Bin Laden assault revealed in memoirs
Top military brass fear release of classified information
Bin Laden ... the book will be released next month on the 11th anniversary of 9/11
A member of the crack Navy SEAL team has written a first-hand account of the historic assault on the terror leader’s Pakistan compound.
The author of the book – entitled ‘No Easy Day’ and scheduled for release next month on the 11th anniversary of 9/11 – has left the military and uses the pseudonym Mark Owen.
He describes the account as an effort to “set the record straight about one of the most important missions in U.S. military history”.
Owen also says it is about the sacrifices special forces make and is written in the hope it will inspire young men to become SEALs.
But news of its publication has triggered fears among top military brass that classified information might be released.
US military officials claim the book has not been read or cleared by the Defense Department, which reviews publications by military members to prevent the disclosure of secret material.
Special operations forces are banned from revealing classified information such as intelligence data or military tactics.
While Owen’s publishers claim the work has been vetted by a former special operations attorney, officials at the Pentagon, White House and CIA have said their agencies have not seen the book.
Defense Department spokesman Lt. Col. James Gregory said if the book reveals classified information about the raid, the Pentagon would “defer to the Department of Justice" and former SEAL Owen could face criminal charges.
The author of the book – entitled ‘No Easy Day’ and scheduled for release next month on the 11th anniversary of 9/11 – has left the military and uses the pseudonym Mark Owen.
He describes the account as an effort to “set the record straight about one of the most important missions in U.S. military history”.
Owen also says it is about the sacrifices special forces make and is written in the hope it will inspire young men to become SEALs.
But news of its publication has triggered fears among top military brass that classified information might be released.
First-hand ... the front cover of the Navy SEAL's account of the bin Laden assault
D-Day ... Obama and aides watch on as Bin Laden's compound is raided
US military officials claim the book has not been read or cleared by the Defense Department, which reviews publications by military members to prevent the disclosure of secret material.
Special operations forces are banned from revealing classified information such as intelligence data or military tactics.
While Owen’s publishers claim the work has been vetted by a former special operations attorney, officials at the Pentagon, White House and CIA have said their agencies have not seen the book.
Defense Department spokesman Lt. Col. James Gregory said if the book reveals classified information about the raid, the Pentagon would “defer to the Department of Justice" and former SEAL Owen could face criminal charges.
Fugitive ... bin Laden in his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan
Bolt-hole ... crowds gathered outside bin Laden's raided compound
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