BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Navy SEALs will begin drug testing all sailors

  • The Navy will begin conducting drug testing for SEALs as well as recruits
  • The move comes after a recruit died during training in 2022
  • Tests will look for drugs like testosterone and growth hormones

This Monday May 4, 2020, photo provided by the U.S. Navy shows SEAL candidates participating in “surf immersion” during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training at the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Center in Coronado, Calif. Navy SEAL recruits and their instructors are being tested for the coronavirus as the candidates in one of the military’s most grueling programs return to training with new social distancing guidelines, a top official said Tuesday, May 5, 2020. (MC1 Anthony Walker/U.S. Navy via AP)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

maylen

https://digital-stage.newsnationnow.com/

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

(NewsNation) — The Navy announced it will be testing all SEALs for performance-enhancing drugs after the death of a recruit in 2022.

Kyle Mullen had completed the initial phase of training known as Hell Week, but died after having to be wheeled out of a medical screening, visibly swollen and coughing up blood. An autopsy showed he died of pneumonia, but also noted he had an enlarged heart.

It was later discovered he had a stash of performance-enhancing drugs, including testosterone and human growth hormone. While his blood and urine weren’t tested for the drugs, two other candidates did test positive.

Investigations following Mullen’s death revealed recruits were turning to drugs in order to pass a training program legendary for being the toughest in the military.

Rear Adm. Keith Davids, the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, announced the program, which will test 15% of a unit’s population each month. Unit commanders will also have the option to do a sweep and test all of the SEALs in a given unit.

Sailors will have to provide two samples for urinalysis at a Navy lab and an outside lab. Tests will look for banned substances like anabolic steroids and growth hormones, as well as masking agents used to conceal PEDs.

Sailors who can’t offer a legal justification for any substances will be processed for administrative separation. Initial positive test results will result in removal from the training pipeline or being held back from deployment while an inquiry takes place.

The testing program will offer crave-outs for those prescribed substances like testosterone, which have legitimate medical uses.

Earlier drug-testing policies were hampered because commanders were unable to order blood tests. A more basic screening was used, and results suggested the problem was minimal, with fewer than 1% of candidates testing positive for banned substances since March.

Military

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

70°F Sunny Feels like 70°
Wind
3 mph S
Humidity
22%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 46F. Winds light and variable.
46°F Clear to partly cloudy. Low 46F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
2 mph N
Precip
9%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous