Navy SEALs Punished For Working As Consultants On 'Medal of Honor' Video Game
Seven Navy SEALs, one of whom participated in the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in May of 2011, have been disciplined by the Navy for allegedly divulging classified information in the making of a videogame, the Associated Press reported.
The men, along with four other SEAL Team 6 members who are still under investigation, reportedly acted as paid consultants on the video game“Medal of Honor: Warfighter.”
Navy officials claim the SEALs did not ask permission to participate in the project and divulged sensitive information about combat equipment particular to their unit.
The seven punished individuals received a punitive letter of reprimand and were docked partial pay for two months. Furthermore, reprimands in the military, even nonjudicial types like the SEALs', generally hinder a serviceman's career.
"We do not tolerate deviations from the policies that govern who we are and what we do as sailors in the United States Navy," Naval Special Warfare Command, Rear Adm. Garry Bonelli said in a statement.
While the SEALs has historically been an ultra-secretive unit, publicity has found the group in the past few years. Matt Bissonnette, a SEAL who participated in the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, wrote a firsthand account of the assault under the pseudonym Mark Owen.
The Pentagon, before the book was published, accused Bissonnette of disclosing classified information, which violated a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) he and the other SEALs had signed. Bissonnette denies he violated any NDA.
Naval Special Warfare Command, Rear Adm. Sean Pybus responded to Bissonnette's book by telling his unit that "hawking details about a mission" jeopardizes the safety of the SEALs and their families.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.