Roy Rob - The Navy SEAL art of war : leadership lessons from the worlds most elite fighting force

Copyright 2015 by Rob Roy

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Crown Business, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

www.crownpublishing.com

CROWN BUSINESS is a trademark and CROWN and the Rising Sun colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Roy, Rob.

The navy SEAL art of war : leadership lessons from the worlds most elite fighting force / Rob Roy, Chris Lawson.

pages cm

Leadership. 2. Decision making. 3. United States. Navy. SEALs. I. Lawson, Chris. II. Title.

HD57.7.R695 2015

658.4092dc23 2014038613

ISBN9780804137751

eBook ISBN9780804137768

eBook design adapted from printed book design by Ralph Fowler / rlfdesign

Cover design by Michael Nagin

v4.1

a

To my wife, Fia, and our two children, Emille and Adrian
Rob Roy

To my amazing wife, Jessica, whom I utterly adore. Its been said that some people live an entire lifetime wondering if theyve made a difference to this world. Just like the SEALs, you dont have that problem. Thank you for saying Yes.
Chris Lawson

In times of war or uncertainty there is a special breed of warrior ready to answer our Nations call. A common man with uncommon desire to succeed. Forged by adversity, he stands alongside Americas finest special operations forces to serve his country, the American people, and protect their way of life. I am that man.

My Trident is a symbol of honor and heritage. Bestowed upon me by the heroes that have gone before, it embodies the trust of those I have sworn to protect. By wearing the Trident I accept the responsibility of my chosen profession and way of life. It is a privilege that I must earn every day.

My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own.

I serve with honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men. Uncompromising integrity is my standard. My character and honor are steadfast. My word is my bond.

We expect to lead and be led. In the absence of orders I will take charge, lead my teammates, and accomplish the mission. I lead by example in all situations.

I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight.

We demand discipline. We expect innovation. The lives of my teammates and the success of our mission depend on memy technical skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail. My training is never complete.

We train for war and fight to win. I stand ready to bring the full spectrum of combat power to bear in order to achieve my mission and the goals established by my country. The execution of my duties will be swift and violent when required yet guided by the very principles that I serve to defend.

Brave men have fought and died building the proud tradition and feared reputation that I am bound to uphold. In the worst of conditions, the legacy of my teammates steadies my resolve and silently guides my every deed. I will not fail.

For thousands of years, armies have fought other armies using myriad tactics and strategies to try to win the day. And while Navy SEALs are rightly proud of our warfighting skills, we are also unabashed about taking the lessons learned from history and applying them to our own schemes of battle.

Over my military career, one extraordinary thinker has always stood out: the ancient Chinese general and supreme strategist, Sun Tzuauthor of The Art of War. Alongside Carl von Clausewitz, Sun Tzu is considered one of the finest military thinkers of all time. And his pithy but powerful work (compared to Clausewitzs more densely delivered On War) has inspired me greatly.

What I love about the lessons in The Art of War are their simplicity. Ive tried to mimic that approach in my own book. Simplicity, according to Adm. William McRaven, a Navy SEAL and former commander of the US Joint Special Operations Command, is what special operators strive for in virtually every operation. In addition to Sun Tzus simplicity, I love the psychological aspect of his teachings. For Sun Tzu, war is as much about philosophy and psychology as it is about politics and battle. In that manner, he teaches us how to get inside the heads of our adversaries. To unnerve his opponents, to demoralize them, to mislead them, and to outmaneuver and threaten them, in such a way that their social cohesion breaks down and their rulers and military find themselves in disorder and chaos, to quote Arthur Waldron in the foreword of author Victor H. Mairs terrific translation of Sun Tzus text. For Sun Tzu, an enemys mind and morale is as much an Armys center of gravity as men, technology, and materiel.

Thats why Ive infused the leadership lessons in this book with the spirit of Sun Tzu. While Sun Tzu offered thirteen chapters, each one devoted to one aspect of warfare, Ive spread out my thoughts over fifty-seven chapters. And, of course, I navigate from the battlefield to the boardroom, finding the essential leadership parallels between military and corporate leaders, to make this of use in the corporate world as well as the battlefield.

But like Sun Tzu, my words and experiences stress the importance of evaluation and planning and the need to confront your enemy when he is least prepared. How to best position your forcesboth human and materialand manage your financial resources. I underscore the importance of knowing oneself and ones opponent and only going into battle when you have the advantage, to seek out weaknesses in your enemy and to configure your forces in unconventional ways.

Most of all, I embrace Master Suns wise advice on the need for caring leadership, both on and off the battlefield. You should, too. My favorite quote from The Art of War: Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.

Maxims like these are the backbone of The Art of War and so, too, I hope, in The Navy SEAL Art of War.

Id like to think that Master Sun would have made a terrific SEAL. And I know I could have swung a mean Jian in his Army.

N O ONE HAD EVER spoken to Paulo like that before. Not his friends, his family, his peers, or his colleagues. Certainly not anyone who worked for him. Hes used to being the guy who tells everybody else what to do.

But here he was, standing weak-kneed and slump-shouldered on a predawn stretch of San Diego beach. It was 6:47 a.m., or zero 647 as we demonic drivers called it. Our collective voices from the past several hours were still pounding in Paulos head.