U.S. Navy SEAL Careers | Navy.com (2023)

FAQs

How do you pass the Navy SEAL TEST? ›

The Navy SEALs fitness test requires you to run 15 miles in 10.5 minutes; swim 500 yards in 12.5 minutes; complete 50 pushups in two minutes; 50 curl-ups in two minutes; and 10 pull-ups in two minutes. The more you exceed the minimum, the better your shot.

The Navy seal training program is one of the most difficult human conditioning and military training tests in the world. During this program, students overcome obstacles designed to test their stamina, teamwork, and leadership. For every 1,000 people who start Navy Seal training, only around 200 to 250 succeed.

Qualifications & Requirements

Meet the minimum Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) score: GS+MC+EI=170 or VE+MK+MC+CS=220 or VE+AR=110 MC=50. Be 28 years of age or younger.

SEAL basic training has earned a grueling reputation, in part because of a notoriously high failure rate. Nearly 70% of enlisted SEALs fail, mostly by hell week. But Naval Academy officers have an 89% success rate, mainly because they go through years of training and evaluation before they arrive.

SAN DIEGO — The Navy's training for SEALS, called BUD/S, is known as one of the most arduous trials in the military, testing the physical and mental strength of SEAL candidates. Three weeks into the first phase of training, “Hell Week” is an exhaustive test of someone's commitment to becoming a Navy SEAL.

When I was learning CQB (Close Quarter Battle) from a Navy SEAL, I was taught to “stay in your three-foot world.” What did that mean? That means control the space around you in a three-foot direction. Don't worry what could or could not be in the rest of the building we are clearing.

This is what separates SEALs from all other US Special Operations Forces. By the end of Second Phase, candidates must complete timed 2-mile swim with fins in 80 minutes, the 4-mile run with boots in 31 minutes, a 3.5-mile and 5.5-mile swim.

Although the Marines are highly respected and considered one of the most elite fighting forces, the Navy SEALs training is far more rigorous and demanding than that of the Marines.

Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training is notoriously difficult, with an attrition rate hovering at between 70 percent and 85 percent for enlisted and over 90 percent for officers, thus making it one of the most selective special operations pipelines in the U.S. military.

(1) Chronic obstructive or restrictive pulmonary disease, active tuberculosis, reactive airway disease or asthma after age 13, sarcoidosis, and spontaneous pneumothorax are disqualifying.

Can you tell someone you're a Navy SEAL? ›

Navy SEALs are free to tell family and friends their occupation. The Navy even offers "engagements" in which SEALs talk to high school athletic teams about physical fitness and mental toughness.

Applicants must be at least 19 years of age and commissioned before their 42nd birthday at time of commissioning.

34. The divorce rate among U.S. Navy Seals is over 90 percent.

According to Military.com, only about 6% of SEAL candidates meet the requirements. The Seal Preparation Course in the Great Lakes, IL, lasts two months. This is an intensive training camp designed to prepare candidates for their first SEAL training program.

The Navy recruits approximately 40,000 people each year. Due to the popularity of the Navy SEALs, almost half of all recruits express an interest in becoming a SEAL, but most do not meet the qualifications. According to Military.com, only about 6 percent of SEAL applicants meet the requirements.

The SEAL teams have faced criticism for decades, both from outsiders and their own Navy leadership, that their selection course, known as Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training or BUD/S, is too difficult, too brutal, and too often causes concussions, broken bones, dangerous infections and near-drownings.

SEAL Team 6, officially known as United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), and Delta Force, officially known as 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), are the most highly trained elite forces in the US military.

While living with Itzler and his family, the SEAL taught him the 40% rule. “He would say that when your mind is telling you you're done, you're really only 40 percent done. And he had a motto: If it doesn't suck we don't do it.

A SEAL Team is commanded by a Navy Commander (O-5) and is composed of a HQS element and eight operational 16-man SEAL Platoons.

How long can a Navy SEAL serve? ›

Navy SEALs are eligible for retirement after 20 years of service, but many SEAL members continue service for at least 30 years to maximize their retirement benefits. After 20 years of service, Navy SEALS are eligible for 50% of their average base salary for retirement.

Run in boots and swim with fins

At least 3-4 months before arriving at BUD/S, get your legs used to swimming with fins and running in boots. They issue Bates 924s and UDT or Rocket Fins at BUD/S. The fins are difficult to find, so any stiff fin that requires you to wear booties will do.

Running. Running is a significant part of SEAL training, and the distance trainees cover increases over time. For the first two weeks of training, they run two miles a day at an 8-1/2 minute pace for three days a week. After that period, they run three miles a day for four days a week.

Senior SEAL officials believe drug use inside the elite unit includes not just human growth hormone but a wide range of substances. It's unclear how many SEALs still may be using PED. But “when we first heard about possible PED usage we went in extremely fast and extremely hard on testing,” the senior officer told CNN.

There's a great argument that the Marine Corps has the hardest military training of anyone, and here's why. Of course, when you reach the top, you can find them becoming SEALs or a part of the Marine Raider Regiment (MRR), but the training of any Marine is some of the hardest military training in the world.

Marine boot camp is extremely challenging -- both physically and mentally -- and considered to be tougher than the basic training programs of any of the other military services.

Seventy-five percent to 80% of people do not make it through Navy SEAL training, because they either quit, failed to meet the standards, were injured or did something stupid and were kicked out.

Notoriously Brutal Training

SEALS have a high risk of mortality and must be equipped to complete nearly impossible missions. Over the course of one year, you will be subjected to physically punishing activities, extreme temperatures, mental fatigue and sleep deprivation.

Weekends are yours to continue to rest and recover. Take a few naps during the weekend after big meals. Try to limit your late nights and eat well -- not junk or fast food -- when away from the BUD/S chow hall. Fourth, you have to stay hydrated and keep the electrolytes flowing.

Who is the baddest Navy SEAL? ›

1. Chris Kyle – BUD/S Class: 233. Kyle was the most lethal sniper in US history, and his life was adapted into a major motion picture. Kyle makes number one on the list of most famous Navy SEALs because his actions in Iraq raised the standards for what a SEAL is capable of.

What is this? Thus, existing SEALs shouldn't have a problem landing civilian work after retiring from the Navy (especially if you don't mind starting a new career). Navy SEALs often work in private security or law enforcement because some of their training is applicable to the civilian world.

Moral Waivers

Applicants who have one felony on their record as an adult, or up to two juvenile felonies, are able to apply for a moral waiver with the Commander of Navy Recruiting Command. Only if the waiver is granted can the applying felon enter the Navy.

The SEAL Legacy has been developed and fostered for the more than 50-year history of the United States Navy SEAL Teams. NO SEAL has ever been captured and NO SEAL has ever been left behind on the field of battle, dead or alive.

You can apply to become a Navy SEAL as a civilian, a Navy sailor or even as a service member from another military branch. Both new recruits and active-duty military candidates must pass a battery of physical, technical and psychological exams.

To date, 13 women have been chosen for Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman training, with one completing the course and becoming the Navy's first female Naval Special Warfare operator -- the boat operators who transport Navy SEALs and conduct their own classified missions -- in July 2021.

Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training

BUD/S is a seven-month training challenge that develops your mental and physical stamina and leadership skills. Each BUD/S phase includes timed physical condition tests, with the time requirements becoming more demanding each week.

Steven Elias. Enlisting on April 24, 1981, he received “The Bull Frog” title as the longest continuously serving active-duty U.S. Navy SEAL on June 8, 2017.

Special operations forces

These elite troops often spend an average of nine months a year away from their families, and they are more likely to suffer long-term emotional damage from years of war. Some reports have indicated that the divorce rate among special forces may be as high as 90%.

What are the benefits of marrying a Navy SEAL? ›

As the wife or husband of a service member, you are eligible for many benefits, including health care, shopping privileges on base, and access to base facilities and programs.

Currently, three more women are in training. On top of that, the first female special tactics officer graduated from the Air Force in 2022. Despite this attempt to have more women, there still aren't any female Navy SEALs.

SEAL basic training has earned a grueling reputation, in part because of a notoriously high failure rate. Nearly 70% of enlisted SEALs fail, mostly by hell week. But Naval Academy officers have an 89% success rate, mainly because they go through years of training and evaluation before they arrive.

To qualify for SEAL, you must score at least one of the following on the ASVAB: GS + MC + EI = a minimum score of 170 (GS and EI are waiverable up to three points each, MC is not waiverable) VE + MK + MC + CS = a minimum score of 220 (VE, MK and CS are waiverable up to three points each, MC is not waiverable)

Applicants must be from 17 to 28 years old. Waivers for men ages 29 and 30 are available for highly qualified candidates. Men with prior enlisted service as SEALs who are seeking to become SEAL Officers can request waivers to age 33.

Salary Ranges for Navy Seals

The salaries of Navy Seals in the US range from $15,929 to $424,998 , with a median salary of $76,394 .

It is extremely difficult to become a Navy Seal.

During this program, students overcome obstacles designed to test their stamina, teamwork, and leadership. For every 1,000 people who start Navy Seal training, only around 200 to 250 succeed. To even just qualify for the Navy Seal training program is difficult.

We've determined that 66.7% of navy seals have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 0.0% of navy seals have master's degrees. Even though most navy seals have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Your grades, leadership jobs, sports and athletic events completed, foreign languages and even community service hours come into play into selection. You will be judged by a group of SEAL officers and senior enlisted in a personal interview while attending SEAL Officer Assessment and Selection Training.

Navy SEAL pre-training requirements include: Push-ups in 2 minutes: 42 minimum, 100 optimum. Sit-ups in 2 minutes: 52 minimum, 100 optimum. Pull-ups (no time limit): 8 minimum, 20 optimum.

What age do Navy SEALs retire? ›

Drill pay (SELRES) members who have completed 15 or more years of qualifying service and are no longer physically qualified for Navy service also are eligible to receive retired pay at age 60. Note: If otherwise eligible, members may remain in an active status until age 62.

(1) Chronic obstructive or restrictive pulmonary disease, active tuberculosis, reactive airway disease or asthma after age 13, sarcoidosis, and spontaneous pneumothorax are disqualifying.

18-28 years old (17 with parental permission) A U.S. citizen. High school graduate (or meet High Performance Predictor Profile criteria).

You will run at least six to 10 miles per day in BUD/S. Your legs will be punished, and those that do not prepare themselves risk stress fractures and other stress-induced injuries. You need to be able to run relatively fast, too, as there are timed runs at BUD/S, and if you fail them, you fail the course.

Today's SEALs. Today there are 10 active-duty SEAL Teams, each made up of more than 200 men and women (SEALs and support and mission-enabling personnel), and each commanded by an 0-5 commander. Two additional SEAL Teams have been organized within the Naval Reserve Component.

7. Navy SEALs Train For How to Survive A Shark Attack. During a required five and a half-mile night swim during Navy SEAL training, students make their way through the waters surrounding San Clemente Island, just off the coast of San Diego, California.