On October 31, 2014, Rear Admiral Brian L. Losey, Commander Naval Special Warfare Command, sent an open letter to his active and former teammates in the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community. The public letter was a reaction to the upcoming Fox News special that will identify the supposed Navy SEAL that shot Osama bin Laden. The Fox News special is being advertised as the shooter’s first hand account of the famous mission that took place in 2011.
Ironically, in the letter, Admiral Losey preached the ethos of the silent professional, yet at the same time he decided to publish the letter publicly instead of reaching out to the NSW community personally in a silent, professional manner.
Because I am in the press weekly as an expert military / national security / and law enforcement analyst on many national and local television stations, I am making my letter to Admiral Losey public. In doing so, I am hoping to show the U.S. Citizenry how many of the current and former NSW operators feel about the importance of being silent in regards to tactics and classified information. My goal is not to slander the Admiral or slam NSW, but to give pause to our community so that we may see the publics perception of our community that is growing.
I am a civilian now, having left active duty as a SEAL in 2002, then serving as a Federal Air Marshal, Security Contractor, and FBI Special Agent until 2013. Despite my distance from active duty, I will always be a SEAL because the man that is created through completing Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL (BUD/S) training transcends the Navy. Those in my community that are still active, or have left active duty but haven’t figured out how SEALs can properly function in the world outside of NSW, please take my advice. You are a leader in whatever you choose to do, however if you choose to subscribe to the “notice me” rockstar mentality of today’s generation and political leadership, our Brotherhood of super men will continue to take a super plunge. Humble yourself and the world will notice you. Be a silent professional and the world will seek your wisdom.
Please join me and pass this around and take my advice to heart. Do it for our fallen warriors. Do it for those that will follow in our footsteps. Do it for the SEAL Brotherhood that so desperately needs to refocus and come together as one, because perception is reality…
Long Live The Brotherhood,
Jonathan T Gilliam
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November 1, 2014
Rear Admiral Brian L. Losey
Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command
Admiral Losey,
Please explain to our community how sending an open letter to your “Teammates” through the press, preaching about the quiet professional was somehow the proper example to your fellow SEALs.
Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) has a list of who we are. The UDT/SEAL Association has our emails. Instead, you chose to further the unprofessional and dysfunctional perception growing in the public’s eye by flexing your pen in a public forum. Perception is reality regardless of the incredible community we actually are. Your inability to enforce the rules and set standards within the Navy is the biggest hindrance to our brand, even more than any other particular SEAL. You proved it by sending that letter publicly.
It is time for you to start setting the example for all of the NSW community. Get off social media, stop cuddling up with press, and start building silent professionals that used to make up Naval Special Warfare (NSW).
Every warrior knows that action always beats reaction. Regardless of what Team we served at, or how long we were active, we all earned the Trident. If we really are a community of brothers, then take action and reach out to us personally. Challenge us. Bring us together and lead us. Otherwise this community will continue to be a brotherhood of individuals.
A warrior should never mimic the politicians that govern because it is a recipe of destruction, and a SEAL should always set the standard. It is time to BE THAT MAN!
Very Respectfully,
Jonathan T. Gilliam BUD/S Class 218 Founder/CEO United States Continued
Four main things have led to the continued divulgence of classified information to the public with little or no consequence atmosphere in our country. Whether it is the “SEAL that shot Osama Bin Laden” or Leon Panetta, or even Vice President Joe Biden, classified leaks should not happened, and those that divulge classified information should fall under the full penalties of the law.
1. The President – Classified information has become a political tool to “pump up the home team” when needed, and is NEVER punished or even acknowledged when it is done by members of the administration. Our current presidential administration has set the bar so low on guarding classified information that often there is absolutely no thought by people in the know divulging what they know because if the Obama administration went out and hammered every military or government worker that wrote a book or spoke out revealing classified information, they then would have to be held to the same standard. So clearly, there are no standards enforced or to follow, regardless of the law.
2. The Operators – Our military and government operators work in an environment that has grown to support the executives and not the workers. In my experience of being a SEAL, a Federal Air Marshal, and an FBI Special Agent, the problem was always the same; Executives hold positions of stature over their subordinates and fail to function as team leaders. In other words, the simple fact is that Executives are able to check boxes to hold executive positions and that manifests itself into justification in their minds that they know more than those they lead.
This has been a growing problem since the Clinton administration when being a “warfighter” in law enforcement and the military was first frowned upon by the President. Warfighters got out, politicians stayed in.
3. The ME Generation – Simply put, the ability to take a “selfie” has destroyed the American culture of professional exceptionalism. Instant gratification without having to earn it has become the norm. People (not just kids) want to be noticed because they can position themselves into a persona or leadership position without having to really be good at anything. Just like a selfie picture with a cell phone, anyone can look awesome if they find the right lighting and angle (that’s why match.com is so popular). Instead of taking care of your physical person, or going out and meeting like minded people, it has become easier to take a really good picture and convince yourself that that’s the real you. But the same goes for the issues in problems 1 and 2 discussed above. If a person gets the right job regardless of their qualifications, they believe they are worthy of being in charge. Psychologists call this narcissism.
4. The Press – If I sell you a car that is stolen, and you know it’s stolen, and you get caught driving that car, you will go to jail for either accessory to a crime, or being in possession of a stolen vehicle. For some strange reason (not protected by the constitution) the press has become immune to this when accepting classified information. Whether they believe they are doing the public a favor or out of their own self interests, receiving and then publishing classified information should be held to the same legal ramifications as the person that is expected to protect that information.
When it comes to the “SEAL that shot Osama Bin Laden,” I see someone that is seeking to prosper off his knowledge and involvement in a classified operation. And for that, he should be punished. I see a self indulging operator that has no regard for the safety of his family or fellow Teammates. I also see a member of a Team, SEAL Team SIX, that has outgrown its position. The SEAL Teams were created to be covert and secretive, and by and large the SEAL Teams have remained that way. With the exception of one Team, SIX.
SEAL Team SIX was created for the purpose of counter-terrorism. But when the Navy officer corp discovered that the potential to gain a fast track promotion platform had been created, the SEAL Teams grew too fast, and too big, and Team SIX became something other than what it was created for.
Any SEAL Team could have done the assault on Osama Bin Laden. With the right equipment, adequate training and rehearsal time, and asset coordination, I could have put a blindfold on and picked the SEALs and the mission would have been just as successful.
SEALs are so much more than shooters. We are men with deep vision and abilities to understand a problem, dissect it, and create a plan that is effective in resolving the issue. Any issue. Unfortunately because of issues like this shooter that can’t seem to keep his mouth shut, SEALs are becoming a trinket to show to friends instead of the experts most people should be hiring to solve their problems.
