Extreme Ownership - How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win
Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Contributed by Larisa Brooke
Chapter 11
Summary

This chapter is narrated by Babin, and he starts by introducing to us a sniper called Chris Kyle, one of the most experienced snipers on the platoon team. Babin attributes the success of Kyle in the fact that he had embraced extreme ownership of his duty. He was also disciplined and focused on what the mission objectives required. Babin and Kyle are caught in a dilemma of positive identification (PID), or the personal identification of an enemy. Kyle had observed a figure that was moving suspiciously in a room they had identified as A27, and he was worried that the individual belonged to the team of enemy snipers who had previously killed a dozen U.S. soldiers. Babin was also disturbed by this person, of whom they completely failed to identify. As the commander-in- charge, Babin was supposed to give a directive of shooting this enemy sniper dead. Kyle, on his side, felt uncomfortable of shooting this guy, as he had a second thought that, just maybe, the individual in the building was not the enemy. The two almost succumbed to the pressure of the platoon commander who wanted the building cleared because, on his side, it was determined that there was no U.S. soldier in that building.

Analysis

Babin admits that books, movies or television can never truly articulate the pressure that the combat leaders experience while they are on the battlefield. He says that it can become very difficult to understand the real intent of the enemy, and the new form he has camouflaged into. At the same time, it is also difficult to discover the new strategy that the enemy could have developed. The decisions to be made on the battlefield need to be fast and accurate because, if they fail, it means the consequences will be unbearable. Regardless, Babin says that it is important for leaders to make the best decision based on immediately available information.

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