Tuesday, February 07, 2012

SEAL overload blowback?

I've noted that SEAL's recent missions have been so publicized that they've practically given the bad guys a playbook into SOCOM mission planning.

The guys at KitUp! have started a new blog called SOFREP.com that portends to be all things Special Operations.  One of the authors recently wrote this...
The Special Air Service gets about as much press as the Navy SEALs here in the US. I’m not sure exactly why that is. Maybe the Army’s SF and Air Force PJs need better publicists; perhaps it’s just the natural evolution of things, could be everyone wants to rock an SAS smock or Denison smock just ‘cuz they look cool.
Maybe (probably) some of the SOF units just don’t care one way or the other.
 I’m guessing a lot of it just has to do with the ‘gun porn’ nature of how lay folk (and many military personnel) view SOF  matters, and I know a lot of my friends in that line of work would just as soon no one knew they were involved in anything ‘special’ at all (which is the whole point of the gray man and quiet professional concept after all).
There have been a number of books about 22 Air Service Regiment over the years (far more than the SBS or the Paras, though the’re out there obviously), pretty much since the Iranian Embassy siege put them in front of every television in the world. One of these was Soldier I, SAS, by Pete Winner. I first read the book when it was first released many years ago, back before the magic of the interwebz and Bravo Two Zero and the like. That’s when I first read about the SAS at Mirbat. I’d never seen these videos before, thought you might find them interesting. The book is certainly worth reading, if you get a chance to pick it up. You can buy it off Amazon or maybe pick up an old paperback at a used book store, and you should.
Anyway, watch these. You gotta love some operators that take the fight to the bad guys with a WWII cannon along with all their modern kit.
Hmmm.

Lay folk and gun porn nature?

If you've followed KitUp! (and I'm a regular reader) then you would know that the most popular article for the past month had to do with a guest post on whether or not the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle was a worthwhile addition to the Marine Infantry Squad.  The second most popular article dealt with the M4.

Not exactly SOF specific topics huh?

But more to the point is the comments section on this particular article.  Check out what one commenter stated....

you can't be this blasé about how the SEALs are in the spotlight and say it's the media or society,
the SEALs like to say they are SEALs, go to the clubs in UAE, Middlebury language courses, UCSD.
They like to write books and do interviews and be in Hollywood movies, hell who's idea was this site?

There is a culture of being in the spotlight with SEALs not present amongst SFs. there should be a study
on why this is. It is obviously paying off in DoD, more SEALs are getting promotions, and I'm sure this
publicity push has something to do with why only SEAL officers and not SF officers are getting the high
promotions within DoD, write an article about this Brandon.
and then this...

Not waving off current American society's love for SOF porn, rather pointing why there is a focus towards SEALs, namely SEALs tend to put themselves out there.

Question: Are the popular missions tasked to SEALs because SEAL officers sit on spots that task these missions? I think this would be a good article for SOFREP, instead of SOF-porn let's get a good discussion about SEALs vs. SF relationship at the higher levels.
That's a pretty strong reaction.

What I do know is this.  MARSOC had a pretty rough reception into SOCOM.  I won't call it resentment.  I won't call it jealousy but I can tell you that the Marines of Special Operations Battalion had to prove to the rest of SOCOM that they were team players.

I think they have.

Let's hope that SEALs don't find themselves in the position of being outside the circle of the quiet professionals.


NOTE*
But wait.  theres more!  Check out the comments at the end of the story here.   This is the passage that has the commenters ready to punch walls.  I found it funny. 
Other US Special Forces will often compare themselves to SEALs, but in the quiet of the night when they reflect personally, they admit to themselves that their selection is no comparison. Any that argue so just have to look at the length of training and attrition rate to realize that it is like comparing a London Business school MBA to one earned online.  Enough said.
I revise my previous.  Something is seriously wrong in SEAL land.  These guys need an intervention.

3 comments :

  1. RE: SEAL PR.
    I suspect it has gone too far over the top even for the guy in the teams, when I was in Reagan National airport Saturday and the CNBC store was selling SEAL TEAM SIX novelty tee shirts alongside the usual 'FBI', 'CIA' and 'NCIS' gear. Sheesh.

    ReplyDelete
  2. They're partly right. There is a ton of stuff on 22 SAS and even Australian SASR.

    But what they are conveniently over looking is who is writing this stuff.

    The answer is illuminating, because it's all retired guys. No current guys whatsoever. They are not starring in movies and the respective Prime Ministers in charge of the militaries that contain these units aren't appearing in documentaries, explaining at length how the missions they conduct are completed...

    Even the infamous Andy McNab didn't release his fantasised version of events until years had passed.

    Any military is a political animal and therefore able to be used for political purposes, but no good can possibly come from revealing these guys capabilities or methods.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sol, don't know if you heard about this, but http://news.yahoo.com/navy-seal-commander-advised-hell-media-204338410--abc-news.html .

    ReplyDelete

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