In the second half of 2012, something strange started happening at SOFREP. I say strange because it wasn’t something I’d expected, planned, or intended, or even anything I saw coming. In fact, I didn’t fully realize it was happening until it was already well underway.
We had started out that February writing pieces aimed purely at the Spec Ops community. After all, that was our mission. But by that fall, it was clear that this was not all we were doing. We were also writing about foreign policy, international developments, and other current events. Our identity was shifting. We were changing the core description of what we did. Organically and without our having planned it this way, SOFREP was becoming a hard news site. In the business and leadership literature, you read constantly about how important it is to have your mission clearly defined. How you need to emblazon that on a sign and hang it on the wall and make sure everyone in your company knows what it is. Apple = “The computer for the rest of us.” FedEx = “The world on time.” Nike = “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”
And that’s great, as far as it goes. But here’s the dirty little secret of business missions: Sometimes you don’t really know what the ultimate mission is when you start. Sometimes you don’t find out un- until you’ve been at it for a while. In fact, this happens a lot more often than you’d think.
You start out with what you think the mission is. But it shifts and changes, and if you’re paying attention, you follow. You pivot.
That’s what happened to SOFREP. Before our first year was out, our mission had shifted. This wasn’t a top-down change. It didn’t come from me; it came from the writers. And it happened because we had a standard, and that standard led us where it wanted to go, not where I originally thought it was going.
That Standard Was Excellence
It started in August 2012, with the announcement of No Easy Day, that firsthand account of the bin Laden mission. The book sparked some controversy about the whole idea of SEALs going public with details of the raid. On September 12, Time published a piece I wrote on the subject titled A (Former) SEAL Speaks Out . . . About (Former) SEALs Speaking Out.
That same day, my best friend, Glen Doherty, was killed in the attack on the American consulate and CIA annex in Benghazi.
Benghazi changed my life. Glen was my closest friend in the world. We’d been SEAL Team Three teammates, and we’d gone through Naval Special Warfare (SEAL) sniper school together as shooting partners, three months that forged a lifelong bond. My kids knew him as Uncle Glen. Losing him hurt worse than I had known anything could hurt. It also upped my own sense of commitment, to do my best to live up to the standard Glen set — not just as a SEAL, but as a human being.
As someone who’s seen what happens when the truth is distorted, I know how unfair it feels when those who’ve sacrificed the most lose their voice. At SOFREP, our veteran journalists, who once fought for freedom, now fight to bring you unfiltered, real-world intel. But without your support, we risk losing this vital source of truth. By subscribing, you’re not just leveling the playing field—you’re standing with those who’ve already given so much, ensuring they continue to serve by delivering stories that matter. Every subscription means we can hire more veterans and keep their hard-earned knowledge in the fight. Don’t let their voices be silenced. Please consider subscribing now.
One team, one fight,
Brandon Webb former Navy SEAL, Bestselling Author and Editor-in-Chief
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