Military History

What are the core elements that allow top performers to achieve success repeatedly?

One clear, positive thought can set a goal in bedrock or trigger peak performance.

Study three easy fundamentals and make them a habit, and you have a recipe for sustained success no matter what hurdles life throws at you.

This is a story of a small boy, scared and alone in the world, who ran away from home at 16, overcame numerous hostile environments to pursue his dream to become a Navy SEAL, and eventually became the naval special warfare sniper course manager (head) instructor. The lessons learned along the way were powerful.

When I was part of the sniper instructor cadre, we studied the habits of champions and top performers. Then we applied them to our course curriculum and students. The results were incredible and undeniable.

The power of thought works.

From New York Times best-selling author and former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb comes a simple yet powerful five-step guide to transforming your life by making your fears work for you instead of against you.

Brandon Webb has run life-threatening missions in the world’s worst trouble spots, whether that meant jumping out of airplanes, taking down hostile ships on the open sea, or rolling prisoners in the dead of night in the mountains of Afghanistan. As a Navy SEAL, he learned how to manage the natural impulse to panic in the face of terrifying situations. As media CEO and national television commentator, he has learned how to apply those same skills in civilian life.

Drawing on his experiences in combat and business, along with colorful anecdotes from his vast network of super-achiever friends, from astronauts to billionaires, Webb shows how people from all walks of life can stretch and transcend their boundaries and learn to use their fears as fuel to achieve more than they ever thought possible. “Fear can be a set of manacles, holding you prisoner”, writes Webb. “Or it can be a slingshot, catapulting you on to greatness.”

The key, says Webb, is not to fight fear or try to beat it back, but to embrace and harness it. In the process, rather than being your adversary, your fear becomes a secret weapon that allows you to triumph in even the most adverse situations. In Mastering Fear, Webb and his best-selling coauthor, John David Mann, break this transformation down into five practical steps, creating a must-listen manual for anyone looking for greater courage and mastery in their lives.

The sniper is a battlefield threat second to none. Mastering the art of marksmanship is critical but is only part of what makes a Navy SEAL sniper. Snipers must be able to apply the craft in an urban environment or alone on a hostile mountain top with equal effectiveness. Today’s sniper must not just leverage technological advances but also have the foreknowledge to select the best rifle and gear for the mission. Increasingly, he must have the mental toughness to adapt to a constantly changing environment, gather intelligence, and truly act as a force multiplier.

In this comprehensive look through the eyes of former Navy SEAL sniper instructor Brandon Webb and fellow Navy SEAL snipers Chris Kyle and Glen Doherty, the authors reveal not just the fundamentals of marksmanship but also the science of shooting, stalking, and camouflage and how technological advances have changed the training and increased the effectiveness of the modern sniper. Including maritime, helicopter, and urban sniper operations, this updated edition also goes into detail on the latest research, development, testing, and evaluation of weapons and optics. From the basics like compensating for wind and bullet drop, to camouflage and placing yourself or your team in the best position to take a photo or pull a trigger, Webb and Doherty cover the critical elements that comprise the twenty-first century sniper.

BEFORE HE COULD FORGE A BAND OF ELITE WARRIORS… HE HAD TO BECOME ONE HIMSELF.

Adapted from Webb’s Adult Bestseller The Red Circle for a Young Adult Audience

Brandon Webb’s experiences in the world’s most elite sniper corps are the stuff of legend. From his grueling years of training in Naval Special Operations to his combat tours in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan, The Making of a Navy SEAL provides a rare and riveting look at the inner workings of the U.S. military through the eyes of a covert operations specialist.

Yet it is Webb’s distinguished second career as a lead instructor for the shadowy “sniper cell” and Course Manager of the Navy SEAL Sniper Program that trained some of America’s finest and deadliest warriors-including Marcus Luttrell and Chris Kyle-that makes his story so compelling. Luttrell credits Webb’s training with his own survival during the ill-fated 2005 Operation Redwing in Afghanistan. Kyle went on to become the U.S. military’s top marksman, with more than 150 confirmed kills.

From a candid chronicle of his student days, going through the sniper course himself, to his hair-raising close calls with Taliban and al Qaeda forces in the northern Afghanistan wilderness, to his vivid account of designing new sniper standards and training some of the most accomplished snipers of the twenty-first century, Webb provides a rare look at the making of the Special Operations warriors who are at the forefront of today’s military.

Explosive, revealing, and intelligent, The Making of a Navy SEAL provides a uniquely personal glimpse into one of the most challenging and secretive military training courses in the world.