2 women advanced further in Navy SEAL tryouts than any in history

November 4, 2026 / 7:57 PM EST / CBS News

Washington — Two women attempting to become Navy SEALs advanced further through the military's grueling training pipeline than any women before them, making history despite ultimately failing to complete the demanding course at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in California.

An enlisted sailor and a naval officer entered Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL, or BUD/S, training several weeks ago, multiple sources told CBS News. Both had made it to the third week of training, with Hell Week, the infamous 5 1/2-day endurance test starting in the fourth week. CBS News has learned the officer was rolled back to the next class and ultimately requested to be dropped from the course before Hell Week and the enlisted sailor was medically pulled from Hell Week.

While the two women did not pass the SEAL course, they made it further than any other woman who has tried since special operations opened its doors to women in 2016.

CBS News is withholding the names of the candidates for security and privacy reasons.

Gaining access to Hell Week is a feat of its own because nearly half of all candidates, about 45%, are either removed or rolled back…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/