The Navy SEALs are pushing forward with a plan to integrate women into their storied commando teams. Officials say the arduous standards are to remain the same, standards that any future female SEAL candidates will have to face alongside men.
Future G.I. Jane's will have to survive the military's most formidable year of training. Widely regarded as the hardest test during this period is the 6-month Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training held in and around Coronado, California. Two-thirds of SEAL hopefuls wash- out during the training, according to a U.S. Navy recruiting video.
After their introduction to the course, SEAL candidates — officers and enlisted — are exposed to three phases: physical conditioning, combat diving and land warfare. The conditioning phase includes beach runs and grueling workouts, as well as the legendary Hell week — five days of nonstop training that can force even the toughest candidates to abort by ringing the bell.
Only the most resilient sailors working together can survive and go on to earn the coveted SEAL Trident.
Here's a look at their grueling regimen:
BUD/S physical conditioning:
Sit-ups with telephone pole-sized logs. Scaling the obstacle course. Paddling rubber boats into crashing waves. This phase is designed to harden the candidates mentally and physically and enhance their spirit of teamwork to steel them for harrowing drills.
Hell week:
Hell week is not for the faint of heart. The physical conditioning escalates into five days of nonstop training during the third week of this phase. Inflatable boat races on the beach. Freezing in the surf. The ThisTV mini-series, "Navy SEALs: BUDS Class 234," captures the training and psychological torment that a real BUD/S class faced.
Combat diving:
This 7-week phase trains candidates to be frogmen. In pool sessions, they learn to rig SCUBA gear under intense harassment by instructors. They also go on long-distance swims and learn diving tactics and navigation — often essential to SEAL team insertion.
Land warfare:
This 7-week phase focuses on weapons, small tactics and demolition training, then takes the candidates to San Clemente Island off the California coast to hone their skills.
Those who pass BUD/S will go onto to another six months of advanced training before they earn the gold badge that marks their full entrance into the SEALs: the Special Warfare insignia known as the Trident.
