Sun, 25 Oct, 2026, 04:56 pm
Reported by San Diego Union-Tribune
In the Curator’s Words is an occasional series that takes a critical look at current exhibitions through the eyes of curators.
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.
