The Navy Sea-Air-Land commandos (SEALs) are an internationally famous special forces outfit, so much so that they are the literal stuff of books, film and television. Partly shrouded in secrecy, some consider them to be the toughest group of commandos in the world. It should not be surprising that the training program that produces the SEAL commandos is long, grueling and designed to wash out those who lack the mettle to join the outfit. Often the main barrier to completing SEAL training is not physical, as the candidates are often in superb physical condition. Instead, the main difficulties are mental, as the training is designed to make the candidates so miserable and exhausted that only the most aggressive and highly motivated sailors make it through to the end.
Requirements
In order to apply for SEAL training, a sailor or naval officer must meet with the following qualifications: they must be of the male gender, aged 28 or younger, and be already serving in the Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard. Candidates must also have a score of 110 or higher on the ASVAB test and vision that either is 20/20 or that is correctable to 20/20.
Strictly speaking, the physical fitness requirements are not that demanding. The letter of the law specifies that a SEAL candidate must be able to complete a 500-yard swim in 12:30 minutes with either the breast or side stroke, a 1 1/2 mile run in combat boots in 11:30 minutes, and perform at least 42 push-ups in 2 minutes, 50 or more sit-ups in 2 minutes and 6 or more pull-ups. However, entry into SEAL training is decided on a competitive basis, and being able to meet these minimums is rarely (if ever) enough to secure a berth in the program. The following standards are considered competitive: the same 500-yard swim in 10 minutes, the same 1 1/2 mile run in 10:20 minutes, and doing 79 or more push-ups in 2 minutes, 79 or more sit-ups in 2 minutes, and 11 or more pull-ups. Even greater fitness is considered desirable as a hedge against suffering an injury during the program.
BUDS
SEAL training begins with BUD/S, or Basic Underwater-Demolition SEAL Training (BUD/S) The first stage is indoctrination, where the candidates are divided into six-to-eight man teams called boat crews. They are then run through a arduous regimen of physical drills while being kept wet, cold, underfed and sleep-deprived. The purpose is to knock all the candidates who lack the proper mental conditioning to be a SEAL out of the program. Injured candidates who are not otherwise washed out or quit are held back until they have recovered, and are then allowed to join a later batch of candidates. Indoctrination ends with a 132-hour grind known as “Hell Week.” By the time that miserable slog is over, between 70 to 80% of the class will have either quit or been held back due to injury.
Completing indoctrination is not the end of either BUD/S or the physical demands of the training program, however. After passing BUD/S, SEAL trainees undergo a further seven weeks of physical training. This is followed by another eight weeks of intensive training in scuba diving techniques, and nine weeks of land combat training. Some candidates continue to fall out due to injury in physical training or scuba training, and a few quit. A new obstacle is introduced, however, as a number of candidates fail to learn the necessary skills and are flunked by the instructors. By land combat training, the attrition rate among the candidates declines to a small trickle, but even in the latest stages of SEAL training it is not unknown for candidates to be held back by injury, to quit or to be failed.
SQT
Completion of BUD/S means the end of basic training, and moving on to advanced training and SEAL qualification in a process called SQT. This consists of 26 intensive weeks of parachute, medical, communications, survival and combat training. It is only at the end of this process that SEALs graduate and are assigned to a SEAL Team and Platoon.
Sources: navyseals.com/seal-challenge-requirements; sealchallenge.navy.mil/seal/PST.aspx; navytimes.com/news/2007/04/navy_sealrecruiting_training_070408w/; seal.navy.mil/seal/buds.aspx; navyseals.com/platoon-training
