SEAL team worried identities will leak
Published: May 12, 2011
WASHINGTON – The team that killed Osama bin Laden told Defense Secretary Robert Gates last week that they are worried that their identities will be leaked. The secretary is not happy.
“Frankly, a week ago Sunday, in the Situation Room, we all agreed that we would not release any operational details from the effort to take out bin Laden,” he said. “That all fell apart on Monday, the next day.”
During a town hall meeting with Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Gates said threats against U.S. troops have increased since bin Laden’s death.
As a result, there has been a “consistent and effective effort,” he said, to protect the identities of the team – widely reported to be the Navy’s SEAL Team Six.
“I would tell you that when I met with the team last Thursday, they expressed a concern about that, and particularly with respect to their families,” Gates said.
Gates added that the military was looking at measures to pump up the security around them.
Related: Gates surprises future SEALs in Hell Week, graduates Marines
