(ConservativeInsider.org) – The United States Navy SEALs, one of the most famous and elite special operations forces within the US military, will begin randoms screenings for performance enhancing drugs, also known as P.E.D.s later this year. The commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, US Rear Admiral Keith Davids, said the drug testing is to “protect the health of soldiers” and to ensure that our military is ready.
The announcement comes more than a year after a 24-year-old sailor named Kyle Mullen died from cardiac arrest just hours after completing the most difficult portion of SEAL training, called Hell Week. Tests found no evidence of performance enhancing drugs in his system after death, but reports indicate that he was not screened for certain steroids because the necessary urine and blood samples were unavailable. Multiple drugs, including testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH) were found in the sailor’s car after his death.
The training, known as Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S), is known to be one of the most grueling trainings within the US military. At least 11 men have died while participating since 1953.
Navy command says that each month, four units will be randomly selected for testing, and 15% of sailors in each unit will be tested, which is about 200 sailors per month. If a sailor tests positive, they will face disciplinary actions, up to or including dismissal from the force.
Navy leaders are concerned about the usage of performance enhancing drugs within the military, saying that if steroids are widely used by trainees, it is likely that eventually, only those who cheat by using drugs will be the ones graduating from training, beating out those who are playing by the rules. A Navy leader said he doesn’t want to be commanding “guys like that” while out in a warzone, because even if he is physically fit enough to pass the grueling tests, he still can’t trust them to make “ethical decisions.”
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