Originally, the men were going to play touch football, but Bill Paxton felt the scene was too similar to the volleyball scene in Top Gun (1986). So he suggested that they play golf instead. Most of the golf sequence was directed by Paxton with a second unit crew.
In a 2012 interview, Michael Biehn stated that working on this film was "probably the worst experience of my life". He stated that "we wanted to make a really good movie, and it really turned out to be kind of a mish-mash and not a very good movie at all. The script could've been shaped to be much better, and you just hate to see all that talent and passion go to waste."
The actors spent two weeks in an intensive SEAL-style "boot camp." In the end, it was actors versus SEALs in a final "war game" showdown. The SEALs are reported to have graciously said that the actors made a good showing for themselves.
Much of the filming took place in and around Norfolk, Virginia, home to the world's largest Naval fleet. The production crew was able to shoot key scenes in such restricted areas as the Norfolk base and its training grounds.
Despite those named in the credits, the film went through many different drafts by several writers. In one draft, Hawkins (Charlie Sheen) sacrifices himself to rescue Curran (Michael Biehn), who ends up with the love interest. In another version, Curran is killed off rescuing some kids, and Hawkins and Claire Varrens (Joanne Whalley) are left to mourn his passing. Also in one of those drafts, Curran is an accomplished boxer who squares off in a fight with Hawkins, who's into karate. The golf sequence in the film was a concession when the film's leads objected to a Top Gun (1986)-style scene with knife-throwing contests and bikini bimbos.