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Top Navy SEAL admiral fires entire leadership team of SEAL Team 7
The top admiral in charge of Naval Special Warfare has fired the entire leadership team of SEAL Team 7 over a "breakdown of good order and discipline," a Navy official told Task & Purpose on Friday.
Cmdr. Edward Mason, the commanding officer of ST7; Lt. Cmdr. Luke Im, the executive officer; and Command Master Chief Hugh Spangler were all relieved of their leadership posts on Friday, said Capt. Tamara Lawrence, a spokeswoman for Naval Special Warfare Command.
The relief was carried out by Rear Adm. Collin Green, the commanding officer of NSW. Lawrence said their relief was "due to a loss of confidence that resulted from leadership failures that caused a breakdown of good order and discipline within two subordinate units while deployed to combat zones."
The spokeswoman declined to name who would take their place, citing operational security concerns for those SEALs and their families.
The "two subordinate units" may be references to ST7 Alpha and Foxtrot Platoon, though Lawrence declined to name them when asked by Task & Purpose.
SEAL Team 7 Alpha Platoon made national news after SEAL Chief Eddie Gallagher was accused of war crimes during a 2017 deployment to Mosul, Iraq. While Gallagher was acquitted on murder charges in early July, testimony at his court-martial revealed that members of the platoon had constructed their own rooftop bar in Iraq and engaged in other alleged misconduct on deployment.
More recently, the entirety of SEAL Team 7 Foxtrot Platoon was pulled out of Iraq last month amid allegations of a boozy Fourth of July party and an allegation of sexual assault. On Friday, Navy Times reported that a master chief in another detachment from Team 7 had been relieved over alleged misconduct.
The relief of the team's top leaders comes amid these and other high-profile scandals in the SEAL community that has ignited a discussion amongst the senior ranks about ethics and discipline in the small force, which numbers less than 2,500 personnel in a Navy of more than 437,000 active-duty and reserve sailors.
Green sent a letter to commanders in July proclaiming that "we have a problem," while urging them to detail what issues they see and provide recommendations by Aug. 7 on how to get the SEAL community off the skyline.
"I don't know yet if we have a culture problem," Green wrote in a letter to the command. "I do know that we have a good order and discipline problem that must be addressed immediately."
"Some of our subordinate formations have failed to maintain good order and discipline and as a result and for good reason," the culture of the SEALs "is being questioned," he added.
Russian 'troll factories' are actively targeting vets and troops in an effort to pit us against each other
Editor's Note: This article by Richard Sisk originally appeared on Military.com, a leading source of news for the military and veteran community.
The same Russian "troll factories" that sought to influence the 2016 elections have continued to target service members, veterans and their families online with "hateful and divisive messages," according to a two-year investigative report by Vietnam Veterans of America.
"They're incredibly good at branding" and are seeking to "pit us against each other" in the military and veterans community, said Kristofer Goldsmith, VVA chief investigator and author of the 191-page report.
Investigation launched after service member and his spouse found dead near Offutt Air Force Base
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is looking into the deaths of an active-duty service member assigned to Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, and his spouse, both of whom police found dead in their off-base home on Saturday, Ryan Hansen, a spokesman for the 55th Wing told Task & Purpose.
'Joker' director is really annoyed that people are concerned about violence in his movie, but they don't seem to mind it in 'John Wick'
With Joker – the origin story of DC Comics' infamous psychotic clown and killer – just days away from its Oct. 4 release, director Todd Phillips is pushing back over concerns that his film may inspire violence.
Fort Carson soldier offered to pay girl $9,000 for sex, police say
Claiming to have wild amounts of money in his bank account, a Fort Carson private sought to lure girls in a cash-for-sex scheme, court papers say.
Woman who unwittingly helped assassinate Kim Jong Un’s half-brother said she did it to be a YouTube star
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on Business Insider.
One of the two women involved in the bizarre assassination of Kim Jong Un's half-brother has given an interview about the ordeal, which she says she was tricked into.