Pentagon Watchdog Questions Navy SEAL Training Program's Use of Sleep Deprivation

More than two years after the death of recruit Kyle Mullen during the grueling Hell Week portion of Navy SEAL training, the Defense Department's watchdog says the service has made some changes to improve medical care and safety in the program but that more changes are needed.

The DoD inspector general report released Thursday found that the Navy "lacks a policy on the intentional use of sleep deprivation practices" and should beef up the number of medical professionals it has on staff to help with the demand placed on the medical department during Hell Week.

The Navy determined that Mullen died of acute pneumonia shortly after completing Hell Week on Feb. 4, 2022. An investigation into his death, however, also found evidence that SEAL recruits are not given adequate care and the BUD/s course, the official name for the elite training program, had fostered a culture in which seeking help in emergency situations was all but prohibited.