Reinventing BUD/S?

[GreeZBhal]

I don't know if this question has been asked elsewhere in the forum but I was wondering how active duty, retired, and prior service SEAL team members feel about hell week being changed from the fifth week to the third week of BUD/S? http://www.mediacen.navy.mil/pubs/allhands/apr01/pg24.htm What about the other changes mentioned in the article?

I also read somewhere that the probationary period has been done away with replaced by further training after jump school at Coronado after which the student receives his Trident and NEC then joins the Teams as a fully qualified SEAL. How do you feel this change will impact the Teams? For those SEALs active duty, has this change, in your opinion, been beneficial or should follow-on training after BUD/S be given back to the Teams?

[Wetwash]

i personally think that a probationary period where the individual is being watched by actual teammates that they would be operating with is a valuable asset. Being on probabtion in actual operating conditions is alot different than being under instruction..The pressure of being a newby AND being probationary has alot of merit.

[Wazz]

I concur with Westwash. It was my experience that on a rare occassion that once a member was placed into a Team that the member seemed glad to accept the title, but also stepped back into his private attitude. And this attitude may be too aggressive leading to overlooking safety procedures or combat techniques. Or, the member stepped back into a relaxed attitude being a follower and not initiating saftey or combat techniques when needed. And the Team-Member evaluation has its advantage in allowing the older Team Mate to determine a confidence index on the newer member. No Team Mate wishes to depend on an unknown when a life or death situation occurs. And that is what SEALs do at 100 feet below surface, or during a raid on an unknown piece of geography.