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, known for adding his mental management curriculum to the program which produced some of America’s most legendary snipers.

Webb 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 a small town in the Rocky Mountains of Canada to a Canadian father and an American mother. His parents always dreamed of taking the family sailing and bought a 47′ ketch that the family sailed from Vancouver and eventually based in Ventura, California. His family lived aboard “Agio” 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 decided to take an extended year-long trip to 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.

He found a crew position on a catamaran sailing to Hilo, Hawaii then made his way back to California.  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.

He served with SEAL Team 3, Naval Special Warfare Group One Training Detachment sniper cell, and at the Naval Special Warfare Center as the 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.

Brandon has received numerous distinguished service awards, including Top Frog at Team 3 for best combat diver 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.

As a founder, Brandon crashed and burned his first start-up in 2009, then went on to create two brands: SOFREP Media (Now the Military Content Group “MCG”) and, Crate Club.

He bootstrapped Crate Club to eight-figure revenue and successfully exited in 2020. He continues to run MCG as its CEO and Editor-in-Chief and loves to write and give key note talks to groups about his life experience.

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

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.

He enjoys flying his Vans RV6 airplane and spending time with his tight circle of amazing family and friends. He currently resides between New York city and 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 diver during combat diver training with GOLF platoon.
• Meritoriously promoted to E6 as the #1 ranked E5 at NSWG1 Training Detachment in Coronado, CA
• Promoted to Chief Petty Officer his first time eligible at 29 years of age.

(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
• 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 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
• Benghazi: The Definitive Report (with Jack Murphy), 2014, ISBN 9780062356369
• The Finn Thriller series includes Steel Fear, Cold Fear, and Blind Fear. Webb and Mann sold the film and television rights to the global entertainment studio Wiip (https://wiip.com/)  in 2022.

Young Adult Category

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

Interviews