Posted on 12/27/2018 3:55:28 AM PST by SilvieWaldorfMD
President Donald Trump and the White House communications team revealed that a U.S. Navy SEAL team was deployed to Iraq after the president secretly traveled to the region to meet with American forces serving in a combat zone for the first time since being elected to office. While the commander-in-chief can declassify information, usually the specific special operations unit is not revealed to the American public, especially while U.S. service members are deployed. Official photographs and videos typically blur the individual faces of special operation forces, due to the sensitive nature of their job. The presidents video posted Wednesday did not shield the faces of special operation forces. Current and former Defense Department officials told Newsweek that information concerning what units are deployed and where is almost always classified and is a violation of operational security. Trump flew to Iraq late Christmas Day after facing a barrage of negative headlines over the holiday season amid a partial government shutdown. The president and first lady Melania Trump posed for pictures with U.S. service members at al-Asad air base in Iraq.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
....they didn’t go bonkers when Slow Joe released info about Seal Team 6...
If they had been really covert, the US Military would not have allowed them anywhere near the area were photos were being taken. Flashes going off in multiple cameras because the media outlets were there. Multiple photos taken from different media outlets.
The mainstream media gets apoplectic when the wind changes direction.
Newsweek has become a pathetic joke.
Stupid mainstream nonsense. I’ve been to Al Asad a few times in 2005-2006. A huge base! Incredible runway. (Good Pizza by the way). There was every branch of service..except maybe Coast Guard. DIA, NSA, CIA and likely a few more 3 letter agencies. I have no doubt that anyone who should not be filmed was not.. Stupid snowflake mentality. Should this nonsense be a surprise?
They were in full kit with low helmets and chin straps. I thought they all looked much the same, even the few in profile/partial profile. Their commander did present himself openly and by name. He was smiling, so I doubt he blames POTUS.
This is the same media that just a few hours previous, had criticized Donald for not visiting troops. zer0 visited troops stationed in Hawaii every year because he was already there....on vacation. Donald doesn’t take vacations. He goes to one of his own properties and works. Media criticizes that, as well, because his security costs taxpayer money.
It is very predictable and very boring. Just evokes eye-rolls.
Full kit means they were protecting the president and probably continued that mission all the way back to Andrews
I was at Balad Air Base in 2004. We had Coast Guard personnel performing Military Customs Inspections (MCI) duties for everyone rotating back to the US.
The press always have to say something negative. Wonder why no one is watching them!
Much ado about nothing.
Barack was working on his sun tan to hide his tan lines.
Gosh spec ops are in a war zone....who knew?
I didn’t see one trident... Those guys in full battle rattle could have been anyone... If those guys didn’t want to be on tv or in press photos they wouldn’t have been there.
Which unit is there? Is that in the rest of the story? Did members pose for photographs? Did they have their personal devices and take pictures themselves? It seems like folks who want to avoid being photographed would avoid being photographed.
The Long Blue Line: Coast Guard combat operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Among other things in the article, Coast Guard units handle port security.
We need a death pool for Newsweek. I’m betting it goes belly up before the end of 2019.
From U.S.News May 9, 2013
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