{"id":44743,"date":"2022-09-12T20:02:34","date_gmt":"2022-09-12T20:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/09\/12\/big-navy-investigating-seal-basic-training\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:43:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:43:53","slug":"big-navy-investigating-seal-basic-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2022\/09\/12\/big-navy-investigating-seal-basic-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Navy investigating SEAL basic training"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Navy leadership has ordered an investigation into \u201cthe broader circumstances\u201d of SEAL basic training following the death of a candidate earlier this year and recent media reports that raise questions about the rigors of Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL \u2014 or BUD\/S \u2014 training, as well as the steps sailors are willing to take to get through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Navy investigation into the BUD\/S process follows a separate probe into the Feb. 4 death of Seaman Kyle Mullen, 24, at the end of Hell Week that raised further questions about the brutal training regimen, according to the sea service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSenior Navy leaders have initiated a separate investigation to look at the broader circumstances that were, in part, raised by Mullen\u2019s death,\u201d a Navy official said in a statement Monday. \u201cWe cannot provide an exact date as to when these investigations will be completed, but the Navy remains committed to transparency and ensuring the final reports are thorough, accurate, impartial, and that confidence and credibility are maintained throughout the entire process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New York Times broke news<\/a> of the BUD\/S investigation on Friday, reporting that it had been directed by then-Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. William Lescher, who ended his tenure as the Navy\u2019s number-two officer last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Times reports that an admiral from outside of Naval Special Warfare Command is spearheading the assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Times also reported that Lescher\u2019s letter ordering the investigation was dated Aug. 31, the day after publication of a Times investigation<\/a> into Mullen\u2019s death and the general brutality of SEAL Hell Week, a five-and-a-half-day gauntlet of nonstop physical training and hypothermia, with the barest minimum of food, warmth or rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\t