A big theme in the class was the importance of understanding the real experiences of potential beneficiaries. The specific team in the picture wanted to understand what it was like to be in SEAL training since their project specifically dealt with that problem area.

I'm guessing a photo op? I mean, if they were using the systems they were building (or building replacements for) in that training exercise, there could be some value. It's hard to build something well if you've never been a user or worked closely with the user to gather feedback.