A possible explanation is that SOF commanders wish to show they’re starting to take seriously incidents of misbehavior in the SEAL community, and SOF community in general—especially in the wake of the recent stories that have questioned their ability to discipline their operators.

“The Commander lost confidence in the team’s ability to accomplish the mission,” the USSOCOM statement said, adding that “commanders have worked to mitigate the operational impact as this SEAL platoon follows a deliberate redeployment. All Department of Defense personnel are expected to uphold proven standards and to comply with laws and regulations. Alleged violations are thoroughly investigated.”

A representative from the Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) added in a statement to the Navy Times that “Naval Special Warfare insists on a culture where ethical adherence is equally important to tactical proficiency. Good order and discipline is critical to the mission—the loss of confidence outweighed potential operational risk. To mitigate potential impacts of this redeployment, other NSW personnel are available to complete the assigned operational requirements.”

The NSWC representative added that the Command is actively enforcing throughout NSWC the basic leadership, readiness, responsibility, and ethical standards that are the cornerstone of SOF. “Leaders at all levels must lead in a way that sustains and sharpens that foundation. Discipline is a competitive advantage and enforcing those standards is critical to our success on the battlefield.”