Code Over Country by Braden Wright

Code Over Country

The Tragedy and Corruption of SEAL Team Six

Braden Wright, Matthew Cole, Bold Type Books

PublicAffairs · Print & ebook · February 22, 2022

A “searing” (Jeremy Scahill) exposé of SEAL Team 6, the US military’s best-known brand, that reveals how the Navy SEALs were formed, then sacrificed, in service of American empire.

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Who it’s for
A sober look at elite-unit mythmaking, corruption, and the costs of loyalty.
Genres
Special Forces History, Iraq War (2003-2011), Afghan War (2001-)
Published
PublicAffairs, February 22, 2022

About this book

A “searing” (Jeremy Scahill) exposé of SEAL Team 6, the US military’s best-known brand, that reveals how the Navy SEALs were formed, then sacrificed, in service of American empire. The Navy SEALs are, in the eyes of many Americans, the ultimate heroes. When they killed Osama Bin Laden in 2011, it was celebrated as a massive victory. Former SEALs rake in cash as leadership consultants for corporations, and young military-bound men dream of serving in their ranks.

Continue reading

But the SEALs have lost their bearings. Investigative journalist Matthew Cole tells the story of the most lauded unit, SEAL Team 6, revealing a troubling pattern of war crimes and the deep moral rot beneath authorized narratives. From their origins in World War II, the SEALs have trained to be specialized killers with short missions. As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan became the endless War on Terror, their violence spiraled out of control. Code Over Country details the high-level decisions that unleashed the SEALs’ carnage and the coverups that prevented their crimes from coming to light. It is a necessary and rigorous investigation of the unchecked power of the military—and the harms enacted by and upon soldiers in America’s name.

Hard Look

A sober look at elite-unit mythmaking, corruption, and the costs of loyalty.

Come here for

  • SEAL Team Six under a hard, unsentimental lens
  • rigorous, classroom-friendly military history

Expect

  • close reading of a troubled institution
  • steady, analytical prose

Where it sits

Special Forces History79%
Afghan War (2001-)50%
Iraq War (2003-2011)30%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Special Forces History
  • Genocide & War Crimes
  • Corruption & Misconduct
  • Military Policy & Defense
Authors
Braden Wright, Matthew Cole, Bold Type Books
Publisher
PublicAffairs
Published
February 22, 2022
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Special Forces History