Bio

Short Bio

Brandon Webb is a combat-decorated Navy SEAL sniper and, with the changing tides, turned innovative entrepreneur. During his last tour as a U.S. Navy chief, he was head instructor at the SEAL sniper school, which produced some of America’s most legendary snipers. Brandon is an instrument rated private pilot, multiple New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, and Harvard Business School alumni.

“Whatever it is that you do, you are making a stand, either for excellence or for mediocrity.” -The Red Circle

Extended Bio

Brandon was born in small town, Rocky Mountain, Canada to a Canadian father and American mother. His parents always dreamed of taking the family sailing and bought a 47′ ketch that the family lived on for five years with trips to Mexico and the South Pacific.

One summer he was invited to work aboard the SCUBA diving boat, PEACE, out of Ventura harbor on the California coast. Brandon would learn how to SCUBA that summer and, over the years working as a deck hand, became a competent free diver, and underwater hunter. He enjoyed diving remote islands and hunting in the kelp forests for lobster, calico bass, halibut, white sea bass and yellow tail.

His family, including a younger sister, decided to take an extended year-long trip to Baja Mexico, mainland Mexico, the South Pacific, American Samoa, Fiji and New Zealand. Brandon made it as far as Tahiti where, after a heated argument with his father, he left home at 16.

After crewing on a catamaran to Hilo, Hawaii he made it back to California and went on to graduate high school at Nordhoff High in Ojai, CA.  Brandon would go on to enlist in the US Navy in March of 1993, with the goal to become a Navy SEAL.

After attending aircrew candidate and search and rescue swimmer school he went on to study antisubmarine warfare and acoustics at AW “A” school in Millington, TN. Then he completed advanced acoustic training, SERE school, and helicopter crew training at HS10 in San Diego. After successfully completing his training he was permanently assigned as a helicopter Search & Rescue swimmer, and warfare systems operator with the HS-6 Indians of Naval Air Station North Island, CA where he completed two deployments to the Persian Gulf (USS Abraham Lincoln CV72 & the USS Kittyhawk CV63).

In 1997 his SEAL training package was approved; he joined over 200 students in BUD/S class 215 and went on to graduate as one of 23 originals that started SEAL selection.

He served with SEAL Team 3, Naval Special Warfare Group One Training Detachment sniper cell, and the Naval Special Warfare Center west coast sniper course manager.

Over his navy career he completed four deployments to the Middle East, one to Afghanistan and later deployed to Iraq in 2006–7 as a contractor in support of the US intelligence community.

(Photo: SEAL TEAM 3 GOLF Platoon conducting VBSS (Visit Board Search & Seizure) operations. 

An accomplished and proven leader, he was meritoriously promoted to the rank of E6 when ranked #1 at the training command sniper cell. Then promoted to Chief Petty Officer (E7) his first time eligible while serving as the sniper course manager an E8 job billet.

Brandon has received numerous distinguished service awards, including Top Frog at Team 3 for best combat dive pair at the command, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medal with “V” device for valor in combat.

He ended his navy career early to spend more time with his family and to focus on entrepreneurship and writing.

As an Entrepreneur Brandon crashed and burned his first start up in 2009, then went on to and create two brands: SOFREP Media (SOFREP.com) and Crate Club. He bootstrapped Crate Club to eight-figure revenue and successfully exited the Crate Club in 2020. He continues to run SOFREP Media as its CEO and Editor-in-Chief.

(Photo: SEAL TEAM 3 GOLF platoon desert warfare training at Camp Billy Machen Niland, CA. Author’s collection.)

SOFREP is a Military Culture, Defense & Foreign Policy News site read by millions monthly.

Webb is multiple New York Times bestselling author of nonfiction. In 2020 Brandon and his long-time writing partner John David Mann, released their first collaborative work of fiction, STEEL FEAR. This has now turned into the Finn series published with Random House and includes Cold Fear, and Blind Fear. The series was optioned for Film/TV by Wiip global studios in 2022.

Brandon studied at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s 2-year Owner President program. He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, and has served as an appointed member on the veterans advisory committee to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for one year.

He enjoys flying his Vans RV6 airplane and spending time with his tight circle of amazing family and friends. He currently resides in Lisbon, Portugal.

Military Service 

Brandon trained as a aircrew search and rescue swimmer and aviation warfare systems operator (AW) in Pensacola, FL and Millington, TN. Then he was station at helicopter training squadron 10 (HS10) and later permanently assigned to the Indians of HS6 at Naval Air Station North Island.  After two deployments with HS6 on the USS Abraham Lincoln, and the USS Kittyhawk Webb received orders to Basic Under Water Demolition SEAL (BUD/S) training in 1998 with class 215.  Upon graduating he was assigned to SEAL TEAM 3 in Coronado, California. He would deploy to the Persian Golf with GOLF platoon where he was involved in the security, and sniper overwatch, of the USS Cole which laid stricken port-side in Aden, Yemen. His second deployment was to the Middle East and Afghanistan with SEAL Team 3 ECHO platoon. Returning from Afghanistan he was assigned to NSWG1 Training Detachment (TRADET) sniper cell as an advanced sniper instructor and would finish his military career at the Naval Special Warfare Center as the sniper course manager for the west coast. A course that produced some of the most legendary snipers of the modern age.

Webb’s Distinguished Military Service awards.

• Presidential Unit Citation SEAL TEAM 3 ECHO Platoon
• Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with “V” device for combat valor
• Two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals as a GOLF Platoon sniper at SEAL TEAM 3 and at Naval Special Warfare Center as the Sniper Course Manager
• Top Frog award at SEAL TEAM 3 for being the #1 dive pair during training with GOLF platoon.
• Meritoriously promoted to E6 as the #1 ranked E5 at NSWG1 Training Detachment in Coronado, CA

(Photo: SEAL Team 3 GOLF platoon Desert Warfare Training at Niland, CA. Author’s photo.)

Additional Military Awards

• Combat Action Ribbon
• Navy Good Conduct Medal x 3
• Southwest Asia Service Medal x 2
• Afghanistan Campaign Medal
• Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
• Fleet Marine Force Service Ribbon
• National Defense Medal x 2
• Sea Service Deployment Ribbon x 3
• Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal x 2
• Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal
• Humanitarian Service Medal
• Navy Expeditionary Medal
• Expert Rifleman Medal
• Expert Pistol Shot Medal

Published Works

• The Red Circle: My Life in the Navy SEAL Sniper Corps and How I Trained America’s Deadliest Marksmen, 2012, ISBN 9780312604226
• Navy SEAL Sniper: An Intimate Look at the Sniper of the 21st Century (with Glen Doherty), 2013, ISBN 9781620871966
• Among Heroes: A U.S. Navy Seal’s True Story of Friendship, Heroism, and the Ultimate Sacrifice (with John David Mann), 2015, ISBN 9780451475626
• The Making of a Navy SEAL: My Story of Surviving the Toughest Challenge and Training the Best, 2015, ISBN 9781250069429
• The Power of Thought: Core Principles to Overcome Adversity and Achieve Success, 2016, ISBN 9780692646786
• The Killing School: Inside the World’s Deadliest Sniper Program (with John David Mann), 2017, ISBN 9781250129932
• Total Focus: Make Better Decisions Under Pressure (with John David Mann), 2017, ISBN 9780735214514
• Mastering Fear: A Navy SEAL’s Guide, 2018, ISBN 9780525533566
• The ISIS Solution: How Unconventional Thinking and Special Operations Can Eliminate Radical Islam (with Jack Murphy and Peter Nelson), 2014, ISBN 9781466885400
• Benghazi: The Definitive Report (with Jack Murphy), 2014, ISBN 9780062356369
• The Finn Thriller series includes Steel Fear, Cold Fear, and Blind Fear. Webb sold the film and television rights to the global entertainment studio Wiip (https://wiip.com/)  in 2021.

Young Adult readers

• • Navy SEALs: Mission at the Caves (with Thea Feldman), 2018, ISBN 9781250114686

Interviews