In the Curator’s Words is an occasional series that takes a critical look at current exhibitions through the eyes of curators.
It’s been a year since the Navy SEAL Museum opened in San Diego, and during that time, it has continued to stick to its core mission: “to build a legacy of honor, resilience and service that extends far beyond the walls of our museums.”
Day to day, it showcases the story of San Diego’s naval history, specifically that of the Naval Special Warfare Command. In 2029, it expects to break ground on an 85,000-square-foot museum along Pacific Highway, near the San Diego Bay.
Brian “Beef” Drechsler, a retired U.S. Navy captain and the museum’s executive director, takes a look back at the Navy SEAL Museum’s first year and talks about what’s coming up.
Q: It’s been a year since Navy SEAL Museum San Diego opened. What has the first year been like?
A: It has been incredibly rewarding, and in many ways validating. When we opened the museum — dubbed “The Showcase” — in October 2025, we were very deliberate about calling it a “showcase.” It was never intended to be the finish line. We built it as the first step toward our larger waterfront museum: a place where we could begin telling the story of Naval Special Warfare, test new ways of engaging visitors, build programs and partnerships, and, most importantly, start having an impact immediately.
A year later, we are seeing that vision come to life. We have welcomed visitors from San Diego and around the world, hosted school groups, active-duty service members and their families, veterans, civic organizations and community leaders. We are also developing programs with local law enforcement, youth organizations and other cultural institutions.
What has been most gratifying is seeing people understand that this is about much more than SEALs. We preserve an extraordinary history, but we tell that history through values like commitment, discipline, responsibility, teamwork and service — qualities that apply to all of us.
Navy SEAL Museum in San Diego is celebrating its first year anniversary this month. (Navy SEAL Museum)
Q: How many exhibits do you currently have, and which parts have been most popular with the public?
A: Rather than a collection of separate exhibits, the “Showcase” is designed as a connected journey through nearly 80 years of Naval Special Warfare (NSW) history — from its origins in World War II through the modern SEAL and Special Warfare Combat Crewmen (SWCC) community.
Visitors consistently gravitate toward experiences that put them closer to the people behind that history. Our immersive theater presents a film on a 270-degree wraparound screen that places guests inside the world of Naval Special Warfare. Built from rare NSW footage, including declassified information from missions, never-before-seen training video and interviews with SEALs and SWCC personnel, the film conveys the intensity, teamwork and sacrifice this profession demands, centered on the values of discipline, commitment, responsibility and service.
Our virtual-reality experience is one of our most popular, putting guests in the middle of a hostage rescue mission alongside a SEAL team. Visitors are also drawn to artifacts such as our suspended SEAL Delivery Vehicle, a mini-submarine used to carry SEALs underwater to their missions undetected.
But some of our most powerful experiences are surprisingly simple. Our docents, many of whom are SEAL veterans, bring the history to life in a way technology simply cannot. The artifact may begin the conversation, but the human story is what people remember.
Navy SEAL Museum in San Diego is celebrating its first year anniversary this month. (Navy SEAL Museum)
Q: Have you received any memorable feedback or interaction from visitors this past year?
A: We receive extraordinary feedback, but one observation captured exactly what we hoped to accomplish.
KPBS journalist John Carroll visited as part of his Museum A Month series and described what he found as an unexpected message from a museum: “Come to learn about Navy SEALs. Leave with a desire to make the world a better place.”
That meant a great deal to us because it gets to our “so what?” We certainly want people to leave knowing more about Naval Special Warfare, but if all we do is teach people about SEALs, we haven’t fully realized the opportunity. We want visitors, particularly young people, to ask themselves: What can I take from this? How can I be a better teammate? Where can I serve? How can I contribute to something greater than myself?
That service might be in uniform, but it could just as easily be in a classroom, a neighborhood, a nonprofit, a business or a family.
Q: Have you introduced anything new since you first opened a year ago?
A: Absolutely. One of the reasons we built the “Showcase” was to learn and evolve.
We continue refining the visitor experience, but perhaps the most important growth has been in programming beyond traditional museum visitation. We are expanding educational experiences for school groups around leadership, character, teamwork and service; engaging with San Diego law enforcement on youth and leadership programs; and developing relationships with other organizations that can help us broaden our community impact.
We are also working collaboratively with the USS Midway Museum and Maritime Museum of San Diego. Collectively, there is a tremendous opportunity to make San Diego’s waterfront an even stronger maritime, historical and cultural destination.
An aerial rendering of the proposed Navy SEAL Museum opposite San Diego Bay. The museum, pictured next to the Marriott SpringHill Suites-Residence Inn, is planned for a 1-acre site previously leased to the federal government. (ZGF Architects)
Q: Anything exciting on the horizon?
A: Very much so. The “Showcase” is just the beginning.
We are advancing plans for an approximately 85,000-square-foot, purpose-built museum on San Diego’s North Embarcadero at 1220 Pacific Highway. The project has made significant progress with the Port of San Diego, and our current roadmap anticipates a 2029 groundbreaking.
But the exciting part isn’t simply building a larger museum. The goal is greater impact.
Our vision rests on four pillars: creating world-class museums that preserve Naval Special Warfare history; supporting today’s active Naval Special Warfare community; supporting Special Operations veterans and families; and being an active partner in Southern California through education, youth development and public-benefit programs.
The larger museum gives us the scale to do all four at a level we simply cannot achieve today.
Q: At the end of the day, what do you hope visitors take away from visiting the museum?
A: Inspiration and a sense of possibility.
The SEAL story is extraordinary, but at its core it is a human story. It is about people who learned that the team matters more than the individual; that success requires discipline and continuous learning; that you have to adapt when circumstances change; and that service carries responsibility.
You don’t have to be a Navy SEAL to live those values.
We often say our buildings are platforms for impact. If someone walks out knowing more about SEAL history, we’ve done part of our job. If they walk out inspired to become a better teammate, leader, citizen, parent or neighbor — to serve something greater than themselves — then we’ve accomplished something much more important.
That’s why this museum matters.
Navy SEAL Museum
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays-Mondays (closed Tuesdays)
Address: 1001 Kettner Blvd., San Diego
Admission: Free to $23, with active-military and reserve free with I.D.
Phone: 619-566-7956
Online: navysealmuseumsd.org