Drop On Request, Military acronym for a cadet applying for "voluntary resignation". (United States Navy SEAL selection and training)
United States Navy SEAL selection and training
The average member of the United States Navy's Sea, Air, Land Teams (SEALs) spends over a year in a series of formal training environments before being awarded the Special Warfare Operator Naval Rating and the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) O26A Combatant Swimmer (SEAL) or, in the case of commissioned naval officers, the designation 113X Special Warfare Officer. All Navy SEALs must attend and graduate from their rating's 24-week "A" School known as Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) school, a basic parachutist course and then the 26-week SEAL Qualification Training program.
The graduating members of BUD/S Class 236 in front of the Naval Special Warfare Center. At the far left of the back row is Medal of Honor recipient Michael P. Murphy.
All sailors entering the SEAL training pipeline chosen by Naval Special Warfare Command must also attend the six-month SEAL specific Special Operations Tactical Medic course in Stennis, MS and subsequently earn the NEC SO-5393 Naval Special Warfare Medic before joining an operational Team. Once outside the formal schooling environment SEALs entering a new Team at the beginning of an operational rotation can expect 18 months of training interspersed with leave and other time off before each six-month deployment.
Training to become a Navy SEAL is voluntary, and officers and enlisted sailors train side by side. To volunteer, a SEAL candidate must be a US citizen between 18 and 29 years old in the U.S. Navy. Occasionally, personnel from foreign armed forces allied with the United States have been invited to train at BUD/S. For two years, of seven initially planned,[3] members of the Coast Guard were allowed to obtain SEAL training, until the program was suspended in 2011.[4] Waivers are available for 17-year-olds with parental permission, and case-by-case for 29- and 30-year-olds.[5] Academically, all applicants must have the equivalent of a high school education, have a composite score of at least 220 on the ASVAB and be proficient in all aspects of the English language. Medically, all potential applicants must have at least 20/70 vision, correctable to 20/25, be able to pass the SEAL Physical Screening Test and have no recent history of drug abuse. Lastly applicants must have "good moral character" as determined by their history of criminal convictions and civil citations.
Women
Since December 2015, women have been eligible to enter the SEAL training pipeline provided they can meet the same acceptance guidelines as men. Women accepted into the program undergo the same training regimen as do the men, although this policy is under review.
The first woman to enter the training pipeline dropped out during the 3-week Indoctrination phase in August 2017 prior to entering BUD/S.[8]
The first woman to complete the screening required to enter BUD/S did so in 2019. She was subsequently assigned to the unit listed as her first choice, which was not the SEALs.[9]
The first female officer to ever pass assessment and screening for the SWCC pipeline, did so in September 2021, though afterwards she was not offered a contract.
Assessment
Assignment to BUD/S is conditional on the SEAL Physical Screening Test (PST). Prospective trainees are expected to exceed the minimums. The minimum requirements are 500 yd (460 m) swim using breast or combat sidestroke in under 12:30 with a competitive time of 9:00 or less, at least 50 push-ups in 2 minutes with a competitive count of 90 or more, at least 50 sit-ups in 2 minutes with a competitive count of 90 or more, at least 10 pull-ups from a dead hang (no time limit) with a competitive count of 18 or more, run 1.5 mi (2.4 km) running in pants and boots (now changed to shorts and sneakers) under 10:30 with a competitive time of 9:30 or less.