SOCOM is in disarray.
If you follow military matters they've been going bad for quite a while now. You had the cluster that was the SEAL movie. People played the patriot card and laughed and said it was good fun. Then you had McRaven speaking to every news outlet that would hear him...you had McRaven ask Congress for world wide Combatant Commander powers (that kind of power would make him the most powerful person in the US military...SOCOM would be answerable to no one and missions could have theoretically been run inside the US if the Admiral saw fit) and now you have a SEAL way off base writing a tell all book about a top secret operation.
Even if no secrets are spilled he gave up the most important thing of all. His identity. With that little tidbit and a google search, enemies of SEAL Team 6 can not only trace him and his family down, but they can also locate other team mates of his.
Yeah. SOCOM is in shit shape right now.
Let me ask you this. If you had a top secret mission that needed to be run right now would you pick Navy SEALs or would you opt for another SOCOM unit?
I would opt for another unit. Especially if I was concerned about news of it getting out.
Lucky for SOCOM, there is a man of with experience, courage, ability and perhaps most importantly the humility to take the reigns and steer the organization back to what it was always suppose to be.
I don't expect it right now (although it couldn't hurt) but I can see General Mulholland taking over early next year...right after the elections. Remember the General in S. Korea that talked about missions being run in the North? A few months later he was relieved of duty.
The same will happen with this. I don't know what's wrong with the SEALs but the culture appears to be broken. Something is off with that outfit and I can't quite put my finger on it.
The only question that needs to be answered is this. Is General Mulholland man enough to save SOCOM from itself?
Hello Solomon, I think it's unfair to say those things about the SEALS. My Husband was in 7 SFG and was KIA in Afghanistan. It was NOT the Special Forces community that embraced me it was the SEAL community. CPO Nick Rocha and some SEAL buddies started a group for Spec Ops widows called Spec Ops Survivors. No one in SF did this. Back then that is where the emotional trauma started for me was at Ft. Bragg...the way I was treated as a widow by other wives, the command, some officers & leaders as well.
ReplyDeleteSEALS have always been VERY kind and sensitive (at least in my personal experience). Just a few months ago I was at an event and a number of them came up to me to say they were sorry about what happened to my Husband. LGT Mulholland has been kind and helpful to me but MANY of the staff who work for him were only kind because they "had to be." I never felt it was from the heart.
Spec Ops Family Program Directors were also unkind and unresponsive to me. I think we need to remember and appreciate that SEALS are extremely HARD working and PASSIONATE men and they are not perfect but then no one is. But they are the ones killing the parasites that took my Husband from me and for that I will ALWAYS be GRATEFUL - no matter what !! Bye, Solomon! From Connie Piper, Army Gold Star Wife