Editing United States Navy SEALs (section)

==Personnel==
=== Selection and training ===
{{Main|United States Navy SEAL selection and training}}
[[File:United States Navy SEALs 81.jpg|thumb|U.S. Navy SEALs conducting training with [[FN SCAR|SCAR]] rifles]]
[[File:US Navy 071019-N-6552M-024 A team of four SEAL trainees prepare to breach a room during a SEAL qualification training exercise.jpg|thumb|Students armed with [[Close Quarters Battle Receiver|Mk 18 mod 0s]] conduct [[CQB]] drills during SEAL Qualification Training]]

Before getting accepted into Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, a prospective candidate must pass a certain number of both mental and physical [[United States Navy SEAL selection and training|requirements]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Navy SEAL Enlisted General Requirements |url=https://www.sealswcc.com/navy-seal-enlisted-general-requirements.html |access-date=28 September 2015 |website=SEAL+SWCC}}</ref> These tests include: Pre-enlistment medical screening, [[ASVAB]], AFQT, C-SORT, and PST. Then, the candidate must get a SEAL contract by passing the SEAL Physical Screening Test: 500-yard swim in 12:30, 50 push-ups in 2 minutes, 50 sit-ups in 2 minutes, 10 consecutive pull-ups in 2 minutes, and a 1.5-mile run in 10:30. Candidates receiving a passing score may then be admitted into training to become Navy SEALs.<ref>{{cite web |title=Enlisted SEAL Requirements |url=http://navyseals.com/buds/enlisted-seal-requirements/ |website=Navy Seals.com |access-date=28 September 2015}}</ref> SEAL training is extremely rigorous. The attrition rate fluctuates, but averages at about 80 percent.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sealswcc.com/navy-seal-frequently-asked-questions-faq.html |title=FAQ |website=SEAL+SWCC |access-date=30 May 2015}}</ref> [[File:US Navy SEALs in from water.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Navy SEALs training with [[MP5]] submachine guns]]The average candidate spends more than a year in a series of formal training courses before being awarded the [[List of United States Navy ratings|Special Warfare Operator Naval Rating]] and the [[Navy Enlisted Classification]] (NEC) 5326 Combatant Swimmer (SEAL) or, in the case of commissioned naval officers, the designation Naval Special Warfare (SEAL) Officer.

Candidates for the Special Warfare Operator (SO) rating must complete an extensive training pipeline beginning with Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in Coronado, California. Following BUD/S, candidates attend SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) to further develop tactical skills before earning their SEAL Trident. The entire process typically takes over a year, and the attrition rate for candidates exceeds 75 percent, reflecting the extreme physical and mental demands of the program.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.navy.com/careers-benefits/careers/special-operations |website=Navy SEALs Training – SEALSWCC Official Site.}}</ref>

Navy SEAL training pipeline:
* 8-week Naval Recruit Training
* 8-week Naval Special Warfare Prep School (Pre-BUD/S)
* 3-week BUD/S Orientation
* 24-week Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training (BUD/S)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://navyseals.com/buds/|title=BUD/S|website=Navy SEALs|language=en-US|access-date=2 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404112945/http://navyseals.com/buds/|archive-date=4 April 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* 3-week Army airborne School
* 26-week SEAL Qualification Training (SQT)

Upon graduation from SQT, trainees receive the U.S. Navy SEAL Trident, designating them as Navy SEALs. They are subsequently assigned to a SEAL Team or SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) Team and begin 18 months of predeployment training before they are considered deployable. This training consists of:<ref name="Navy.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.com/careers/special-operations/seals.html |title=Navy SEALs |website=Navy.com}}</ref><ref name="sealswcc.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.sealswcc.com/navy-seals-buds-training-stages-overview.aspx |title=Navy SEALs Training Stages Overview |website=SEAL+SWCC |access-date=23 April 2013 |archive-date=3 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503172924/http://www.sealswcc.com/navy-seals-buds-training-stages-overview.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* 6-month Professional Development – Individual Specialty Training (ProDev)
* 6-month Unit Level Training (ULT). ULT is unit training conducted by each Groups Training Detachment. Core unit training blocks are Air Operations, Land Warfare, Maritime, Urban and Special Reconnaissance.
* 6-month Squadron Integration Training (SIT)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://information.usnavyseals.com/2009/09/navy-seal-platoon-training.html |title=Navy SEAL Platoon Training |website=Navy SEALs Information & Resources |date=4 September 2009 |access-date=9 May 2014 |archive-date=9 May 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140509174303/http://information.usnavyseals.com/2009/09/navy-seal-platoon-training.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Those enlisted SEALs with a medical rating will first attend the Special Operations Combat Medic Course for 6 months in Fort Bragg, North Carolina<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmotc/nsomi/Pages/SpecialOperationsCombatMedicCourse.aspx |title=Special Operations Combat Medic Course |website=U.S. Navy |access-date=6 October 2014 |archive-date=12 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412164707/https://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmotc/nsomi/Pages/SpecialOperationsCombatMedicCourse.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> before joining a team in order to become a SEAL/Special Operator Corpsman. Those pursuing officer positions first attend the Junior Officer Training Course (JOTC) to learn about operations planning and how to perform team briefings. In total it can take over two-and-a-half years to completely train a Navy SEAL for his first deployment.<ref name="Navy.com"/><ref name="sealswcc.com"/>


===Women===
{{broader|Women in the United States Navy}}

Until December 2015, female sailors were barred from becoming Navy SEALs by naval regulation; however, this prohibition no longer exists. As early as August 2015, it was reported that the "Navy is planning to open its elite SEAL teams to women who can pass the grueling training regimen."<ref name="Navy Times">{{cite news |url=http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2015/08/18/women-seals-greenert-losey-buds/31943243/ |title=Navy SEALs set to open to women, top admiral says |last1=Larter |first1=David |last2=Myers |first2=Meghann |date=19 August 2015 |newspaper=Navy Times}}</ref> In that same month, Admiral Jon Greenert, the Chief of Naval Operations at the time, said that "he and the head of Naval Special Warfare Command, Rear Admiral [[Brian Losey]], believe that if women can pass the legendary six-month [[United States Navy SEAL selection and training#BUD/S|Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)]] training, they should be allowed to serve."<ref name="Navy Times"/> On 3 December 2015, it was announced that there are now "no exceptions" to all military roles in the U.S., and women can become U.S. Navy SEALs.<ref>{{cite news |last=Crockett |first=Emily |url=https://www.vox.com/2015/12/3/9844404/women-military-combat-no-exceptions |title="No exceptions": Women can now serve in all military combat roles |website=Vox |date=3 December 2015}}</ref>

Since the Navy opened up special warfare jobs to female sailors in 2016, 18 women have attempted to pass [[Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen]] (SWCC) and SEAL training.<ref>{{Cite web |title=First Female Navy Special Operations Sailor Graduates from Training|url=https://news.usni.org/2021/07/15/first-female-navy-special-operations-sailor-graduates-from-training|first=Sam|last=LaGrone|date=15 July 2021|website=USNI News}}</ref>

''The Washington Examiner'' reported on 10 August 2017: "A woman aiming to become the first female Navy SEAL officer quit about a week into the initial training".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/candidate-to-be-first-female-navy-seal-officer-quits-after-a-week-report/article/2631205 |first=Travis J. |last=Tritten |title=Candidate to be first female Navy SEAL officer quits after a week |magazine=[[The Washington Examiner]] |date=10 August 2017}}</ref>

In 2019, the Navy announced that an unnamed female officer was the first to successfully complete the SEAL Officer Assessment and Selection program (SOAS). She was one of a group of five female candidates to enter the program. She opted not to start BUD/S afterwards, instead choosing another assignment in the Navy.<ref>{{cite web|date=11 December 2019 |last=Seck |first=Hope Hodge |url=https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/12/11/first-woman-has-made-it-through-seal-officer-screening.html |title=The First Woman Has Made it Through SEAL Officer Screening |website=Military.com|access-date=2019-12-12}}</ref><ref name=womantrainingcomplete>{{cite news|url=https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/12/11/first-woman-has-made-it-through-seal-officer-screening.html|title=The First Woman Has Made it Through SEAL Officer Screening|first=Hope Hodge|last=Seck|publisher=Military Times|date=11 December 2019|accessdate=24 March 2021}}</ref>

===Issues===
In December 2016, the SEALs halted all training and ordered a safety stand-down because of substance abuse within its ranks.<ref name=sealdruguse>{{cite news |title=Navy SEAL drug use "staggering," investigation finds |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/navy-seal-drug-use-staggering-investigation-finds |agency=CBS |date=April 11, 2017}}</ref> As part of the safety stand-down, all SEALs were required to submit to urinalysis.<ref name=sealdruguse/> In August 2019, a review of the culture of [[United States Special Operations Command|Special Operations Command]] was ordered following cases of misconduct involving the SEALS, which included substance abuse by members of SEAL Team 10 and allegations of sexual assault and intoxication by a SEAL platoon in Iraq.<ref>{{cite news |title=Allegations of sexual assault, cocaine use among SEAL teams prompt 'culture' review |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/12/politics/navy-seals-ethics-review/index.html |agency=CNN |date=August 12, 2019}}</ref>

In 2021, SEAL team members appeared on CBS concealing their identities out of concern for retribution. They alerted the public to a culture of lawlessness, misconduct, and war crimes within their ranks.<ref>{{cite news |title=Navy SEALs tell CBS News "lawless" members plague teams with criminality, drug abuse and profiteering | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/navy-seals-tell-cbs-news-alleged-criminality-drug-use-exploitation/ |publisher=CBS News |date=2021-04-30 |access-date=2024-07-18}}</ref>

===Relationship with CIA===
The [[CIA]]'s highly secretive and elite [[Special Activities Center|Special Operations Group (SOG)]] recruits operators from SEAL Teams,<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1004145,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509162250/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1004145,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 May 2007 |title=The CIA's Secret Army |last=Waller |first=Douglas |date=3 February 2003 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref> with joint operations going back to the [[MACV-SOG]] during the [[Vietnam War]].<ref>{{cite book |title=SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam |first=John L. |last=Plaster |author-link=John Plaster |year=1997 |location=New York |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=978-0684811055 |url=https://archive.org/details/sogsecretwarsofa00plas }}</ref> This cooperation still exists today, as evidenced by [[military operation]]s in [[Iraq]] and [[Afghanistan]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Inside Delta Force |first=Eric L. |last=Haney |author-link=Eric L. Haney |year=2002 |location=New York |publisher=[[Delacorte Press]] |isbn=978-0385732512 |url=https://archive.org/details/insidedeltaforce00hane }}</ref><ref name=Efran>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elite-officer-recalls-bin-laden-hunt/ |title=Army Officer Recalls Hunt for Bin Laden |website=[[60 Minutes]] |publisher=[[CBS News]] |date=5 October 2008}}</ref>