The Navy Seals, like those who carried out the operation to kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, are truly on film. Tough guys wherever they are. But not so much.
This is what the chiefs in charge of training these elite soldiers believe in the face of the increase in dropouts. It is not their fault that they are subjected to dangerous, even deadly, situations that lead them to exhaustion, unsupervised and poor medical attention, which leads them to throw in the towel or resort to drugs.
No, the poor results are due to the fact that the current generation is "too soft", maintain those responsible for the practices.
All these conclusions are part of a report of almost 200 pages that is very critical of those responsible for the education and training of this body. In this document, the basic underwater demolition course of the Navy Seals, a program known as BUD/S, is characterized as an "almost perfect storm", a name that in itself is more than illustrative.
"The investigation revealed a degree of complacency and insufficient attention to a wide range of important elements intended to maintain student safety," it says in its writing.
This six-month course has already left several injured and one dead. It was precisely the death in February 2022 of sailor Kyle Mullen, aspiring navy seal, that set off alarm bells.
The dropout rate is 70-85% per class. The course takes place on the beach at the base of Coronado, in San Diego, southern California.
Candidates are subject to limited rest time, long periods submerged in icy water, punches and kicks or constant physical exercise and combat training, without receiving medical attention unless they do not drop out of the course. The students explained that doctors regularly do not intervene and sometimes participate in the abuse.
Kyle Mullen suffered from pneumonia and other ailments during the days of the most grueling section, known as "hell week", six days in which they are only allowed four hours of sleep.
The official website explains that "candidates are endlessly in formation, drenched on the beach or waist-deep in water in the cold wind off the ocean."
The researchers determined that health care was "poorly organized, poorly integrated, and poorly directed." They deduce that these are "factors that probably have the most direct impact on the health and well-being of students."
Mullen, who completed “hell week,” received no significant attention from instructors or medical personnel. When her condition worsened and she had difficulty breathing, the medical officers in charge twice warned the participants not to call 911 because it would interfere with training, the report said.
According to navy commanders, ten people identified in the report, including these two high-ranking ones, face possible charges.
