WASHINGTON (AP) — Two U.S. Navy SEALs are missing after conducting a nighttime boarding mission Thursday off the coast of Somalia, according to three U.S. officials.
The SEALs were on an interdiction mission, climbing up a vessel when one got knocked off by high waves. Under their protocol, when one SEAL is overtaken the next jumps in after them.
Both SEALs are still missing. A search and rescue mission is underway and the waters in the Gulf of Aden, where they were operating, are warm, two of the U.S. officials said.
The U.S. Navy has conducted regular interdiction missions, where they have intercepted weapons on ships that were bound for Houthi-controlled Yemen.
A single SEAL is easier to kill/capture than a team as well as a general "leave nobody (or no body) behind" mantra.
Yeah but this isn't "leave nobody behind" it's literally ritualistic suicide if a squadmate dies. It's die together suicide nonsense.
There really is some fucked up stuff beneath this.
I mean, so would a team of two going in, immediately losing 50% of the team and the remaining member trying to clear a boat/ship by themself.
Surrender then.
SEALS usually deal with more sensitive operations, maybe it's a cynical policy to 'tie up lose ends' on missions that fail?