SEALs punished for their role in developing Medal of Honor game

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**Relapse**

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/08/15030898-seals-punished-for-role-in-developing-medal-of-honor-video-game-official-says?lite

That's pretty intense.

**SagesStone**

No one copies stories for the work blocked anymore. -.-

Seven members of SEAL Team Six have been punished for supporting development of a video game released last month, according to a U.S. military official.

Follow @NBCNewsUS
The SEALs worked as paid consultants for Electronic Arts, the company that made "Medal of Honor Warfighter." They received letters of reprimand and forfeited half of their pay for two months. The SEALs do not face jail time.
The official did not say what, if any, information the SEALs revealed by participating in the video game's development. However, a written statement from Deputy Commander of Naval Special Warfare, Rear Admiral Garry Bonelli, indicates this is more about making an example of these sailors after a string of high-profile SEAL products.
"We do not tolerate deviations from the policies that govern who we are and what we do as Sailors in the United States Navy. The non-judicial punishment decisions made today send a clear message throughout our Force that we are and will be held to a high standard of accountability," Bonelli wrote.
The military official did not know how much the SEALs were paid.
The video game hit store shelves on October 23. In a press release, EA said "Medal of Honor Warfighter" was "written by actual U.S. Tier 1 Operators while deployed overseas," and that it "features a dotted line to real world events and provides players a view into globally recognized threats and situations letting them experience the action as it might have unfolded."
In September, "No Easy Day," a book written under the pseudonym Mark Owen, was released to the public. The book gives a firsthand account of the killing of Osama bin Laden.

**Steve steveson**

I can see why they were punished, but two months half pay seems a little harsh. For allot of people that could mean there kids not eating or loosing there house.

**htj**

...this is more about making an example of these sailors after a string of high-profile SEAL products.

Sailors? SEALs are clearly soldiers! They have guns and they go on land and stuff!

/military troll

Two months at half pay does seem very harsh, but then, they do say they're being made an example of. It could be worse, after all, they could have been discharged or served jail-time.

I do wonder how clear it was made that this kind of thing would not be tolerated though. I hope that this wasn't out of the blue.

**the mighty ginge**

Understadible but perhaps a bit harsh...

**reds8n**

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2230296/Seven-Navy-SEALs-Team-6-punished-giving-confidential-information-creators-video-game-Medal-Honor.html

Seven members of the secretive Navy SEAL Team 6, including one involved in the mission to get Osama bin Laden, have been punished for disclosing classified information, senior Navy officials said Thursday
Four other SEALs are under investigation for similar alleged violations, one official said.
They allegedly divulged classified information to the creator of the video game 'Medal of Honor: Warfighter.'

Each of the seven received a punitive letter of reprimand- which generally prevents individuals from being promoted- and a partial forfeiture of pay for two months.
The deputy commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, Rear Admiral Garry Bonelli, issued a statement acknowledging that nonjudicial punishments had been handed out for misconduct, but he did not offer any details.
'We do not tolerate deviations from the policies that govern who we are and what we do as sailors in the United States Navy,' Bonelli said.
He alluded to the importance of honoring nondisclosure agreements that SEALs sign.
He said the punishments this week 'send a clear message throughout our force that we are and will be held to a high standard of accountability.'

The two main complaints against the SEALs were that they did not seek the permission of their command to take part in the video project and that they showed the video designers some of their specially designed combat equipment unique to their unit, said a senior military official. The official was briefed about the case but was not authorized to speak publicly about it.
SEALs, including some of those involved in the bin Laden raid of May 2011, have been uncharacteristically prominent in the news this year.
Matt Bissonnette, who participated in the raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan, but later retired from the SEALs, wrote a firsthand account under the pseudonym Mark Owen, but he landed in hot water with the Pentagon even before it was published in September.
The Pentagon accused him of disclosing classified information in violation of the nondisclosure agreements he had signed as a SEAL. He disputes the charge.

The SEAL mission to capture or kill Laden, while stunningly successful, encountered a number of unexpected obstacles, including the loss of a stealthy helicopter that was partially blown up by the SEALs after making a hard landing inside bin Laden's compound.
The head of Naval Special Warfare Command, Rear Admiral Sean Pybus, responded to the Bissonnette book by telling his force that 'hawking details about a mission' and selling other information about SEAL training and operations puts the force and their families at risk.
SEALs, both active duty and retired, possess highly sensitive information about tactics and techniques that are central to the success of their secret and often dangerous missions overseas.
That is why they are obliged to sign nondisclosure agreements when they enter service and when they leave, and it is why the Pentagon seeks to enforce such written agreements.
The punishments were first reported by CBS News.

Does seem a tad harsh, I can see how there might be issues with regards to equipment and secrecy ..? But then again one assumes they weren't using reversed engineered Roswell pattern disintergrator laser guns either ?

**SagesStone**

Maybe they were, they can't say if they did or didn't.

**LordofHats**

Did EA pay them for their consulting?

**Frazzled**

Don't do the crime, don't do the time.

**Maddermax**

Steve steveson wrote:
I can see why they were punished, but two months half pay seems a little harsh. For allot of people that could mean there kids not eating or loosing there house.

I'd assume they were paid pretty well for the EA gig, so this pay forfeiture might just be to cancel out the financial attraction of doing this sort of thing.

**Kiwi461**

Half pay for two months is usually pretty standard for Non-judicial punishment. It could have been far worse, they could have also had a reduction in rank. An NJP in the Marine Corps would also mean you'd get non-recommended for promotion for a year I believe. In the Navy since they take tests for promotion not sure if the NJP itself effects them or just the Letter of Reprimand. I guarantee that in 6 months no one within the community will care about these punishments on these guys and their 'careers' will be just fine if they plan on staying in.

**Ouze**

I have to agree that is is probably appropriate if a little sad.

If they released classified information, they should be punished for it. The argument "well, they can't afford half-pay for 2 months" - ludicrous. The jails are filled with people who can ill-afford the costs borne from their incarceration.

If you want to write a book or consult on a video game about your job, I don't think the teams are appropriate jobs for you to pursue.

**Silverthorne**

Sounds like they are getting the beat-stick to punish that guy that wrote 'No Easy Day.' They can't make an example of him, since he's out, so they nail these guys. Sounds about right.

Mast isn't that huge of a deal. And half-pay (base pay) for an E-5 is probably a fraction of what they were paid as a retainer by EA. Seriously, unmarried E5 pay is a joke. They would get more just from bonuses and BAH than base pay. By a lot.

Mast (NJP) just stops you from getting capped, you can still get promoted. I went to mast 3 times in a year and still got promoted that cycle.

**nomsheep**

sucks to be them, will suck even worse if the game blows.

**Necros**

Maybe EA will be nice enough to step up and make up the half of the pay being missed for the guys that helped make the game. I'm sure they could afford it...

**htj**

Necros wrote:
Maybe EA will be nice enough to step up and make up the half of the pay being missed for the guys that helped make the game. I'm sure they could afford it...

I suspect they'd say that they already have...

**Palindrome**

Its not harsh at all. They weren't given approval (which tends to be a big thing in the military) and the information that they gave could have had all kinds of real world implications. As MoH games are about as realistic as Pacman thats probably moot but it is a serious issue.

**Chongara**

Nuts to disclosing "Classified Information" they should be reprimanded for helping make gakky generic modern FPS #22,38,123,923,812, we don't need more of those.

**CthuluIsSpy**

Huh, someone got officially reprimanded for helping make a gakky and generic game. That's new.

**Squigsquasher**

The hell? They get punished for assisting the developers of a videogame?

Ridiculous.

**Frazzled**

Squigsquasher wrote:
The hell? They get punished for assisting the developers of a videogame?

Ridiculous.

Why? NO moonlighting.

**Squigsquasher**

Really? What a stupid rule.

And so my respect for the US military sinks again.

**Chongara**

Frazzled wrote:
Squigsquasher wrote:
The hell? They get punished for assisting the developers of a videogame?

Ridiculous.

Why? NO moonlighting.

This isn't strictly true. They just have to get permission first and not give up classified stuff when doing it. Military dudes get clearance to act as accuracy consultants on movies/games/TV shows all the time. Having depictions they approve of in the media is great PR for them. These dudes just didn't go through the proper channels is all.

**Jihadin**

SEALs are paid. They've done enough rotations into theater to seriously freaking bank some money. Knowing the community they probaly went TDY to offer consulatation service. You all need to look up the pay scale and see what their base pay is.

**Ouze**

Squigsquasher wrote:
The hell? They get punished for assisting the developers of a videogame?

Ridiculous.

No, they get punished for not following the rules of the job they took, which they were aware of when they took the job.

Squigsquasher wrote:
And so my respect for the US military sinks again.

I have to think from how quickly you arrived at this conclusion, you didn't start out at neutral.

Unless there is a classified level I'm not aware of, such as "Secret (except for video games)" then like any other job in the world, they broke the rules and got written up.

**nomsheep**

Squigsquasher wrote:
Really? What a stupid rule.

And so my respect for the US military sinks again.

Military secrets are secret for a reason, give em out and expect punishment. We have similar rules and would do the same. Tbh they were lucky.

**Seaward**

EA should've contacted NSW command directly, and they'd have wound up with the video game version of Act of Valor. Tactical Timmies everywhere could've stroked out to their heart's content.

**Mattman154**

Squigsquasher wrote:
And so my respect for the US military sinks again.

Quick! DEFCON -1!

**nomsheep**

Mattman154 wrote:
Squigsquasher wrote:
And so my respect for the US military sinks again.

Quick! DEFCON -1!

Do we... Do we need to go to war now?

**Mattman154**

nomsheep wrote:
Mattman154 wrote:
Squigsquasher wrote:
And so my respect for the US military sinks again.

Quick! DEFCON -1!

Do we... Do we need to go to war now?

I guess so. 1,500 points at dawn?