Pentagon Investigation into Navy SEAL Medical Care

October 24, 2024 12:50 PM

The following is the Oct. 24, 2024, Department of Defense Inspector General report, Evaluation of Medical Care Provided to Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Candidates.

From the report

Objective

Consistent with the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, the objective of this evaluation was to conduct a comprehensive review of the health care provided to individuals undergoing Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) training to determine whether professionals providing health care to SEAL candidates are properly trained, quality assurance mechanisms with respect to this care are sufficient, and appropriate efforts to mitigate the health stress to individuals undergoing this training are in place.

Background

Established in January 1962, Navy SEALs are considered by the Navy to be an elite maritime military force suited for all aspects of unconventional warfare. Navy SEAL training consists of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) and SEAL Q qualification Training. One of the defining events during BUD/S is known as “ Hell Week.” Hell Week occurs during the fourth week of BUD/S and is meant to test candidates’ grit and resilience. It consists of 108.5 consecutive hours of training spanning 6 calendar days.

Finding

From February 2022 through January 2024, the Navy and U.S. Special Operations Command made policy and procedure changes that improved the medical care and safety for Navy SEAL candidates. We observed the implementation of the changes to policies and procedures during Hell Week of Class 362 in September 2023.

However, the DoD and Navy could improve their policies and ensure that the Naval Special Warfare Center (NSWCEN) has sufficient resources. For example, DoD Instruction (DoDI) 1010.16, “Technical Procedures for the Military Personnel Drug Abuse Testing Program,” regarding performance‑enhancing drug (PED) policy, does not define PEDs to align with language in a January 2023 Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD[P&R]) memorandum.

Additionally, to alleviate burnout, NSWCEN Medical uses staff from other phases of training to support Hell Week. An assessment of NSWCEN’s medical capabilities may provide opportunities to address NSWCEN’s medical manpower requirements to ensure that staffing meets clinical demand and possibly reduce the potential for staff burnout. Naval Special Warfare Command (NAVSPECWARCOM) should reassess NSWCEN’s medical and communication equipment and medical manpower.

Furthermore, although safety procedures are in place to mitigate risk to candidates, NAVSPECWARCOM lacks a policy on the intentional use of sleep deprivation practices. The practice of sleep deprivation during Hell Week is operationally relevant, and NSWCEN has safety procedures in place to mitigate the risk to candidates. However, Navy officials were unable to provide specific rationale for the timing, length, or number of sleep periods, and we were unable to identify DoD policies providing purpose, applicability, and guidance for intentionally depriving candidates of sleep.

Download the document here.

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