THE PENTAGON – A Department of Defense Inspector General report released Thursday found that while Naval Special Warfare made improvements to the Navy SEAL training program, the Navy and Department of Defense must establish better policies and definitions around performance enhancing drugs and sleep deprivation.
The DOD IG report is the latest move by the Department of Defense since the death of Navy SEAL candidate Kyle Mullen in February 2022. An October 2022 investigation into Mullen’s death found that he died from bacterial pneumonia with cardiomegaly – an enlarged heart – as a contributing factor, USNI News previously reported. A May 2023 investigation found concerns with the use of performance enhancing drugs among candidates, as well as issues with how timely medical personnel responded, which likely attributed to Mullen’s death.
Special Warfare Command implemented a number of changes to the SEAL candidate course as a result of the previous investigations, which were observed as part of the DoD IG report. Still, the oversight organization found issue with the lack of a DoD definition for a performance enhancing drug and a policy that lays out how SEAL training can use sleep deprivation as a tactic, as well as medical manning concerns.
Some of the completed changes include reviewing medical screening procedures and clarifying the roles and responsibilities for the duty medical officer. Naval Special Warfare is also doing advanced cardiology screenings, including using electrocardiogram machines with AI features to scan for cardiac issues and taking additional preventative measures for pneumonia. Since Mullen’s class, every candidate receives an antibiotic injection, unless they are allergic to Penicillin, before BUD/S begins. There is also new guidance around swimming induced pulmonary edema, which can affect SEAL candidates.
Unlike previous investigations, the DoD IG report puts responsibility on the Department of Defense, as well as Naval Special Warfare Command.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh was not immediately able to provide DoD’s reactions to the report when asked by USNI News during a Thursday press briefing at the Pentagon.
As of August 2024, Naval Special Warfare Command made 13 changes to its SEAL candidate training since class 352, which was Mullen’s class, according to a document from Capt. Jodie Cornell, the force public affairs officer for the command.
This includes a special exemption policy that allows for random and unit-wide urinalysis among candidates. Current DoD regulation does not allow for random testing, but the military can conduct the testing when there is probable cause.
However, the IG report wants a definition of what a performance enhancing drug is, noting in the report that it’s not clear if steroids are considered PEDs.
When it comes to sleep deprivation, the IG report took issue with the lack of a policy for how the Navy could use it during training. Sleep deprivation is historically used during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL, but there are no standards to say how long candidates can go without sleep.
The Naval Health Research Center is currently conducting a study on the effect of fatigue and stress on candidates, which will determine if additional guidance is necessary.
The last issue highlighted by the IG report is manning, which plagues the entire Navy, not just medical professionals handling care for BUD/S. The concern with the BUD/S medical care is that it requires additional personnel, especially during Hell Week, the fourth week of the first phase of BUD/S. There is concern about staff burnout. The IG report recommends the Naval Special Warfare Command leader also review manpower requirements.
