Commander Breisch had served with Chief Gallagher years before on a deployment to Afghanistan, and described their relationship to investigators as close. He was one of six SEALs who came forward to report Chief Gallagher for war crimes. During the chief’s court-martial, defense lawyers pointed out that Lieutenant MacNeil had consumed alcohol while deployed in Iraq — which was against regulations — and appeared in a photo with Chief Gallagher and the corpse of the captive. But Mr. Trump’s intervention ended the expulsion effort, and many in the SEALs now wonder whether Admiral Green may soon be relieved. Navy officials said the admiral was concerned about the corrosive effect of Chief Gallagher’s behavior on order and discipline in the force, which he referred to as the “Gallagher effect.”

Source: New York Times November 28, 2019 00:56 UTC