Dishonerable Discloures

[sky otter]

and on top of all the other threats..the seals want to hang him out to dry...poor guy can't win for losing..the title seems verrry apt, doesn't it


'No Easy Day': Ex-Navy SEAL Behind Osama Bin Laden Book Faces Threats, Investigation
Reuters  |  Posted: 08/24/2012 9:34 pm Updated: 08/25/2012 8:10 am

* Military pledges "to hold members accountable"

* Name, photograph posted on al Qaeda website


By Andrea Shalal-Esa and Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - The former U.S. Navy SEAL who authored a soon-to-be-published book about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden is now facing threats against his life in addition to possible criminal prosecution.


An official al Qaeda website on Friday posted a photograph and the name of the former Navy commando responsible for the book, calling him "the dog who murdered the martyr Sheikh Osama bin Laden."


The head of U.S. Special Operations Command told current and former troops that the military would take legal action against anyone found to have exposed sensitive information that could cause harm to fellow forces.


"We will pursue every option available to hold members accountable, including criminal prosecution where appropriate," Admiral Bill McRaven wrote in an open, unclassified letter emailed to the active-duty special operations community, and obtained by Reuters on Friday.


"As current or former members of our special operations community, authors have a moral obligation, and a legal duty, to submit their works for pre-publication security review," the admiral wrote.


Fox News made public on Thursday what it said was the real name of the former SEAL who, with a journalist co-author, wrote "No Easy Day," using the pseudonym Mark Owen. The book is due to be released next month on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.


By early on Friday, the man's name, photograph and age had been posted on the "the Al-Fidaa Islamic Network" online forum, one of two websites officially endorsed by al Qaeda, according to Evan Kohlmann, founder of the New York-based security firm Flashpoint Global Partners.


It was followed by comments that called for the man's death, including one response that said, "O' Allah, kill every one of them," and another that said, "O' Allah, make an example of him for the whole world and give him dark days ahead."


The Navy SEAL was also identified by other U.S. media. Reuters has confirmed his name but is not publishing it, given concerns about his safety.


U.S. military officials have said the former Navy SEAL could face investigation because he failed to clear the book with the Defense Department before publication, even if it does not disclose specific classified details.


'DISTINCT LINE'

McRaven's letter said books and films about special operations teams could be useful educational tools, and the military would work with potential authors, but current and former service members would be held accountable if they endangered the safety of U.S. forces.


He said there was "a distinct line between recounting a story for the purposes of education or entertainment and telling a story that exposes sensitive activities just to garner greater readership and personal profit."


Kohlmann said the former Navy SEAL could now be in physical danger from al Qaeda sympathizers seeking revenge for bin Laden's death, or hoping to gain prestige for themselves.


"They have a photo of the individual, they have his name, his age," Kohlmann said. "I wish that all this was bluster, but there are a lot of would-be jihadists out there, including some in North America. This is the ideal opportunity for those kind of people."


The book's publisher, Dutton, said the author was "one of the first men through the door on the third floor of the terrorist leader's hideout and was present at his death."


It is not known whether "No Easy Day" contains details of commando operations that the U.S. government considers secret, but U.S. government officials said the account had not been submitted for a required pre-publication review.


"Even if there is nothing classified disclosed, it should have been reviewed, and it was not," said one official who spoke on condition of anonymity.


On Wednesday, the publisher said the book had been vetted "for tactical, technical, and procedural information as well as information that could be considered classified by compilation" by a former "special operations attorney."


Jeffrey Carr, a cyber security expert, said al Qaeda officials were adept at using the Internet for recruitment, training and other searches, and he fully expected them to target the former Navy SEAL now that his identity had been disclosed.


"He's going to become the poster child for recruitment and assassination," Carr said, noting that the case underscored the need for anyone in a high-risk profession to take great precautions with any information available on the Internet.


Carr said the man's relatives and former Navy SEAL colleagues could also be in danger if they could be traced through the Internet. (Additional reporting by Jim Finkle and Mark Hosenball; Editing by Peter Cooney)


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/24/no-easy-day_n_1829416.html

[sky otter]

SEAL book about bin Laden mission coming out early
Release date for 'No Easy Day' has been moved up a week to Sept. 4
By Kimberly Dozier

updated 8/29/2012 11:28:06 AM ET 2012-08-29T15:28:06

Due to heavy demand, the release date for a firsthand account of the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden has been moved up a week, from Sept. 11 to Sept. 4. The book contradicts previous accounts by administration officials, raising questions as to whether the terror mastermind presented a clear threat when SEALs first fired upon him.

"No Easy Day" was due out Sept. 11, but Dutton announced the book would be available a week early, Sept. 4, because of a surge of orders due to advance publicity that drove the book to the top of the Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com best-seller lists. The Associated Press purchased a copy of the book Tuesday.

'Fifty Shades Of Grey' loses top spot on Amazon's best sellers' list

Bin Laden apparently was hit in the head when he looked out of his bedroom door into the top-floor hallway of his compound as SEALs rushed up a narrow stairwell in his direction, according to the former Navy SEAL writing under the pseudonym Mark Owen in "No Easy Day." Owen says he was directly behind a "point man" going up the stairs in the pitch black hallway.

"Less than five steps" from top of the stairs, he heard "suppressed" gunfire: "BOP. BOP." The point man had seen a "man peeking out of the door" on the right side of the hallway.

The author writes that bin Laden ducked back into his bedroom and the SEALs followed, only to find the terrorist crumpled on the floor in a pool of blood with a hole visible on the right side of his head and two women wailing over his body.

US officials checking SEAL raid book for secrets

Owen says the point man pulled the two women out of the way and shoved them into a corner and he and the other SEALs trained their guns' laser sites on bin Laden's still-twitching body, shooting him several times until he lay motionless. The SEALs later found two weapons stored by the doorway, untouched, the author said.

In the account related by administration officials after the raid in Pakistan, the SEALs shot bin Laden only after he ducked back into the bedroom because they assumed he might be reaching for a weapon.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor would not comment on the apparent contradiction late Tuesday. But he said in an email, "As President Obama said on the night that justice was brought to Osama bin Laden, 'We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country.'"

The account is sure to again raise questions as to whether the raid was intended to capture or simply to kill bin Laden. Owen writes that during a pre-raid briefing, a lawyer from "either" the White House or Defense Department told them that they were not on an assassination mission. According to Owen, the lawyer said that if bin Laden was "naked with his hands up," they should not "engage" him. If bin Laden did not pose a threat, they should "detain him."

In another possibly uncomfortable revelation for U.S. officials who say bin Laden's body was treated with dignity before being given a full Muslim burial at sea, the author reveals that in the cramped helicopter flight out of the compound, one of the SEALs called "Walt" — one of the pseudonyms the author used for his fellow SEALs — was sitting on bin Laden's chest as the body lay at the author's feet in the middle of the cabin, for the short flight to a refueling stop inside Pakistan where a third helicopter was waiting.

NYT: Navy SEAL's book will describe raid that killed bin Laden

This is common practice, as troops sometimes must sit on their own war dead in packed helicopters. Space was cramped because one of the helicopters had crashed in the initial assault, leaving little space for the roughly two dozen commandos in the two aircraft that remained. When the commandos reached the third aircraft, bin Laden's body was moved to it.

Owen writes disparagingly that none of the SEALs were fans of President Barack Obama and knew that his administration would take credit for ordering the May 2011 raid. One of the SEALs said after the mission that they had just gotten Obama re-elected by carrying out the raid.

But he says they respected him as commander in chief and for giving the operation the go-ahead.

Owen writes less flatteringly of meeting Vice President Joe Biden along with Obama at the headquarters of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment after the raid. He says Biden told "lame jokes" no one understood, reminding him of "someone's drunken uncle at Christmas dinner."

Beyond such embarrassing observations, U.S. officials fear the book may include classified information, as it did not undergo the formal review required by the Pentagon for works published by former or current Defense Department employees.

Fallout over Navy SEAL who wrote book about Bin Laden raid

Officials from the Pentagon and the CIA, which commanded the mission, are examining the manuscript for possible disclosure of classified information and could take legal action against the author.

In a statement provided to The Associated Press, the author says he did "not disclose confidential or sensitive information that would compromise national security in any way."

Owen's real name was first revealed by Fox News and confirmed to The Associated Press.

Jihadists on al-Qaida websites have posted purported photos of the author, calling for his murder.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/48827546/ns/today-books/





............................................

Mark Owen, Navy SEAL In Bin Laden Raid, Condemns Those Who Politicize Raid: 'Shame On Them'
Posted: 08/30/2012 11:25 am Updated: 08/30/2012 11:25 am

The retired Navy SEAL whose first-hand account of the killing of Osama Bin Laden contradicts official accounts of the operation and who has expressed tough words for President Obama, tells CBS News' "60 Minutes" that his book "No Easy Day" was not intended to score political points but rather to honor his fellow soldiers on the mission.

Mark Owen, the pseudonym for the former SEAL Team 6 member, said that the book, the original September 11 release date of which was pushed to Sept. 4, was timed to commemorate the 9/11 terror attacks. He recounts the Bin Laden operation in detail in the book, describing how a point man for his team shot Bin Laden as the terror leader peeked his head out of his bedroom. When Owen and his fellow SEALs entered the bedroom, Bin Laden was gravely wounded and unarmed, as previously reported by The Huffington Post, which obtained an advance copy of the book on Tuesday.

Asked about the book's release date amid an intense presidential campaign, Owen tells CBS News' Scott Pelley that he wasn't trying to make a political statement. Though he praises President Obama for green-lighting the raid, he says in the book that he and his team members were not fans of the president and he criticizes the instant politicization of the operation's success.

Owen tells Pelley:

"My worry from the beginning is, you know, it's a political season. This book is not political whatsoever. It doesn't bad mouth either party, and we specifically chose September 11th to keep it out of the politics. You know, if these --crazies on either side of the aisle want to make it political, shame on them. This is a book about September 11th, and it needs to rest on September 11th. Not be brought into the political arena, because this-- this has nothing to do with politics."
At the end of the book, he justifies his decision to write the account by citing the leaks coming out of Washington in the wake of the raid: "If my commander in chief is willing to talk, then I feel comfortable doing the same."

At the end of the book, he justifies his decision to write the account by citing the leaks coming out of Washington
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/29/no-easy-day-osama-bin-laden-book_n_1839789.html
in the wake of the raid: "If my commander in chief is willing to talk, then I feel comfortable doing the same."





video at link
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/30/mark-owen-navy-seal-in-bi_n_1843043.html




...................................................

'No Easy Day': Pentagon Threatens Legal Action Over Bin Laden Book
Reuters  |  Posted: 08/30/2012 8:12 pm Updated: 08/30/2012 8:49 pm

WASHINGTON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The Pentagon warned on Thursday in a letter to a former U.S. Navy SEAL that he was in material breach of non-disclosure agreements with his book detailing his first-hand account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, also said the Pentagon was considering legal action against the SEAL and all those "acting in concert" with him.


"In the judgment of the Department of Defense, you are in material breach and violation of the non-disclosure agreements you signed," the letter by Jeh Johnson, the Pentagon's top lawyer, said. "Further public dissemination of your book will aggravate your breach and violation of your agreements." (Reporting by Phil Stewart)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/30/no-easy-day_n_1845025.html

...........................................................

[burntheships]

Sky thanks for all of the links, great post.

We like this:

in the wake of the raid: "If my commander in chief is willing to talk, then I feel comfortable doing the same."

The men have cojones....and big ones. (pardon me  )
In fact they could lose a few and still have plenty.

[sky otter]

you are welcome bts...but you started it..lol
i am reading in disbelief most of this....and it continues


'No Easy Day': Navy SEAL Who Wrote Bin Laden Book Denies Spilling Secrets
Reuters  |  Posted: 08/31/2012 3:00 pm Updated: 08/31/2012 4:16 pm

By Mark Hosenball and David Alexander

WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - A day after threatening to take legal action against a former U.S. Navy SEAL for an unauthorized book about the commando raid which killed Osama bin Laden, U.S. officials are still debating whether there are sufficient grounds for doing so.

But a lawyer for Matt Bissonnette said on Friday that the former SEAL took his obligations to keep government secrets "seriously" and had made sure the book did not contain secrets.

On Thursday, Jeh Johnson, the Defense Department's top lawyer, sent "Mark Owen" -- a pen-name used by Bissonnette -- and his publisher, Penguin Putnam, a letter advising them that the book, "No Easy Day" had been published in violation of non-disclosure agreements Bissonnette signed while a SEAL.

The letter advised the author that he was in "material breach" of such agreements and that the Pentagon was "considering" legal action against the former SEAL and "all those acting in concert with you."

However, Bissonette's lawyer, Robert Luskin, who represented former President George W. Bush's adviser Karl Rove in the Valerie Plame leak case, claimed that a non-disclosure agreement signed by the former SEAL "invites, but by no means requires Mr. Owen to submit materials for pre-publication review."

Bissonnette "remains confident that he fulfilled his duty," Luskin said in a letter in response to Johnson.

While his client did sign an additional agreement in 2007 requiring pre-publication review "under certain circumstances," it was "difficult to understand how the matter that is the subject of Mr. Owen's book could conceivably be encompassed by the nondisclosure agreement that you have identified," Luskin said.

Luskin also claimed that Owen had "earned the right to tell his story."

U.S. defense and intelligence officials familiar with internal government deliberations about the book acknowledged that legal and factual issues surrounding the book's content were complex.

As a consequence, they said, it is still unclear if the U.S. government would proceed with legal action against the author or publisher, which is owned by Britain's Pearson Plc. Even if such action were launched, the officials said, it might well fail.

LETTER DOES NOT DIRECTLY ACCUSE

One U.S. official familiar with an array of recent leak-related investigations noted that Johnson's letter did not directly accuse the author of disclosing classified information, an allegation which would signal a possible criminal investigation.

"Also interesting is that according to the letter, to sue for (civil) damages, they would have to show that he not only violated his agreement, but that he did reveal classified information. I think that will be difficult for a lot of reasons," the official said, adding: "Maybe they are just trying to scare him."

At a news briefing on Friday, George Little, a Pentagon spokesman, said that an official, post-publication review of the book was continuing.

"I'm not aware that we have reached any final conclusions about, or conducted or finalized a security review of the book... We're reviewing all the options ... I'm not ruling in or out any future action. That's not for me to determine today," Little said.

Acknowledging the possibility of political fallout from any legal action against someone who could be portrayed as a hero for his role in the bin Laden raid, Little said: "I would note that we of course applaud anyone who participated in one of the most successful military and intelligence operations in U.S. history."

But he added: "Even those who participated in such a mission have a very serious and enduring obligation to follow the process and to help protect classified information."

Little also insisted that Johnson's letter was "not meant to be any kind of measure of intimidation ... It is meant to very strongly signal the requirement to uphold agreements that a former service member has made."

Mark Zaid, a lawyer who has represented a variety of former military and intelligence officials in disclosure and leak cases, said the Johnson letter looked like a signal that the Pentagon was "contemplating a test case against the publisher or media for disclosing classified information."

Zaid said it might be easier to file such a criminal case against the publisher than the author of the book, though a civil case against the author for violating secrecy agreements would be, in Zaid's opinion, a "slam dunk."

Given U.S. media laws, including the First Amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing freedom of expression, Zaid said the result of any criminal prosecution against a publisher would be uncertain. "I'm not saying they're going to win ... I don't know if they'll do it. (But) They've been waiting for a good factual case to bring it."

Representatives of both the book's publisher, as well as the author's lawyer, have asserted that the book was carefully reviewed before publication to ensure it did not contain any secrets. But U.S. officials said the book was not submitted for official pre-publication review, and that the author therefore had exposed himself to potential legal risks.

While the Defense Department is taking the lead in investigating the book's contents, the Central Intelligence Agency, which played a major role in laying the groundwork for and in carrying out the bin Laden raid, is conducting its own review. Some officials said Bissonnette may technically have been operating under the authority of the agency during the operation, further complicating the legal picture.

Little said the Defense Department had "consulted" with the Justice Department about the Bissonnette book, though he would not comment on whether an "official referral has taken place."

The Justice Department declined to say if it had received a referral


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/31/no-easy-day_n_1847593.html

...............................................................

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-maurer/no-easy-day-seal-raid-osama-bin-laden_b_1847528.html


The Blog

Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from HuffPost's signature lineup of contributorsHot on the BlogGary HartRep. Kevin Maurer.Co-author, 'No Easy Day'

GET UPDATES FROM Kevin Maurer
One of the first things Mark Owen and I talked about when we started working on No Easy Day was the book Men with Green Faces.

The novel, written by former SEAL Gene Wentz, is an action packed story full of ambushes and firefights in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Owen read the book in junior high for a book report, but to this day he still remembers it. The book set him on the path that would eventually, after 13 combat deployments, lead to Osama bin Laden's door.

I've heard this kind of story before.

Many of the Special Forces point to The Green Berets by Robin Moore as the book that inspired them to join the Army and complete the grueling selection course.

Both books and the many like them are essential tools in inspiring the next generation of special operations soldier. Better than even the best commercial or recruiting poster, these books let aspiring SEALs and Green Berets experience the world first hand.

Even Admiral Bill McRaven, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, praised these kinds of books.

"Few senior (special operations forces) officers have benefited more from reading about the exploits of our legendary heroes than I... Most of these books were wonderful accounts of courage, leadership, tough decision making, and martial skill all of which benefited me as I tried to understand our past and how it could affect missions in the future," McRaven wrote in an August 24 email message to his troops.

While McRaven cautions against revealing secrets and classified material, he said movies also "provide the public insights into life in special operations or the service that can't be garnered anywhere else."

As Owen and I worked on the book, we had an eye toward the next generation of operators. The book was never going to be an expose on the mission to Abbottabad. This wasn't a gotcha book for the political season. Owen had no intention of revealing classified information, and he stressed from the start the book was about his teammates and that portions of the proceeds would be donated to SEAL charities. The book he wanted to write was a celebration of what the SEALs had done not only in Abbottabad, but around the world since Sept. 11, 2001.

One of the first things we had to do was make the SEALs human, and we set about doing it by telling the truth. We tried to capture the mood at the historic moment. SEALs use crass language, mercilessly tease one another, and gripe about their bosses. Their workplace is no different than any other. In the unit, pranking is an art form. Bombing someone's equipment with glitter is common. One time, a bunch of Owen's teammates inflated a rubber raft inside a teammates "cage," a room-sized locker used to store gear.

The pranks, the teasing, and even the complaining are essential for the reader to understand the team. It was important for the book to show the human side of the SEALs. It is their brotherhood that is the foundation for any successful mission. SEALs are well know for taking care of their own. When the story broke about the book and names were being broadcast over cable news, Owen was on a charity skydive raising money for the families of fallen SEALs.

The most important objective was to give readers a chance to go on the mission with some of America's best.

Before the SEALs even got involved, the CIA and other intelligence agencies tracked Bin Laden to Abbottabad. As Owen tells one CIA analyst before the mission, he and his teammates were coming in at the last minute to finish the job. The hard work of hundreds of men and women put everything in place for the SEALs to take the final step. Owen reserves his highest praise for the helicopter crews, many of whom had worked with the SEALs in the past, and two of which saved his life that night in Pakistan.

Sitting in his office, decorated with mementos from his years as a SEAL (he still has a picture of his training class on the wall), Owen relived the whole crash in his chair. Leaning forward as the helicopter started to lose altitude and mimicking how his teammate, Walt, pulled him back inside. By the time the helicopter hit the ground as he retold his story, he was leaning way back in his chair.

But then he stopped talking and leaned forward.

"If it wasn't for that pilot, I'd be dead. We'd all be dead," Owen said. "Those pilots are the best in the world. If he doesn't do that crash just right, the whole mission is over. Talk about a hero."

No Easy Day is full of heroes, but odds are none of them think of themselves that way. Mark Owen will admit that he just felt lucky to be on the team who carried the burden that night. He says that any other team in the unit would have performed just as well.

The public deserves to hear Mark Owen's account of the Bin Laden raid for many reasons. Chief among them is that though Bin Laden is dead, others will plot to attack the United States. We will need more men like the SEALs who answered the call in Abbottabad last May.

If just one person is inspired to follow in their footsteps, "No Easy Day" has accomplished its mission.

Kevin Maurer is the co-author of No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden. He has covered special operations forces for nine years. He has been embedded with the Special Forces in Afghanistan six times, spent a month in 2006 with special operations units in east Africa, and has embedded with U.S. forces in Iraq and Haiti. He is the author of four books, including several about special operations.

This Blogger's Books from   Amazon dot com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-maurer/no-easy-day-seal-raid-osama-bin-laden_b_1847528.html

[burntheships]

Ah, yes I did start it. 

The most compelling aspect of the book is that
bin Laden was not taken out in the manner in
which has been previously disclosed by the current
administration.

This makes me think that these Seals know more than
they can say, and even the thought of them talking
is making more than a few on edge.

This also reminds me of the Helo that was "shot down" with
many members on board right after bin Laden was "taken out".

[biggles]

I know this sounds dumb, but I am a tad confused about this whole killing of Bin Ladin.

I thought he was alive and well and in cohorts with the Bush family; or was that just another conspiracy theory.

Was he really taken out on the day this Seal said or not.

[burntheships]

Was he really taken out on the day this Seal said or not.

Good question, one I have asked many times.
According to various news sources, bin Laden had
been reportedly dead for many years.

He also had many body doubles, but you would
have thought that the "wife" would know.

[robomont]

please dont hate on me but this soldier is admitting to a crime of murder.
you can wrap this in the american flag all you want but this was cold blooded murder.
if given the opertunity ,i would arrest these guys and put them on trial at the hague.
there is no evidence ob was involved in 911.just jibber jabber from the msm.wasnt there dancing israelies at the wtc?what about him getting on tv and saying he wasnt involved in it? you would think he would have bragged.maybe the cia hired him with mexican drug money,to start alqueda.the word is alqueda didnt exist until the cia started helping the taliban.remember bush inviting them for dinner?remember we support the rebels in syria?remember the un admitting that the rebels are alqueda?alqueda is now our ally.lmfao to infinity.my what a twisted web we weave,when we practice to deceive.

[sky otter]

i didn't want to add an opinion here..but i think i will now
really more of a side note
so in my opinion soldiers are following orders ..unless they go rogue
and therefore not committing murder, per se..only following orders as a soldier
you want to get someone..get the old fat dudes giving the orders to the young cannon fodder
i am not going into the right or wrong of it because that would take years


as for; if bin launden was alive or not..that's still up in the air as the stupid story of his body being dumped at sea..was stupid..imo

as far as secrecy.. i would like to see everything out in the open and visible..because i think that would stop some serious bullpoop from happening and alert anyone watching to just who was
masterminding what.. but i know that will never happen

so i am mostly just posting these news blurps as the story unfolds..just for the heck of it...sigh



there are several vids at the link

Ex-Navy SEAL sought advice before publishing book about bin Laden raid, lawyer says

By Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube, NBC News
Updated at 2 p.m. ET -- The lawyer for "Mark Owen" -- the pen name of the former Navy SEAL who wrote "No Easy Day," a book describing the Osama bin Laden raid -- on Friday said that Owen did, indeed, seek legal advice before publishing the book and he disputed other claims made by Pentagon.

"Mr. Owen sought legal advice about his responsibilities before agreeing to publish his book and scrupulously reviewed the work to ensure that it did not disclose any material that would breach his agreements or put his former comrades at risk," Robert Luskin wrote in a letter addressed to Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson. "He remains confident that he has faithfully fulfilled his duty."

Furthermore, Luskin said a non-disclosure agreement Owen signed -- which the Pentagon claimed he was "in material breach" of -- doesn't require Owen to submit his book for review. "As you are well aware, the Classified Information Non-Disclosure Agreement, which you attached in your letter, invites, but by no means requires Mr. Owen to submit materials for pre-publication review," the letter said.


A Pentagon spokesperson on Friday said it is unclear if the book actually contains damaging classified information. "I'm not going to say whether the book has classified information in it," spokesperson George Little told reporters.

On Thursday, Johnson said in a letter that Owen is in violation of the non-disclosure agreement.


The letter, sent via the attorney at Penguin Putnam publishing, explained that Owen signed two separate non-disclosure agreements on Jan. 24, 2007, and that he has an obligation to "never divulge" classified information.

"This commitment remains in force even after you left the active duty Navy," Johnson wrote.

He also signed a "Sensitive Compartmented Information Debriefing Memorandum" when he left the Navy around April 20, 2012, according to the letter.

"The Department of Defense has obtained and reviewed an advanced copy of the book ... In the judgment of the Department of Defense, you are in material breach and violation of the non-disclosure agreements you signed," the letter said. "Further public dissemination of your book will aggravate your breach and violation of your agreements.

"The Department is considering pursuing against you, and all those acting in concert with you, all remedies legally available to us in light of this situation."

A senior Defense official on Thursday said, "There has to be consequences" for someone who violates the non-disclosure agreements prohibiting the release of classified information.

The official also suggested that by revealing "tactics, techniques and procedures" employed by the Navy SEALs during the raid, "it could put other operators at risk and future operations in jeopardy."

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/30/13576488-ex-navy-seal-sought-advice-before-publishing-book-about-bin-laden-raid-lawyer-says?lite

[zorgon]

there is no evidence ob was involved in 911.just jibber jabber from the msm.wasnt there dancing israelies at the wtc?what about him getting on tv and saying he wasnt involved in it? you would think he would have bragged.

The Bin Laden family were (are?) business partners with the Bush family. Osama was a black sheep in that family.  Osama was NEVER wanted in connection with 911.... that was made clear both the FBI and the CIA. He was however responsible for several deadly attacks before 911

You really should get your facts straight before launching attacks

During the crisis when planes were grounded across the nation, it seems somehow Bin Laden's family in Las Vegas managed to make arrangements to be flown out of Vegas then out of the country for safety... you can google all that

[robomont]

yes my old mind forgot about the other bombings.
he should have had a public trial.
it would have done more damage to the alqueda cause than making him a martyr.
not only that,it shows our sf dont have the self discipline to hold their fire.
anybody can run in guns blazing,true courage is not killing everything that moves.they could have gassed the whole house with chloroform or co2
i guess they are not so special forces.

[sky otter]

damn.. i guess this is my week to take stuff personally..

robomont

you are of course more than entitled to your opinion..regardless of what i think of it
and golly gee maybe you ought to thank our special forces and maybe..just maybe any who served
for the ability to mouth off in your disparaging way without someone tossing your butt in a cell and forgetting you exist

[robomont]

i totally respect you guys opinion .thankyou sky otter for stepping up to the plate.
in my life i have stood up to cops with guns pointed at me on many occasions.i have shamed judges and cop in court while they threaten me with contempt.i hate cops and will take them down the road to hell if they try to drive me there.i may drown but they will drown along with me.
this goes for all my enemies.
one thing ive learned in life is this world shows very little mercy.
better to be a live coward than a dead hero.
our military and cia are mostly not that smart.
i think its mad cow actually.
being a tower hand taught me alot.
i would risk my life each day in poophole little towns for almost no pay.
no different the sf.
only i didnt have a bunch of weapons to back me up.
most of the guys were doped all day
long on every drug imaginable.
and i never had to kill a singe person.
i was a bouncer for three years an never hit a single guy even though i had to put them down
brains before brawn.
i dont think our gov or military have much brains,but i could be mistaken.

[rdunk]

The Bin Laden family were (are?) business partners with the Bush family. Osama was a black sheep in that family.  Osama was NEVER wanted in connection with 911.... that was made clear both the FBI and the CIA. He was however responsible for several deadly attacks before 911

You really should get your facts straight before launching attacks

During the crisis when planes were grounded across the nation, it seems somehow Bin Laden's family in Las Vegas managed to make arrangements to be flown out of Vegas then out of the country for safety... you can google all that

Just FYI. the Bin Laden family is highly highly respected family in Saudi Arabia. It is a very large family, with Osama being just one of the many. Osama was disowned by his family in 1994, and his Saudi citizenship was taken away. There were no U. S. problems with any others of the family, and they likely were free to travel as they desired - relative to your descriptive comment about the Bin Ladens leaving the country.

zorgon, as you said, one can read a lot about this family on the internet. It is too bad that just one member of the family's actions has so hurt the reputations of the rest, for people in the U.S. It is little sad that we cannot retain a little more composure in our thoughts, with situations, because the "rest of the family" are not guilty of any actions against the U. S./us.

FWIW, I had a small direct working relationship with one of the direct bin Laden brothers several years ago, here in the U. S. He was a fine gentleman, and a good businessman. 

[zorgon]

There were no U. S. problems with any others of the family, and they likely were free to travel as they desired - relative to your descriptive comment about the Bin Ladens leaving the country.

The POINT was that they got to fly when NO ONE ELSE could

FWIW, I had a small direct working relationship with one of the direct bin Laden brothers several years ago, here in the U. S. He was a fine gentleman, and a good businessman.

Cool  can ya hit him up for sponsorship?