The U.S. Navy commander in charge of the “Hell Week” training when a SEAL candidate died spoke out on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and other media outlets recently after an investigation found multiple problems with the program.
Capt. Brad Geary told ABC News’ Stephanie Ramos that the death of Kyle Mullen in 2022 was a “tragedy” but defended himself and the program against the probe, which outlined ways the selection progress for SEAL candidates had become dangerous.
“That entire report mischaracterizes, misrepresents and misquotes our organization and Naval special warfare.”
-Capt. Brad Geary on critical report into SEAL training courses.
“That entire report mischaracterizes, misrepresents and misquotes our organization and Naval special warfare,” Geary told ABC. “Because it was built off of a bias that was inappropriate and regurgitated untruths that simply didn’t exist.”
Geary also told the New York Post he would “never be able to take that weight off my shoulders…I’ve lost many teammates in my career, unfortunately. Too many. But this was the first one under my command.”
Geary also appeared on ‘The Ingraham Angle’ on FOX News to defend himself.
Report: Widespread failures
The training program for Navy SEALs is plagued by widespread failures in medical care, poor oversight and the use of performance-enhancing drugs that have increased the risk of injury and death to those seeking to become elite commandos, according to an investigation released last month that was triggered by the death of Mullen.
Medical oversight and care were “poorly organized, poorly integrated and poorly led and put candidates at significant risk,” the nearly 200-page report compiled by the Naval Education and Training Command concluded.
The highly critical report said flaws in the medical program “likely had the most direct impact on the health and well being” of the SEAL candidates and “specifically” on Mullen, the sailor who died. It said if the shortcomings had been addressed, his death may have been preventable.
Mullen, a 24-year-old former Yale football team captain, collapsed and died just hours after completing the program. His death, and the hospitalization of three others from his class, shined a light on the intense, non-stop physical Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL course candidates undergo to become elite SEALs, according to ABC.
“Non-punitive” letters
Three Navy officers, including Geary, received “non-punitive” letters as a result of Mullen’s death.
“I will always carry the weight of Kyle’s death on my shoulders. What I feel responsible for is speaking truth to ensure that it never happens again.”
-Capt. Brad Geary.
“There’s a weight on the shoulders of every commanding officer that has served,” Geary told ABC when asked if he felt responsibility for Mullen’s death. “And I don’t think that weight can be reduced down to one term-like responsibility. I will always carry the weight of Kyle’s death on my shoulders. What I feel responsible for is speaking truth to ensure that it never happens again.”
Geary told ABC there was no one he held accountable for Mullen’s death.
“His death was a tragedy,” Geary said. “And this is one thing I agree with the report on. It was a perfect storm of factors that all combined at the wrong possible moment in time and resulted in the tragic loss of Kyle.”
Mother: Lack of accountability
Mullen’s mother, Regina Mullen, expressed frustration to ABC with what she said was a lack of accountability for her son’s death.
“The Navy SEAL code item four says take responsibility for your actions and the actions of your teammates.”
-Regina Mullen on her son’s death.
“The Navy SEAL code item four says take responsibility for your actions and the actions of your teammates,” she said. “He’s the commander, the commander’s supposed to command. Four people almost died that day. My son, unfortunately, died. He’s responsible. I don’t know how he could say he’s not.”
Rear Adm. Keith Davids, who heads Naval Special Warfare Command, has said the Navy will learn from the tragedy and was already taking steps to prevent it from happening again.
“Our effectiveness as the Navy’s maritime special operations force necessitates demanding, high-risk training,” Davids said in a statement. “While rigorous and intensely demanding, our training must be conducted with an unwavering commitment to safety and methodical precision.”
He said the command will “honor Seaman Mullen’s memory by ensuring that the legacy of our fallen teammate guides us towards the best training program possible for our future Navy SEALs.”
