You must already be a member of the United States Navy to start the application process for SEAL. You must be recommended by your immediate Chief, his (or her) officer, and the Commanding officer of the Unit. You must pass a rugged physical fitness test and a written test. You will then proceed to Coronado California Amphib base for further training. Your chances of failing this training are high, about 70%, at which point you will return to your original ship at your original rank and rate.

If you are a civilian there is a contract called the SEAL Challenge (last I checked, they have called it the Warrior Challenge in the past). Under the SEAL Challenge, you will enlist under the Delayed Entry Program, and be screened as a Naval Special Warfare candidate. Once in Boot Camp, you will be trained in the NSW Division and held to higher standards than other recruits. You will have 3 opportunities to pass the SEAL PST, explained below. Once you pass the PST, you are guaranteed your shot at BUD/S. BUD/S lasts 6 months, and is widely accepted as the most difficult military training in the world. There is an 80% failure rate for enlisted men, and the number is higher still for officers. In BUD/S, officers train side-by-side with enlisted candidates, a rarity in the military. After graduation, students continue to train for up to 12 more months in jump training, dive/demolitions training, or language training, depending on the student.

Talk to your recruiter for more information regarding the SEAL Challenge, and start training long before you get to Coronado. Below is the PST, along with recommended scores.

• Swim 500-yards using breast and/or sidestroke in less than 12 minutes and 30 seconds

  10-minute rest

• Perform a minimum of 42 push-ups in 2 minutes

  2-minute rest

• Perform a minimum of 50 sit-ups in 2 minutes

  2-minute rest

• Perform a minimum of 6 pull-ups (no time limit)

  10-minute rest

• Run 1 ½ miles wearing BOOTS AND PANTS in under 11 minutes 30 seconds

Competitive Scores:

- 500 yd swim in 9:00 or less (sidestroke)

- 100+ push-ups

- 100+ sit-ups

- 20+ pull-ups (forward grip, no girl-curls in BUD/S)

- 1.5 Mile run in 9:00 or less

You may need to train for up to a year to achieve these scores, but once you have, BUD/S will be much easier for you (not to say that it will be easy).

NOTE: There is no guarantee to BUD/S if you plan on commissioning as an officer. Officer candidates are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Last I heard, 1 in 6 officers received orders to BUD/S. The SEAL Challenge is an excellent option for college grads, because once they are NCO's, they will be a more attractive candidate for promotion than Joe Shmoe coming out of college with no experience in the Teams.

SEAL stands for "Sea, Air and Land" and is a branch under the United States Navy and the United States Armed Forces. The SEALS are called on for unconventional warfare and fighting. The U.S. Navy SEALS is comprised of the most elite soldiers in all of the U.S. Armed Forces. The badge for the Navy SEALS is all gold with a trident, anchor, gun, and eagle (similar to Anheuser-Busch's eagle of today's beer company).

To become a Navy SEAL, soldiers must complete a six month long training and elimination course know as BUD/S, or Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL. These training camps can either take place in San Diego or Virgina Beach. Soldiers can work on becoming an expert in either diving, demolition, or land warfare. The training also includes the dreaded "hell week", where soldiers are truly put to the test. Only the soldiers that work their extreme hardest advance pass this grueling week. For most people, this task is completely impossible to pass.

To become US Navy SEAL the requirements are: to hold US citizenship, have no more than two dependent minors, be a high school graduate (or meet equivalency standards), 28 years old or less, and have correctable 20/20 vision. If a soldier has met all of these requirements, the only thing stopping them from being a Navy SEAL is the six exhausting months of training.

Once a SEAL, you will be placed in a task unit which consist of approximately 300 personnel. Before deployed for military action, the SEALS train for another 18 months to tune up there skills and become all they can be. Also, being a branch under of the U.S. Navy, the SEALS receive all the benefits that Navy personnel are entitled to. Benefits include health coverage, affordable life insurance policies, several ways to pay for education, and over four weeks of paid vacation every year.