>> WELCOME BACK. WEDNESDAY NIGHT U.S. SPECIAL FORCES TOOK OUT THE TOP COMMANDER OF ISIS
IS PART OF A DARING RAID IN
SYRIA. SINCE THEN PRESIDENT
BIDEN REVEALED THE TERRORIST
TARGET IBRAHIM AL-HASHIMI
AL-QURAISHI BLEW HIMSELF UP
ALONG WITH HIS WIFE AND 2
CHILDREN AS THOSE SPECIAL
OPERATORS CLOSED IN. THE
PRESIDENT ALSO SAID THE RAID
WAS ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO BE
AN AIR STRIKE, BUT COMMANDERS
CHANGED PLANS TO RUN A MORE
RISKY GROUND OPERATION WHEN
THEY LEARNED THERE WERE
CIVILIANS IN THE BUILDING
WHERE HE WAS HIDING OUT IN
WHILE IT APPEARS THERE WERE
CIVILIAN CASUALTIES. THE
PENTAGON SAYS THOSE DEATHS
WERE THE RESULT OF OUT KERR A
SHE’S ACTIONS.
>> RIGHT NOW, A STRONG STRONG
INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE TO
THE DEGREE? THERE’S A LOSS OF
INNOCENT LIFE. IT’S IT’S LOSS
CAUSED BY MISTER ABU AND HIS
LIEUTENANT.
>> LET’S TALK TO SOMEONE WHO
KNOWS FAR MORE ABOUT THIS THAN
I DO THIS MORNING. WE’RE
TALKING TO A RETIRED SPECIAL
FORCES CAPTAIN AND CREATOR OF
THE DICK DISCOVERY CHANNEL’S
SERIES, ONE MAN ARMY MICHAEL
HAWKINS JOINING TO FIND OUT
MORE ABOUT THE PLANNING AND
PREPARATION THAT GOES INTO
OPERATIONS LIKE THIS. MICHAEL,
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
>> MORNING. THANKS FOR HAVING
ME. I WANT TALK A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT THE PLANNING OF
OPERATIONS LIKE THIS.
UNFORTUNATELY, CASUALTIES IS
ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT’S PART
OF THE EQUATION. HOW DOES THAT
FACTOR INTO THE PLANNING OF
THESE TYPES OF SPECIAL OPS?
>> I THINK IT’S REALLY
IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT THE
AMERICAN PSYCHE ALWAYS USE
OURSELVES AS THE GOOD GUYS
WEAR THE WHITE HAT. SO WE
ALWAYS CONSIDER THE POTENTIAL
LOSS OF INNOCENT LIFE. AND WE
TRY TO CATCH ALI AND REDUCE OR
MITIGATE THAT RISK AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE. AND I THINK THIS
OPERATION, IT’S A CLASSIC
EXAMPLE OF THAT. WE COULD VERY
EASILY HAVE JESS FIRE ROCKETS
FORGET THEIR GUN. AND DUSTIN,
WE DON’T HAVE ANY OF US
AMERICAN LIVES. BUT THEY
REALIZE THAT AND THIS IS KEY
THAT THERE WERE INNOCENT
PEOPLE ON THE FIRST FLOOR AND
WERE UNAWARE THAT WAS A
DECISION POINT WHICH TRIGGERED
TAKE A DIFFERENT COURSE OF
ACTION AND RISK AMERICAN LIVES
TO GO IN AND TRY TO BE MORE
PRECISE. JUST JUST SAYING
OTHER LOT. AND I THINK THIS IS
IMPORTANT COMING ON THE BACK
END OF THAT TRAGIC ACCIDENTAL
TARGETING WHERE A LOT OF
INNOCENT LIVES WERE LOST
RECENTLY. SO I THINK THIS IS A
POWERFUL DECISION TO SAY TO
THE WE REALLY VALUE HUMAN LIFE
AND WE’RE WILLING TO RISK OUR
OWN LIVES TO GO IN THERE AND
GET THE PROPER BAD GUYS AND
NOT HARM.
>> CAUSE ANY HARM TO INNOCENT
PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. U.S.
SPECIAL FORCES, ASSUMING MORE
RISK IN ORDER TO NOT RISK THE
LIVES OF CIVILIANS. AND AS WE
ARE SPEAKING ABOUT THE SPECIAL
OPERATIONS GROUPS LIKE
GREENVILLE, GREEN BERETS, THE
NAVY SEALS, THE ARMY RANGERS,
WE HEAR ABOUT THESE GROUPS,
SPECIAL OPS. FRANKLY, MY
QUESTION IS WHAT MAKES THEM SO
SPECIAL? CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT?
>> AND HAVING BEEN OLD SCHOOL
GUY CAME IN AND THE EARLY 80’S
AND RETIRED 11. BUT I JUST
SPENT RECENT AFGHANISTAN WILL
COMBAT SEARCH AND RESCUE PER
SE DEPARTMENT KEEP MYSELF,
COLONEL STILLS, WHAT MAKES ARE
GUYS DIFFERENT THAN OTHER
PEOPLE IS REALLY JUST THAT
WILL PUSH A LITTLE BIT HARDER
AND HARDER. ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE
WE’RE NO BETTER THAN ANYONE
ELSE. WE’RE JUST A LITTLE BIT
DIFFERENT TOOL FOR THE PAST. I
THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE
HERE AMONG SPECIAL OPERATIONS
COMMUNITY, GREEN BERETS ARE
PRIMARILY KNOWN FOR BEING VERY
THE BUT ALSO IN THE CURRENT
CONTEXT. NOW, THAT WOULD GET
AWAY FROM THE DIRECT ACTION
TYPE. WHAT WE’VE BEEN THE LAST
20 YEARS WITH, GUESS,
INTERACTS YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT
SORT OF A NEAR PIER
COMPETITION, HOW WE’RE GOING
TO OFFER A, YOU KNOW, TRYING
TO COMPETE IN THE SPACE
AGAINST CHINA, RUSSIA, FOR
EXAMPLE, I THINK IT’S VERY
IMPORTANT THAT THESE DAYS WE
DON’T REALLY TRY TO GET CREDIT
TOO MUCH TOO ONE SPECIAL
VERSUS THE OTHER AND JUST SAY
U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES
FOR THE PEOPLE WHO TOOK DOWN
THIS BAD GUY. HE DESERVE IT.
THEY DID IT WELL. AND WE
CREDIT TO ALL THE AMERICAN
SOFT.
>> SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCE
FOR THIS MISSION. THESE ARE
THE ELITES THAT TOP, THE BEST
OF THE BEST, THE HIGHLY FORCES
THERE. AND IT WAS WE SAW WITH
THIS RAID A LOT OF TIMES.
THEY’RE KIND OF HAS TO DOUBLES
CALLED. LET’S TALK A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT SOLDIERS IN THIS
RATE. THEY HAD TO BLOW UP.
SOME OF THEIR EQUIPMENT WILL
ACTUALLY ONE OF THE TROP ERS
BECAUSE OF MECHANICAL ISSUES.
AS WE SEE ANYTHING CAN GO
WRONG IN THESE TYPES OF
OPERATIONS. WE HEAR IMPROVISE,
ADAPT, OVERCOME. EXPLAIN HOW
THAT WORKS IN IN THESE KINDS
OF SITUATIONS. HOW TO HOW DO
YOU CALL INAUDIBLE HOW TO
HANDLE THAT KIND OF
OPERATIONAL STRESS?
>> WELL, I THINK IT’S
IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHEN THEY
SAY THE PUBLIC INFORMATION
BEING PUT OUT AS THEY SPENT
MONTHS PLANNING WITH THIS.
THAT MEANT THEY HAVE SOME
GENERAL INTELLIGENCE GAVE THEM
AN IDEA WHERE THIS GUY WHAT
THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE HAD 10
POINT DECISION IN POLK. AND SO
THE FACT THAT THEY’VE BEEN
REHEARSING THIS FOR A LONG
TIME USUALLY IMPLIES IT’S
GREEN BERETS BEING KNOWN AS
THE PLANNERS AND THEY JUST
NEEDED THE KEY INFORMATION OF
WEATHER. WHEN WAS THE RIGHT
TIME OR WHEN WAS THE RIGHT
PLACE TO STRIKE. SO WHEN YOU
DO NOW IT’S BACK THIS UP JUST
LITTLE BIT RECENTLY. THEY TRY
TO PICK A PRESIDENT IN SYRIA
AND RELEASE A LOT OF HOSTAGES.
AND OF COURSE, OUR GUYS DID
REALLY WELL. WE SPENT AND WE
PUSH THAT BACK. AND THAT
COMING ON THE HEELS OR OR
RIGHT BEFORE THIS MAKES ME
THINK IT MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN
INFORMATION WHERE YOU WASN’T.
IT WAS TIME TO STRIKE BECAUSE
HE’S OBVIOUSLY ESCALATING IS
OPERATIONS IS TIME TO TAKE
THEM OUT. THAT SAID WHEN WE
PLAN WE PLANT SINGLE THING
THAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG
BY POINT CONDITIONS AND PLAN,
YOU KNOW, PRIMARY ALL TAKEN TO
SEE OR CNN AGO PLAN. AND SO
THAT GO PLAN WOULD WOULD GO
INTO UP AFFECTED SINGLE STEP.
WHAT’S THE POINT OF NO RETURN
WHEN YOU GOT TO CONTINUE THE
MISSION OR WHEN YOU’VE GOT TO
GO BACK A BIT ON OPERATIONS
WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A
HELICOPTER SHOT DOWN. WE SPENT
2 DAYS IN A FIGHT BY TRYING TO
RE. WE COVER ALL THE STUFF OF
WE COULDN’T. SO WE HAD A
BLOWUP IN PLACE AND THEY PLAN
TO THAT. IT’S MISSION
POSSIBILITY. ANYTHING THAT IS
WITHIN THE REALM OF POSSIBLE
THAT COULD HAPPEN. GO WRONG.
WE PLAN FOR SO WHEN THIS
HAPPENED, THEY HAD A PLAN FOR,
OK, LET’S GET OUT OF THE WAY.
LET’S TRY TO GET WHAT WE CAN
OFFER THE CLASSIFIED CRYPTO
AND WAS BLOWN YOU KNOW, BAD
GUYS. CAN YOU KNOW I EXPLORE
THE INFORMATION OFF OF IT. AND
THAT’S JUST NORMAL PART OF THE
PLANNING FOR THIS TYPE OF
OPERATION. SO UNFORTUNATE AS
IT WAS. BOTTOM LINE IS YOU
DIDN’T LOSE ANYBODY AND BAD
GUYS TO GET A BIRD.
>> ACCORDING THE A TEAM HERE,
I LOVE IT. WHEN A PLAN COMES
TOGETHER, CAPTAIN MICHAEL HAAK
WITH THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL’S
ONE MAN ARMY. MIKE, THANKS FOR
BEING WITH US THIS MORNING.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE
AND NOW FOR YOUR EDUCATIONAL
EFFORTS. LETTING THE PUBLIC
KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT