One year after the training death of SEAL candidate Kyle Mullen, a harsh spotlight remains on the Navy’s elite special force assigned to perform America’s most daring military missions. SEALs are a carefully selected group of combatants, but now the methods of forging this elite group are being widely questioned.
In the year since Mullen’s tragic death, the Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS), the Navy’s law enforcement agency, has not completed its investigation. An administrative investigation by the Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) did cause changes in medical protocols and practices for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training for all SEAL candidates.

Meanwhile, some members of Congress, and especially the news media, have pointed a finger and castigated the SEAL program. Any organization that requires its members to perform under the most extreme and stressful conditions one can endure will likely suffer some flaws. Despite their legendary status, SEALs are human, not superhuman. Continuous review and wise reforms are essential to safeguard and improve any program.

Kyle Mullen, US Navy Photo

 

But lost in today’s debate over the SEALs, are two questions.