Bissonnette must be punished for his lack of responsibility.
Matt Bissonnette, a former member of the highly lauded SEAL Team 6, has recently come under fire for publishing a controversial book that breached his code of silence as a SEAL. Prior to being invited to join such an elitist group, each potential SEAL must sign a confidentiality agreement, assenting to submit any classified information for pre-publication review. Unfortunately, Bissonnette, who wrote under the pseudonym Mark Owen, failed to comply. As a result, the Defense Department are threatening to prosecute Bissonnette No matter what Bisonnette’s true intentions were for publishing the book, it is imperative that the United States government reprimand Bissonnette for publishing “No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden”.
Although “No Easy Day” contains a disclaimer that states that no classified information is included within the contents of the book, it is undeniable that there are various moments where some basic SEAL procedures are revealed. For example, there are pictures of the advanced night vision goggles that were used during the momentous mission. It is highly probable that the Defense Department would not have wanted any images or descriptions of such a vital device released. Bissonnette should have been much more careful with the published content, and should have gone to greater lengths in order to ensure both this safety, and his nation’s safety.
While the book does clear up manymisunderstandings of the raid that resulted in the killing of the world’ most wanted man, Bissonnette did not need to include every miniscule detail that went into the mission. It should have been common knowledge to give a vague overview of what happened that night, and he should have only expanded on the common misunderstandings. It was not necessary to divulge many of the SEAL’s secrets, such as the way they actually killed Bin Laden.
If Bissonnette truly believed that he did not publish anything incorrect, he should have at least taken the precaution to get the content approved by the Defense Department before proceeding on. As a SEAL, Bissonnette is expected tohave a great sense of integrity, morality, and responsibility. By failing to comply to his non-disclosure statement, Bissonnette is showing an incredible lapse of judgment. If the Pentagon and the Defense Department do not prosecute Bissonnette,then they are only setting a low standard for future breaches of agreement. Although Bissonnette may have had good intentions to publish “No Easy Day”, he should have been much more careful in what he included in the book. Releasing some of the SEAL’s top secrets cannot and should not be approved. Bissonnette is entirely at fault, and must deal with the consequences that come with his irresponsibility.
