Hmmm…

One wonders why THIS hasn’t gotten any MSM coverage…

Gen. Joseph Votel, the chief of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and future commander of U.S. Central Command, sent a letter in early December to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter requesting that the executive branch stop disclosing details of special operator missions for political gain.

“I am concerned with increased public exposure of SOF activities and operations, and I assess that it is time to get our forces back into the shadows,” Votel wrote, reports Foreign Policy. Votel added that discussing operations makes it more difficult for commandos to conduct those missions, and he “requested the department support him with an approach to avoid public discussion of SOF activities,” the official said, paraphrasing the brief memo.

Despite the fact that publicizing special operations mission details and tactics can get operators killed and risks mission failure, the Obama White House has been quick to release details of SOF activities. The most famous example is the raid to kill Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Then Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, severely criticized the White House for releasing details about the raid.

Gates, in his memoir, blasts the administration for discussing “techniques, tactics, and procedures the SEALs had used” in the raid that killed bin Laden — despite promises not to divulge details of the operation. The White House and CIA “just couldn’t wait to brag and to claim credit,” Gates wrote in “Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War.”

Recently, the White House announced that approximately 200 special operators were being deployed to the Syrian theater to fight the Islamic State. Secretary of Defense Carter stated to Congress, this “puts everyone on notice. You don’t know at night who is going to be coming into the window.”

Congressional leaders heavily criticized the Obama administration for leaking classified material to Hollywood for the production of the film, Zero Dark Thirty, which detailed the Bin Laden raid. The White House said they would ‘look into’ these allegations but no public conclusions regarding this matter were made. Former CIA Director Leon Panetta was accused of publicly released classified information about the raid during a private awards ceremony.

Couldn’t agree more… The administration AND DOD need to stop putting this crap out there. And people need to stop writing books about what they did. They are giving away the keys to the castle, so to speak…

h/t JP

Comments

Hmmm… — 19 Comments

  1. The entire ObamaNation wants to use US SpecOps to further its political agenda and they could care less what they endanger. They’re happy to trade a few lives for a single vote.

  2. The politicians don’t care.
    All the special operators are naught but knuckle dragging neanderthals that can easily be replaced from the vast supply eagerly waiting to become “operators”. (Just check out the local WalMart if you don’t believe me.)
    However the “knuckledraggers” are prime meat for political games and political gains by their effete ‘betters’.
    Once again, the politicians and their hangers on are using good and honorable men for less than good and honorable gains.

  3. Currently I am reading Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s memoir. On several occasions I have been surprised by the level of detail of organization and specific missions. Maybe he thinks enough time has passed so it’s fair game. Also, it may be for political payback. Every now and then the tone suggests disfavor of Bush. (I’m no fan of Bush even though I voted for him twice). Bad politics is insufficient as reason to make such disclosures.

    As a side note, I am not going to level a charge of plagiarism but I noticed something quite peculiar in the book. It is how Gen. McChrystal mentions joining the Green Beret is a ‘career killer’, that promotion is unlikely. Most notable was the exact words and phrasing he used. The very next day after reading that part of the book I decided to watch Apocalypse Now for the billioneth time. Imagine my surprise of hearing Capt. Willard describe Col. Kurtz while looking through Kutz’s dossier. It was so nearly the exact wording I had read in McChyrstal’s memoir.

  4. Perhaps, if a few politicians woke up with a horse’s head in their bed, compliments of the Special Ops community, they would take the hint to STFU.

  5. ‘Gentlemen shouldn’t read each others mail.’
    no longer applies…
    As we are giving THEM copies!

    The World has indeed turned upside down.

    gfa

  6. Back when I was in the Marines, When I left communications I had to sign a paper to the effect that I would not discuss anything I had worked on or seen for ten years. The penalty was 10 years in the federal lockup. Rank does seem to have it’s privileges.

  7. “hmmm” is correct my friend. It is all about political gain and making one self look as good as possible. I think the White house does it because BO has no foreign policy etiquette and in his view by letting this information out, it makes himself look better, and makes the world think he gives a darn when really he doesn’t have a clue.
    I have always been a firm believer that one should have to serve time in the military in order to be President, Because how you can be “commander in chief” unless you have actually been in a theater of operations, how can you lead anything with any level of intelligence unless you have “stood the watch” and have a clear knowledge of the dangers and what our men and women in uniform goes through.

    Just my thoughts on it….

  8. In my opinion, Obama knows exactly what he is doing and what will be the result. That is truly scary.

  9. Kathie said, “In my opinion, Obama knows exactly what he is doing and what will be the result. That is truly scary.” I find that entirely likely, in the following way: he is truly clueless, but takes orders (Valerie Jarrett et al) from those who wish us harm. And it’s working.

  10. While I don’t think FADM King was exactly correct in his desire to simply issue a statement saying “We Won” after then end of hostilities is the correct way to go about dealing with publicp; I think, as a trigger puller in the most recent unpleasentness, that this administration, generals and admirals included, have been entirely too free with dispensing of information. Like damn dude, my Mom, sisters, and Jackie watch the news.

    In my opinion the way Stormin’ Norman handled the media during Gulf War I should be taught at Leavenworth.

  11. +1 to Coffypot.

    Also while I agree that Obama knows exactly what he is doing, I do not believe he is clueless, and that the results he has been getting are the ones he was going for. How else is he going to set up the US for the UN’s plans for global unity unless he disarms both the public as well as our military. Especially the Special Ops and Forces, who are without doubt the best in the world. After all he did say from day one he wanted to transform the US.

    From what I see, that goal was definitely accomplished!

    Suz

  12. All- Thanks for the comments. My personal opinion is that he is purposely doing this and doesn’t care if troops get sacrificed for political gains…

    Possted from my iPhone.

  13. Just another way to degrade the effectiveness of our armed forces.

  14. SF deployment should only be revealed by the opening volley.