Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win

An Iraqi police colonel’s teenage nephew gets kidnapped by insurgents. They demand $50,000 ransom, but often, on payment, these groups execute the hostage anyway. SEALs get the call to rescue the teen. Gathering intel and coordinating closely with Army units, Babin’s platoon locates the kidnap house, plans carefully, and rehearses. Late at night, the SEALs sneak up on the house, Iraqi soldiers alongside them. They have reports that the grounds are booby-trapped with IEDs and that machine gun nests guard it.

Scanning carefully for buried bombs—it turns out there are none, nor any gun nests—the team silently moves to the front door and blows it open. The team catches the kidnappers completely by surprise; not a shot is fired; SEALs retrieve the teenager unharmed. During the raid, the Iraqi soldiers are timid, but they get the credit for the rescue anyway, mainly to improve their reputation with the city’s civilians.

A year later, Babin presents this kidnap scenario to a group of new SEAL platoon commanders at a training session in the US. At the mention of possible IEDs and machine gun bunkers, several trainees suggest replanning or canceling the mission. Babin asks, “On what capture/kill direct-action raid can you be certain there are no IEDs buried in the yard or bunkered machine gun positions in the house?” (203).