Navy Seal Career Path
The U.S. Navy SEALs are adept at conducting warfare operations in the hostile environments of the sea, air and land. World renowned for their abilities to infiltrate deep into enemy positions using guerrilla tactics, the SEALs first came into service at the dawn of the Vietnam War in the 1960s, when then President John F. Kennedy realized the need for a specialized group to counter the Vietcong's own brand of warfare. Many men desire to be a SEAL; few make the cut.
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Prep School
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Enlisted men, as well as qualifying civilians, make the up the core of SEAL hopefuls. For civilians, applicants must speak to a SEAL motivator for specific instructions. A high-scoring Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) in addition to stringent physical skills must be demonstrated and recorded. The SEAL Prep School is divided into two separate physical screening distinctions, each bookending the training time. Those who cannot pass the physical tests are assigned other duties in the Navy; those who pass move on to Basic Underwater Demolitions (BUDs).
BUDs/SEAL Training
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Basic Underwater Demolitions (BUDs)/SEAL training lasts 24 weeks and introduces the applicant to intense physical and mental training. As each week progresses the tests, which are timed to stringent standards, increase in demand. The first two months of BUDs is the physical training, culminating with "Hell Week," seven days of constant sleep deprivation, grueling physical activity and extreme temperature exposure.
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BUDs Phases
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Following the initial BUDs phase and successful graduation from Hell Week, the next two phases of training commence. Dive training is the second phase, introducing the applicant to the physics of the underwater environment and the effects submersion has on the human body. Scuba equipment use is introduced as well. The final BUDs phase is land warfare, introducing the SEAL hopefuls to military weaponry, explosive ordinance and the guerrilla warfare tactics commonly used by SEALs.
Jump School
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Those who manage to complete the final phase and close out BUDs move on to basic parachute training, commonly referred to as jump school. In many cases, SEALs are required to insert behind enemy lines, either on the land or in the sea, and parachuting (the "A" in SEAL) is the method of choice. Besides equipment, the applicants are taught proper landing techniques and how to conceal their parachutes upon landing to hide their positions. Jump school culminates with a fully equipped night jump from 9,500 feet.
Qualification Training
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The final training regimen before being named worthy of the SEAL insignia is the 26-week long SQT, or SEAL Qualification Training. The applicant must pass several training courses that include combat swimming tactics, additional land warfare training, cold weather survival methods and maritime operations. Those applicants who successfully all the related training of the SQT will receive the coveted U.S. Navy SEAL Trident insignia. New SEALs will then be assigned to one of the operating SEAL teams, where additional specialist training may commence.
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References
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