Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win

happy. He pulled me aside.
“What the hell were you guys doing out there?” the chief asked
sternly.
“What do you mean?” I asked, immediately getting defensive.
The chief was a hell of a battlefield leader—extraordinary in a
gunfight. With a long career of nearly twenty years, he was the most
experienced SEAL in the task unit, and we highly valued his guidance
and mentorship. Never one to shy away from a fight, he was courageous
and always eager to close with and destroy the enemy. So why now was
he critical of us, particularly my leadership on the battlefield?
“What are you talking about?” I said.
“Why didn’t you leave the other SEAL sniper overwatch position—
OP1—in place to cover your movement back here to COP Falcon?” the
chief asked.
I thought about that for a moment. My initial defensiveness wore off.
He was right.
“No reason,” I replied, understanding that his logic was absolutely
correct. I realized my error. “I was so focused on our own squad’s
dilemma, I didn’t think to coordinate with the other team, OP1, to work
together. We absolutely should have.” This was the first rule in Jocko’s
Laws of Combat: Cover and Move. I had broken it. We had used Cover
and Move within my own immediate OP2 team, but I had forgotten
about the greater team and support available. We had operated
independently, failing to support or help each other. Had we left OP1 in
place, they would have had an excellent vantage from the high ground
and could have covered our OP2 movement much of the way as we
patrolled through the dangerous streets back to COP Falcon. Once at the
COP, we (OP2) could have provided additional cover for OP1 as they