There’s a special kind of national alchemy we do when the target is convenient. We take a messy problem—drugs, cartels, corruption, our own cash-driven appetites—and we dunk it in the holy water of patriotism until it comes out labeled War. Then we act surprised when the war starts looking like, you know… f'ng war. This week’s outrage about U.S. strikes on so-called … [Read more...] about The Narco-Boat Killings Expose America’s Deadly Double Standard
Brandon Webb Articles
Broken Compass: The Navy SEAL Sniper Who Vanished in Afghanistan
The first time I realized the war had its own metabolism, it wasn’t from some leaked cable or one of the many endless slide PowerPoint reports. It was a smell. Burnt rubber and cold dirt. Diesel that wasn’t there. That hollow, chemical tang you get after a blast when you’ve walked enough craters to know what belongs and what doesn’t. North of Kunduz, right off a … [Read more...] about Broken Compass: The Navy SEAL Sniper Who Vanished in Afghanistan
SOFREP’s 2025 Holiday Buying Guide for Real Men Handpicked by Special Operators and Hardened Veterans
Holiday shopping for men in 2025 is still a full-contact sport. Ladies, you ask your man what he wants, and he says, "I'm good," and now you are as lost as a new second lieutenant with an old paper map. SOFREP’s Holiday 2025 Gear List is here to make it simple. We pulled in no-nonsense picks that hit the sweet spot between useful, rugged, and cool enough that he will … [Read more...] about SOFREP’s 2025 Holiday Buying Guide for Real Men Handpicked by Special Operators and Hardened Veterans
Using My VA Loan to Build Wealth—and a Bat Cave—in NYC
My years in the Navy SEALs taught me a few things: move fast when opportunity presents itself, adapt when terrain changes and never sleep in open terrain. Did you know you can use your VA loan to purchase an income-generating asset, as long as it will be your primary residence? It's true, and that's why I’m using my Navy Federal VA loan benefit to purchase a 4-unit … [Read more...] about Using My VA Loan to Build Wealth—and a Bat Cave—in NYC
From 19 to Fatherhood: My NFCU Story and Why It Matters for Small Business
I joined Navy Federal Credit Union when I was 19 years old—a kid fresh out of aircrew search and rescue training at HS-10. I was greener than the forests in the Pacific Northwest. Back then, the last thing on my mind was banking, until an old crusty Master Chief insisted I open a Navy Federal account when we made a port call in Hong Kong. Fast-forward decades, deployments, … [Read more...] about From 19 to Fatherhood: My NFCU Story and Why It Matters for Small Business
The SECRET to Navy SEAL Training
Surviving BUD/S: The Unyielding Mental Toughness That Separates the Few from the Many When I went through training back in 1997, it was the hardest thing physically that I’d ever done. I checked into BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training) fresh off a six-month deployment on the USS Kitty Hawk as an Aviation Warfare Systems Operator/Helicopter Search & Rescue … [Read more...] about The SECRET to Navy SEAL Training
Peak Performance for Life: Entrepreneur and Former Navy SEAL Shares Insights on Building Unsinkable Resilience
Life is a Solo Flight For Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) member and SOFREP Media CEO Brandon Webb, life is “a solo flight, and you are the captain.” His experience as a U.S. Navy SEAL and serial entrepreneur trained him to navigate fear and the pervasive stress of the unknown. The power of thought has been key to his success. “Mastering fear is not about becoming … [Read more...] about Peak Performance for Life: Entrepreneur and Former Navy SEAL Shares Insights on Building Unsinkable Resilience
I Fell for the Drive to Survive Hype — Then I Realized F1 Doesn’t Race Anymore
It started innocently enough. I, a man who once crawled across hot sand as a sniper, dodged bullets, and deployed to combat zones, decided to unwind with something cinematic. Enter Drive to Survive. The flash, the glitz, the ultra-close wheel-to-wheel duels—“Wow,” I thought, “this looks like combat…in a good way.” I became a fan, but quickly I'm realizing that it's really … [Read more...] about I Fell for the Drive to Survive Hype — Then I Realized F1 Doesn’t Race Anymore
I Didn’t Survive War to Watch America Get Looted
Let’s get something straight before we jump into icy waters. This isn’t your grandpa’s America, the one with pensions, affordable homes, and politicians who at least pretended they gave a damn. No, this is Hunger Games: Red, White, and Screwed Edition. And average Americans are the tributes. The economy is a bloated casino rigged by carnies in cheap suits. The … [Read more...] about I Didn’t Survive War to Watch America Get Looted
When Putin Outsmarted Trump: The Art of War, the Art of the Deal, and the Price of Falling for a KGB Hustle
Let’s get something straight right off the bat. Vladimir Putin isn’t some cartoon villain hiding in a bunker, twirling a mustache. He’s an apex predator — an ex-KGB operator who plays geopolitics like high-stakes poker with the nuclear codes in his pocket. And right now, he’s teaching Donald Trump a master class in bait and switch so slick it should come with a “Brought to … [Read more...] about When Putin Outsmarted Trump: The Art of War, the Art of the Deal, and the Price of Falling for a KGB Hustle
Navy SEAL Sniper JT and his Faithful Labrador Hawkeye
In 2005, long after Matt Axelson and the Luttrell brothers had graduated Jon Tumilson came through our course. JT, we called him. My first conversation with JT happened in my office, which by this time was not underground in the Coronado bunker but in an aboveground building in another location. I had called JT in to let him know that I wanted him to be the class leader for … [Read more...] about Navy SEAL Sniper JT and his Faithful Labrador Hawkeye
Mastering Your Fear is the Navy SEAL Way
"The brave man is not the one who has no fear, he is the one who triumphs over his fear."— Nelson Mandela My friend Kamal is a world traveler. He has meditated with Tibetan monks in the Dalai Lama’s monastery, trekked the Himalayas, and hiked the Camino Real in Spain. He served in the U.S. Army and studied to be an ER doctor. He has launched tech companies, runs his own … [Read more...] about Mastering Your Fear is the Navy SEAL Way