It amazes me that so many people just don’t get “it”. In this context “it”, is very simply there are things happening in the world that you are not meant to know. These things happen because someone makes a decision. In turn that decision turns into a tasking for others to execute. These things and these people operate in an area that is sometimes gray but often black. They do not seek the daylight, nor do the seek the limelight. They know what they are capable of, they know what they have done, and if the rest of the world does not know that is just fine.
Way back in the ’80’s when I was assigned to the 7th MAB, it was explicitly known what our role as a unit was, and what our specific responsibilities were. Every six months or so when we rotated that assignment to the MAB we would go through a briefing that included general and likely deployment areas, etc. What was not as widely publicized was the fact that all that intel, and contingency planning had to come from somewhere. When a few of us would disappear for a week or two and then return with new and different suntans a few knowing old timers would nod and ask if you met so and so while you were in country X. Bottom line here folks, is that a lot of things have to happen in this world in order for most people to live their lives safely. Often it is best that you be ignorant of what those things are.
Hang with me, this is going somewhere…
The recent focus of the MSM on every detail of the raid into Pakistan is contrary to everything above. For the bulk of the people in the world, the information presented by the media will fade into grayness, overcome by the everyday events of their lives. This is a good thing. But for a small minority, the capabilities of the JSOC both technologically and organically as well as the disclosure of personnel details presents a setback in many, many ways. Freedom of information, needs to be tempered and weighed against the consequences that will come from disclosure. This is something that our 24 hour news cycle has forgotten.
380 words. All to say what one simple picture says.
