U.S.
Female sailors in training to become special operators, including SEAL
Stars and Stripes
July 21, 2017
Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL students participate in Surf Passage at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, on Feb. 16, 2010. According to reports Friday, July 21, 2017, female candidates are vying for two elite special operations jobs previously closed to women. (U.S. Navy)
Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL students participate in Surf Passage at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, on Feb. 16, 2010. According to reports Friday, July 21, 2017, female candidates are vying for two elite special operations jobs previously closed to women. (U.S. Navy)
Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen (SWCC) are specially trained to operate on and around rivers and coastal regions. Wielding extreme firepower and a deadly skill set, SWCC operators support special warfare/special operations missions as well as conduct direct action and special reconnaissance missions. (U.S. Navy)
An instructor from Naval Special Warfare Training Center, at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, briefs Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) students before they participate in interval swim training in San Diego Bay. (Trevor Welsh/U.S. Navy)
According to a report on National Public Radio, two female sailors are vying for Navy special operations jobs previously closed to women.
One candidate is an officer going through training in an effort to become the Navy's first female SEAL.
The other candidate is trying to earn the coveted Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) designation.
Both jobs require the candidate to complete the extremely rigorous Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL, or BUD/S, training program that has a very high attrition rate.
Roughly 75 percent of enlisted SEAL candidates and nearly 65 percent of officer SEAL candidates wash out of the BUD/S program, NPR reported. About 63 percent of the SWCC candidates don't make it past the BUD/S training.