CNN: US Navy SEAL team ordered home from ISIS fight due to alleged misbehavior.
Alcohol and a sex assault allegation from a 4th of July party.
SOCOM is framing this as a violation of General Order #1. It is a well know "secret" that special operations forces drink while off duty in theater. The reason this event is highlighted is because one of the senior SEAL NCOs is alleged to have sexually assaulted a female military support member of the unit.
The US military is taking the rare step of sending home an elite team of Navy SEALs from Iraq due to "a perceived deterioration of good order and discipline" that caused a military commander to lose "confidence in the team's ability to accomplish the mission."
"The commander of the Special Operations Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve (in Iraq) ordered the early redeployment of a SEAL Team platoon to San Diego due to a perceived deterioration of good order and discipline within the team during non-operational periods," US Special Operations Command said in a statement Wednesday.
"The Commander lost confidence in the team's ability to accomplish the mission," the statement added.
A US Defense Department official familiar with the situation told CNN that the unusual step of sending the team home was due to allegations regarding the consumption of alcohol during their downtime, which is a violation of general orders issued to troops participating in overseas campaigns.
The official added that there is no evidence the alcohol consumption happened on missions and there is no evidence of drug use.
A fact-finding investigation has been initiated.
Officials told CNN that the alcohol use was uncovered as part of an investigation into an alleged sexual assault by one of the SEALs. Officials said that members of the SEAL platoon were not particularly cooperative in that investigation, raising red flags.