https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2017/02/04/the-navy-seals-and-other-secretive-units-are-quietly-battling-a-frightening-rise-in-parachute-deaths/Your Military
The Navy SEALs and other secretive units are quietly battling a frightening rise in parachute deaths
By: David B. Larter and Meghann Myers   February 4, 2017
A SOCOM spokesman, Ken McGraw, expressed confidence that any shortcomings in the jump-training program have been identified and addressed.
But internally, SOCOM officials have struggled to identify a definitive cause behind the unsettling trend, and they have declined to discuss any lessons learned from the force-wide investigation. A Military Times review of accident investigations involving Army, Navy and Air Force special operations personnel revealed troubling training shortfalls, lapsed jump qualifications, and a number of accidents and deaths at least partially attributed to overconfidence on the part of the jumpers or the trainers. To that end, the spike in deaths has raised the question of whether there is a cultural problem inside some parts of Special Operations Command, and whether its fraternity of elite warriors fostered a complacency that undermined safety.
"Being ‘special’ shouldn't be an excuse to cut corners or accept needless risk in either training or operations," said one retired senior special operations officer whom Military Times asked to review the findings. The retired officer spoke on the condition of anonymity. "When the mission requires, you assess risk, carefully mitigate it and drive on. ... That's different than being improperly trained or careless. Attention to detail and adherence to safe operating procedures is even more fundamental to elite force operations than conventional units," the operator said.
More at link above.