOCOM M-14 has taken the M-14 world by storm.... Due to the Wars in Iraq & Afghanistan we have seen the M-14's resurface with a facelift to bring them up to today's demands for superior battle rifles....
The M-14 mod's are quite extensive, the most noticeable is the shorter barrel & "Navy sight" as used by Seals in Special Operations Command (SOCOM)....
They have shortened the barrel to 18 1/2 inch legal length to keep the rifle Non Restricted..... They take the standard GI rifle put a new synthetic stock, thread the barrel for a suppressor , and add some pitcanny rails for NV Devices or Optics...
As for SEAL fondness of the .308 I would say that more specifically the SEALs have a fondness for the M-14 which is unique... In fact unless recently changed the SEALs are the only active duty combat unit to actually deploy with the M-14, not to be confused with the m-21 and other designated marksman rifles currently seeing active duty use with various units..... Over the decades SEALs have found that the combination of increased lethality and increased range of the 7.62 combined with the reliability and accuracy of the M-14 is still a relavent combination... Modifying M-14s that already exist in NAVSPECWAR inventories along with the fact that SEALs have traditionally found favor with the robust design of the M-14 pretty much explains the desire to use it as a platform for modification for more specialized mission requirements, ie entry guns, carbine's for urban ops, whatever.... Also shorter rifles shooting bigger bullets are popular elsewhere....
The USASF have developed and tested the 6.8mm as a replacement for the 5.56mm due to shortcomings.... Among the barrel lengths tested was one approx 16" in length and another 12" barrel.
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