Navy SEALs Lose Their Military Careers By Consulting With EA On Videogame
from the wargames dept
The Navy SEALs, specifically SEAL Team 6, forever cemented their already laudible place in American history when they killed former public enemy number one Osama bin Laden. Since then, their notoriety has landed the special forces group in the news several times, whether it was when Disney attempted to trademark their name (and later dropped it), or the controversey over a former SEAL releasing a book about the bin Laden raid.Now, unfortunately, seven active duty members of SEAL Team 6, including one that was on the bin Laden raid, will effectively have their military careers ended for consulting with Electronic Arts on their recently released Medal of Honor: Warfighter game without having the work authorized by the Navy.
The seven were charged with the unauthorized showing of their official combat gear and dereliction of duty for disclosing classified material after an investigation found the seven to have worked as paid consultants for two days with the video game company Electronic Arts, according to a U.S. Navy official familiar with the investigation.Even knowing as little as I do about being a Navy SEAL, it's difficult to critique the Navy brass for being upset. The showing of gear and unauthorized consulting may not seem like a huge deal to civilians, but SEAL Team 6 enjoys the absolute front line of the latest and greatest equipment the Navy deploys. In fact, the technical name for the group is actually the US Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU). Showing off the highly classified gear they use is a big deal.
The seven, all senior enlisted sailors, received their punishment Thursday at their base in Virginia. All seven were given a letter of reprimand and their pay taken for two months. The move essentially prevents their chances for promotion and ends their military careers.
That said, it's sad to see the careers of 7 SEALs ended over this, but it will also be interesting to see if this story Streisands EA's recently released game into skyrocketing sales.
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Filed Under: classified info, navy seals, seal team 6, sharing, video games
Companies: ea
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Isn't medal of honor half way endorsed as a recruiting tool yet?
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I have to disagree
This is just nonsense. The SEALs don't take just anyone. In addition to all the physical screening is a ton of psychological screening. On top of that, these guys are quite obviously huge patriots. Do you really think that they would have given away state secrets to freaking EA? No, that did not happen. This is a huge, huge over-reactoin on the part of the military apparatus and it will have a public backlash.
These guys risked their lives for their country, and for doing a two day onsite interview for a VIDEO GAME company they are getting shit-canned? Please. It's an absurdity of the highest order.
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Re: I have to disagree
Where I work, which is not anything military or sensitive, I would face similar penalties if I had any type of outside employment or consulting without permission. I hardly see this punishment for a violation of protocol--in the military, where such things are understood to be serious-- as unreasonable.
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Re: Re: I have to disagree
Why do we have government officials constantly overstepping their constitutional boundaries and stoping on the rights of the citizens? Because too many citizens feel like you do. You use protocol as an excuse for limiting freedom. You remember that term, "land of the free"? Yes, you've heard it, but you wrote it off as bullshit long ago. I'm sure you feel that the SEALs "Knew the rules, and the penalty for breaking them." Allow me to call Bullshit - if the rules contradict rights and freedoms, then it is the rules that must give, not the other way around.
Yes, I'm a civilian, and I'm really disgusted that now, in the most peaceful time that humanity has ever known, we are wasteing time and money on trampling human rights.
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That said, I've been in the military and am aware of some things which most civilians are not.
Many of the constitutional rights afforded to civilians are NOT granted to military service members. For example your commanding officer can indeed restrain your free speech. If you tried to exert a constitutional right to express yourself under such conditions then your disobedience of a direct order would land you in a heap of trouble. Presumably these SEALS have been reprimanded under principles similar to this, in which they had been instructed not to speak about classified matters.
I'll not get into lengthy discussion of why the military is allowed to disregard the civil liberties of its members, but needless to say the military does need to have the power to force people to do things which other free citizens wouldn't choose to do -- such as risk their life.
For those who don't understand the military point of view, you may want to read an article about the SEALS' interaction with the media in this week's Daily Beast/Newsweek. Although it was written before the announcement of the EA video game event, it addresses these very issues.
If you value your freedom, please remember as we come up on Veterans Days that there are people serving you who are willing to give up their own freedom for a period of time in order to protect yours.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: I have to disagree
The thing that made Americans a force to be reconed with was never discipline, but the lack of it. We didn't stand in a line and trade musket fire: we found cover and hid. At least until the European generals took over, with the wonderful history and academic training of 1000 years, we forgot our frontier training and had to be taught guerrilla warefare again in Vietnam.
I really don't give a shit about the "Millitary point of view". It's bullshit. It's one thing to follow a chain of command during wartime. Being drummed out for breaking protocol, however, proves that the military is defined by the Peter Principal. Do you see another Sgt York this day and age? No, the best and the brightest are not lauded for innovation, they are removed for lack of conformity.
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If you want or think you can transform the US military, give it your best shot.
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Re: Re: I have to disagree
It is easy to point at something and say "that's wrong". It is more difficult to formulate a reasoned, coherent argument supporting your position. You're certainly not obligated to do the later, but without doing so your accusations amount to little more than childish foot stomping.
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They knew the deal, they might have expected it to get winked at, but they kknew that in the end, they were violating everything from oaths to NDA's by saying anything to anyone, that hadn't been vetted by the pentagon. They paid their money, they took their chances.
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If the military says you can't talk about something, you can't talk about it. If you want those freedoms, don't join the military.
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Re: I have to disagree
These men should have had some idea about whether or not they could legally consult with EA... they made a judgement call and came down on the wrong side of it.
It's not their decision to determine whether or not the info they are providing is governed by their NDAs or not.
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Re: I have to disagree
People want Manning dead for violating his oath, but they let these SEAL members get a pass? Huh...
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The difference:
Manning made government and military people look foolish(to put it mildly) due to his actions.
The ones in charge can ignore the first, and will in fact help out when they can, but when they're the ones coming out looking bad... then they suddenly decide that 'lessons need to be taught'.
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Seals are the Best
They are so cute, especially the baby ones.
The only time I don't like seals is when they make a bunch of noise when I am trying to sleep.
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seriously stupid sad.
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What about the Complainer-in-chief???
Did HE get USN approval?..because he most certainly got their compliance!
Shouldn't HE be reprimanded and have HIS career ended?? Hmmmm?????
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Re: What about the Complainer-in-chief???
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Re: Re: What about the Complainer-in-chief???
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Re: What about the Complainer-in-chief???
Pay attention to the board where they have their chain of command.
Note who's picture is at the top of it.
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seal team 6 leak
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Good mercenaries for hire and expose secrets to highest bidderz
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somethings odd about this...
Somthing is happening, were being kept in the dark... just like cuba and the cia secret war using hmongs to help them...
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our men usnavyseals
talking about love and give a real service to
Our country and care about us they sacrifice their lives daily why not pay
Them more they earn it everyday.
God bless our navy seals Love you guys.
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There will also be exclamation points! uttered in awe and silenced quickly by a brutal (but silent!) slash across the throat with the razor sharp edge of a non-disclosure agreement. Also: motion capture! performed under the cover darkness, somewhat silently, leaving no death animation/horse collar tackle behind.
Maybe something involving the Sims somehow, like a rogue (but silent! and dark!) demolitions crew that won't take the lack of bathroom door for an answer. !!
A new battle plan for EA and its sEAls, shrouded in secrecy and a few million shares of diluted stock, about 10.5% of which is now owned by Carl Icahn!
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Not necessarily
What I suspect happened was that news of their participation, which was a clear violation of regs, got out and became common knowlege. At this point their boss is caught between a rock and a hard place. Either administer punishment or be accused of going easy on them because of their elite status. By taking this action he fulfills his duty and keeps them from getting into serious trouble.
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A blown mission to EA
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Damn traitors
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Security by obscurity never works ;)
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our mercenaries are NOT 'heroes'...
"The Navy SEALs, specifically SEAL Team 6, forever cemented their already laudible place in American history when they killed former public enemy number one Osama bin Laden."
again, you call extrajudicial murderers as cementing their 'laudable' place in American his story when they will be excoriated as the lawless, immoral murderers they are WHEN this collectively insane society returns to quaint things called morals and laws...
meanwhile, it takes a few ne'er-do-wells and social pariahs like me to point out the obvious: THEY ARE KILLERS FOR EMPIRE, they are not 'defending democracy' or 'fighting them there, so we don't have to fight them here', they are eliminating the enemies of Empire, and those brave lads in black will HAPPILY exterminate fellow US citizens when the need arises...
they are NOT heroes, they are lawless thugs killing whoever Empire points them at...
wake up you stupid sheeple, this ain't your forefather's amerika any more...
art guerrilla
aka ann archy
art guerrilla at windstream dot net
eof
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Declan
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Declan
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Response to: Declan OReilly on Nov 10th, 2012 @ 11:57am
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navy seals
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navy seals
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Locking the Barn Door
A few examples:
1. A dude tries to blow up an airplane with explosives concealed in his show. Now all travelers must remove their shoes in the security line.
2. Another dude tries to blow up an airplane with explosives concealed in his underwear. Now all travelers have to deal with humiliating pat-downs or unnecessary radiation exposure.
3. A former SEAL publishes a book that contradicts the administrations narrative of the bin laden raid. Several other seals moonlight with a video game company and get the book thrown at them.
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