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

through the treacherous city streets and stretched clear across South-
Central Ramadi over to the next U.S. combat outpost to the east, COP
Eagle’s Nest. This was nearly two kilometers through some of the most
hostile territory in Iraq held by a determined and vicious enemy. None of
the roads had been cleared by the U.S. minesweeping teams, so no doubt
massive IEDs lay buried along the route. That meant U.S. armored
vehicles and firepower could not get to the patrol along much of the
leader’s planned path without putting the vehicles at huge risk should he
and his Iraqis (and now our SEALs) get pinned down.
Beyond that, his planned route passed through battlespace owned by
different American units, including two U.S. Army companies, another
Army battalion, and a U.S. Marine Corps company. Each had unique
standard operating procedures and utilized separate radio nets. That
would mean coordinating with all these units prior to launch and setting
up contingency plans for help should something go wrong. The amount
of water needed for such a long trek in the Iraqi summertime heat that
exceed 115 degrees Fahrenheit, along with the massive amount of
ammunition required to penetrate so deeply into enemy territory added
up to far more than anyone could effectively fight with or carry. Even in
a much more permissive or peaceful environment, the MiTT leader’s
plan for the patrol across battlespace owned by different units would be
extremely complex. To try to accomplish this in the worst
neighborhoods of Ramadi—the most hazardous battlefield in Iraq—was
just plain crazy.
I listened to the plan. When I understood the overall idea and the
complexity it involved, I finally commented, “Lieutenant, I appreciate
your motivation to get out there and get after it. But perhaps—at least
for these first few patrols—we need to simplify this a little bit.”