Lou Bremer, a former Navy SEAL who bragged about his affinity for alcohol is reportedly a candidate for the top civilian post overseeing special operations forces. The U.S. Department of Defense will reportedly recommend Bremer for that assignment. His official position should be to serve as assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict.
Lou Bremer, who spent eight-year as a Navy SEAL, has become known for his statements where he bragged about his tequila drinking. Today, he is the leading contender to be the assistant secretary of defense for special operations, Politico reported.
Close ties to Donald Trump
Former Navy SEAL Lou Bremer – turned investment banker – is currently employed as a private equity investor with alleged ties to the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump through his billionaire boss Stephen Feinberg, according to Politico.
Lou Bremer is currently a managing director at Cerberus Capital Management — a private equity company whose founder, Stephen Feinberg, has close ties to the Trump administration and was once considered for a high-up job in the intelligence community. Bremer also sits on the board of directors of Tier 1 Group, an Arkansas-based special operations training company that is owned by Cerberus.
Tier 1 Group
Tier 1 Group formally known as Aggressive Training Solutions is a private company located in Crawfordsville AR founded by retired Marine Steve Reichert. Tier 1 Group provides military training in and outside the United States, as well as civilian tactical medicine, military medicine and law enforcement training.
Tier 1 Group is owned and funded by Cerberus Capital Management which also owns Remington Arms, Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC, Inc., and DPMS Panther Arms among other companies. Tier 1 Group was formed sometime around 2005.
Vice issues: Harley riding, Tequila-drinking Navy SEAL
The Pentagon’s recommendation rumors of Lou Bremer, who allegedly had issues with drinking, came amid an ongoing campaign by Navy officials to fight rising problems of alcohol, drugs, and sexual misconduct in the elite special operations forces of the U.S. military. In an unprecedented move last week in the U.S. Navy’s history, officials fired three high-level leaders of the elite Navy SEAL Team 7 in an effort to bring ”back to basics” discipline and ”correct the drift”.
In a now-deleted Instagram account, Lou Bremer described himself as a “Harley riding, tequila-drinking Navy SEAL and White House Fellow who buys companies on occasion.”
According to a Navy statement, Rear Adm. Collin Green, the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, dismissed Cmdr. Edward Mason, the team’s commander; Lt. Cmdr. Luke Im, its executive officer; and Command Master Chief Hugh Spangler, the unit’s senior enlisted leader over problems with leadership in the Navy SEAL Team 7 ranks.
One individual has already turned down the position, which is likely to be considered a challenging role in the midst of many special operations-related scandals.
“Anybody who comes into that position has got a difficult task ahead of them,” said Dick Couch, a retired SEAL. “There are deep-seated cultural issues that have to be addressed.”
The move comes after top U.S. defense officials in July ordered a Navy SEAL unit in Iraq to return home after an investigation showed they had been consuming alcohol while on deployment.
SEAL community scandals
The elite Navy SEALs, reportedly a tight-knit, secretive community, have been shaken by scandals of drug and substance abuse, suicides, and worse, homicides and war crimes. Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Gallagher was charged with various serious charges including murder, attempted murder, and other war crimes in Mosul, Iraq.
That also included stabbing to death a wounded Daesh prisoner of war. Gallagher was a member of Alpha Platoon of Navy SEAL Team 7. He was released from custody earlier this year after a panel of Marine officers in California acquitted him.
