Woman drops bid to become Navy SEAL

SAN DIEGO — The only woman in the Navy SEAL training pipeline has dropped out, a Navy special warfare official confirmed Friday.

The female midshipman voluntarily decided to not continue in a summer course that’s required of officers who want to be selected for SEAL training, Naval special warfare spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Mark Walton said. The Navy has not released the woman’s name, part of a policy against publicly identifying SEALs or candidates for the force.

No other women are in the process required to become a Navy SEAL, Walton said.

Another woman has set her sights on becoming a Special Warfare Combatant Crewman. They often support the SEALs but also conduct missions of their own using stateof-the art, high-performance boats. She has started the long process of going through various evaluations and months of standard Navy training.

The woman who dropped out was participating in the SEAL Officer Assessment and Selection program. It is open to Naval academy and Navy ROTC midshipmen and cadets during the summer before their senior year.

The three-week-long program in Coronado, across the bay from San Diego, tests participants’ physical and psychological strength along with water competency and leadership skills.

AP/The Vicksburg Post/COURTLAND WELLS A three-car wreck blocks Interstate 20 on Friday in Vicksburg, Miss. Both lanes reopened within two hours.