The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the way that the U.S. military does business. Naval Special Warfare has not been immune to these changes.

As previously discussed on SOFREP, on March 16, The Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Basic Training Command (BTC) put a hold on BUD/S classes that were in the 1st Phase and 2nd Phase and the SWCC class that was in the Basic Crewman Selection phase. SEAL and SWCC classes that were further along in the pipeline were permitted to continue with training.

During the peak of the pandemic, a SEAL and SWCC class did graduate. NSW made it a point to not interrupt the flow of new operators to the Force.

In the past several weeks, the NSW Center has reinstated all SEAL and SWCC training classes, but times have changed. New protocols and safety measures have been put in place. These protocols begin at Boot Camp and continue on throughout the phases of NSW training in an effort to guarantee the safety and success of students. NSW has taken big steps to adhere to the CDC’s and DOD’s medical recommendations to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission.