SEAL Command Shake-Up Exposes Deep Resistance to Women
Naval Special Warfare quietly removed female instructors as Pentagon leadership clashed with SEAL commanders over integration and diversity efforts.
The Navy SEALs have quietly removed female instructors from their elite training programs as part of a broader rollback of diversity initiatives under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a decision with far-reaching implications for the future of women in special operations and one that contributed to the dismissal of the SEALs’ top commander.
Rear Admiral Jamie Sands had pushed to keep women in training roles, arguing the command needed to prepare for the day women joined the elite force. That stance put him at odds with the Pentagon leadership charged with carrying out Hegseth’s anti-DEI campaign and became a flashpoint in his dismissal.
The Navy did not specify a reason for Sands’ firing on August 22, but a Navy official told The After-Action Report it stemmed from growing frustration over his judgment in several controversies, including a decision that blindsided the Justice Department and derailed a plea deal, as well as his handling of the case of a Navy captain tied to the 2022 death of trainee Kyle Mullen.
A spokeswoman for Naval Special Warfare declined comment.
At its core, the tension over female instructors in the SEALs reflects a broader debate about whether women have a place in the world of special operations. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made his position clear. “I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn’t made us more effective. Hasn’t made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated,” he told former SEAL-turned-podcaster Shawn Ryan.
Hegseth later clarified that he supports gender-neutral standards, but the termination of female instructors and the dismissal of the admiral who defended them underscores how, under his leadership, Naval Special Warfare abandoned its stance that diversity was a strategic advantage.
The removal of female instructors marks a sharp reversal from 2020, when the Naval Special Warfare created four billets for women at its Basic Training Command, later expanded to 11 under then-SEAL commander Rear Admiral Wyman Howard.