Two Women Reach Third Week of Navy SEAL Training

The two candidates have progressed further than any woman before them in the Navy's demanding SEAL course, though no woman has yet completed it.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Military Jobs

Wide photograph of an empty wet beach with breaking surf and a weathered wooden log across the foreground tideline under a grey overcast sky. — Two women have reached the third week of Navy SEAL Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, the farthest any woman has gone in the program. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should women be allowed to attempt the same elite special operations training as men?

Two women have reached the third week of Navy SEAL Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in California, the farthest any woman has reached in the program. Neither has completed the course, and no woman has yet become a Navy SEAL.

Why it matters

The Pentagon opened all military combat positions to women in 2016, and the progress of these candidates tests how that policy plays out in the most physically demanding training pipelines. Navy attrition data shows the course remains highly selective for all candidates.

Navy data from 1998 to 2023 shows about 45% of BUD/S candidates are removed or moved before Hell Week, and about 21% of those who start Hell Week leave during it. Hell Week involves five and a half days of continuous physical challenges with about four hours of sleep.

The players

Naval Amphibious Base Coronado

The Navy installation in California where Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training is conducted.

The details

Hell Week includes carrying heavy logs, launching boats into rough ocean waters, enduring cold seawater, and running long distances. One candidate, an officer, was moved to a later class before requesting to leave, and an enlisted sailor was medically withdrawn during Hell Week.

Navy attrition data covers the period from 1998 to 2023.
The Pentagon opened all combat positions to women in 2016.

Big Picture

The 2016 Pentagon decision to open all military combat positions to women set the policy frame for these candidates. Their progress into the third week of BUD/S shows how that policy is being tested in the Navy's most demanding special operations training.

Prospective Navy SEAL candidates should understand that about 45% are removed or moved before Hell Week begins, so preparation for the pre-training stages matters. The Navy's published attrition figures show how selective the pipeline remains for every candidate regardless of background.

The takeaway

Progress by these two candidates shows the policy change has moved women into the program's early stages, but the attrition data shows the course stays difficult for everyone. Readers interested in military careers should weigh both the opportunity and the physical demands.