Congress banned the military from using animals for live fire training, but 450 veterans say a different type of cruel testing continues
Push for animal-free research.
A major push is currently underway to stop the U.S. military from using animals in specific types of laboratory testing. According to The Hill, more than 450 veterans have joined forces with PETA to demand that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put an end to Navy funding for decompression sickness and oxygen toxicity experiments on animals.
These tests, often called the bends, are reportedly outdated and cruel. The group wants the military to redirect those funds toward modern, human-relevant research methods instead. This appeal arrived on November 10, 2026, just ahead of Veterans’ Day.
The veterans argue that the current testing methods are ineffective at protecting service members. They believe the military should focus on advanced technology like computational models, organs-on-chips, and sophisticated simulators. The Navy actually demonstrated the potential of these modern approaches recently with the development of the DSEND diving suit. This gear aims to lower or even remove the risk of decompression sickness for divers entirely.
PETA has been vocal about the need for this change
“Our Navy should be using the best science available, not wasting millions of dollars squeezing the life out of animals in archaic experiments that do nothing to protect service members,” says PETA Vice President Shalin Gala. “PETA calls on Secretary Hegseth to heed the calls of hundreds of veterans and embrace what works, because giving sheep the bends does not.”
The evidence provided by these groups points to specific, recent examples of how these funds are spent. One Navy-funded experiment at Duke University involved 40 pigs. The animals were reportedly forced into diapers and heated diving suits before being subjected to simulated deep dives. PETA alleged that the pigs suffered from decompression sickness, painful blood vessel blockages, paralysis, and hemorrhaging. All the pigs were killed once the experiments concluded.
Another problematic study took place at the University of South Florida. In this instance, the Navy reportedly provided more than half a million dollars for oxygen-toxicity testing on rats. The results of these tests included seizures and the use of implanted recording devices. These incidents highlight why so many people are frustrated with the military’s continued reliance on animal subjects.
The U.S. Navy has used thousands of animals in these tests
Since 2020, the Navy has reportedly spent over $5.1 million on these types of experiments across various U.S. universities. Thousands of animals have been used in the process. Experts note that these tests often fail to translate to human outcomes because of major physiological differences between species.
Even the Naval Medical Research Center has acknowledged the issues with this approach. They have noted that “animal (decompression sickness) in many cases is more severe than that in humans.”
Being an outlier is rarely a good thing in scientific research. PETA states that the U.K. and France have already decided to move away from these animal testing programs. The U.S. Navy remains one of the few organizations still sticking to these old practices. The letter from the 450 veterans is designed to push the Department of Defense to finally prohibit its funds from supporting these specific experiments. They want the money to go toward superior, animal-free research.
This situation reflects a broader shift in how the military approaches training and testing
Congress previously stepped in to ban the use of live animals in live-fire training exercises. Lawmakers directed military leaders to utilize modern alternatives like mannequins, actors, cadavers, or advanced simulators instead. That change was made to help medics prepare for combat wounds more effectively. Many viewed the older live-fire practices as outdated given the rapid emergence of high-tech simulation gear, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.
The current effort to end decompression testing is actually part of a larger, ongoing campaign. It follows a recent letter signed by four different members of Congress. Before this, more than 100 Navy veterans and over 100,000 PETA supporters had already urged the branch to stop these experiments. PETA pressure was previously successful in forcing an end to Navy-funded tests on sheep that were happening at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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