Countdown bin Laden
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Abbottabad raid decision matrix and, 175–76, 218
Abbottabad raid final briefings of, 230, 236–39
Abbottabad raid final decisions and authorization and, 214–19, 221, 222
Abbottabad raid final message of, 242
in Abbottabad raid meetings, 106, 109–10, 113, 120–23, 132–34, 136–38, 139–42, 191
Abbottabad raid mission plan of, 143, 146–50, 157, 194
Abbottabad raid postponed by, 224–25, 227–28
Abbottabad raid success and, 272–73, 276, 297
accident of, 109
accolades for, 290–91
in Afghanistan, 104, 109, 140
bin Laden wanted poster of, 321–22
bin Laden’s body identified by, 273–75, 292
cancer of, 110, 139
character and appearance of, 106, 109
early life of, 107
Faris and, 241–42
Hoosiers and, 238–39
MIT commencement address of, 320
Morell’s meeting with, 104–6, 113
Mullen and, 109–10
at Naval Postgraduate School, 108, 188
in Nevada for SEAL dress rehearsal, 185–91, 192
Obama and, 227–28, 291–92
in Operation Desert Shield, 108
Panetta and, 136
at Panetta’s meeting, 120–23
Phillips rescue directed by, 109
resignation of, 320
SEALs joined by, 107–8
at SEAL training site in North Carolina, 162, 164–65, 167
special operations expertise of, 108–9
special operations thesis and book of, 108, 188
Thompson and, 170–74
Middle East, 81, 310 Arab Spring in, 100, 101, 111, 112, 133, 134, 207, 302, 303
Mike (director of Counterterrorism Center), 2, 3, 22, 105 in Situation Room meeting, 82, 83
Miller, Christopher, 306
Miscik, Jami, 42–43
MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), 320
Mohammad Reza, Shah, 100–101
Mohammed, Khalid Sheikh (KSM), 5
Monterey, Calif. Naval Postgraduate School in, 108, 188
Panetta in, 91–94
Panetta Institute for Public Policy in, 54–55, 92, 311–12
Sardine Factory in, 94–95, 278
Morell, Irene, 39
Morell, Joseph, 39
Morell, Mary Beth, 40, 43, 240–41, 279–80
Morell, Michael, 2, 3, 5, 8, 22–24, 36–46, 37, 45, 78, 82, 82, 94, 103, 120, 124, 210, 218, 226, 301, 306, 312–13 Abbottabad compound information collected by, 37
Abbottabad raid operations and, 239–41, 248, 254
Abbottabad raid success and, 266, 276, 277, 279–81, 284–86
bin Laden tracked by, 36–37
Bush briefed on bin Laden raid by, 295–96
as Bush’s daily briefer, 42–44, 296
character and appearance of, 36
childhood of, 39
CIA joined by, 39–40
on decapitating a terrorist organization, 303–4
education of, 39, 40
marriage of, 40
McRaven’s meeting with, 104–6, 113
retirement of, 313
as Tenet’s executive assistant, 40–41, 296
Morocco, 112
Mubarak, Hosni, 100–102, 112, 227
Mueller, Robert, 128, 222–23
mujahideen, 41, 72, 303
Mullen, Michael, 94, 133, 144, 148, 181, 187, 194, 208, 209, 211, 220–22, 236 bin Laden raid success and, 267, 277–78, 281, 284, 285
bin Laden raid viewed by, 245, 250, 257–58
career of, 185–86
McRaven and, 109–10
at SEAL dress rehearsal, 185, 190–91
Murdoch, Rupert, 228
Mussolini, Benito, 108
Napolitano, Janet, 129, 223
Naseer, Abid, 303
National Counterterrorism Center, 20, 209, 235, 306
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), 120
National Security Council (NSC), 81, 127, 128, 208, 308 Principals Committee of, 127, 208
Navy SEALs, see SEALs
Netanyahu, Benjamin, 288
Nevada, dress rehearsals for bin Laden mission in, 167, 170, 181, 185–91, 192–94, 214, 291
New York Air National Guard, 26
New York City Police Department (NYPD) Dominguez in, 26, 27, 87
Ferenczy in, 25, 27, 28, 32–35, 88–89, 314
NGOs, 72
Nicholson, Marvin, 233, 245
Night Stalkers, 173, 174, 237, 246, 297
9/11 attacks, 3, 5, 13–14, 44, 68, 81, 166–67, 180, 242, 281–82, 289, 305, 322 Al Qaeda as perpetrators of, 3, 14, 45
Bush and, 3–4, 44, 45, 45, 249, 296
CIA’s warnings about bin Laden and Al Qaeda prior to, 43–44, 296
Dominguez’s death in, 26, 32–35, 88, 89, 199–200, 288
financial support for families of victims of, 33, 285
flag from, 3
Freedom Tower at Ground Zero site, 287
Ground Zero, 285, 287, 322
Morell’s tracking of, 36
nineteenth anniversary of, 306
ninth anniversary of, 18, 34
Pentagon in, 3, 44, 305
tenth anniversary of, 302
twentieth anniversary of, 306
9/11 Memorial and Museum, 322
Nobel Peace Prize, 63
No Easy Day (Owen), 317
North Carolina, SEAL training in, 149, 158–59, 162–69, 177–80, 181
Obama, Barack, 1, 7, 21, 61–64, 82, 128, 143, 160, 179, 181, 187, 201, 209, 216, 218, 220, 233, 276, 280, 312, 313, 320 2008 presidential campaign of, 19–20, 61, 63, 64
Abbottabad compound attack options and, 103, 105, 111, 113, 119–24, 129, 131
Abbottabad compound discovery revealed to, 9, 22–24, 36, 62, 69, 75
Abbottabad raid authorization from, 150, 157, 194, 195, 207–9, 213, 214–16, 218, 219, 221, 224
Abbottabad raid launch and, 245–46
Abbottabad raid dress rehearsal and, 191
in Abbottabad raid planning meetings, 80–85, 127, 132–38, 139, 140, 143–44, 146–50, 191, 192–94
in Abbottabad raid final discussions and deliberations, 207–13
Abbottabad raid success and, 267, 272, 273, 276–77
Abbottabad raid viewed by, in Situation Room, 250, 253, 258, 267
Afghanistan war and, 62
and aftermath of bin Laden mission, 290
Al Qaeda leadership targeted by, 303
antiterrorist actions of, 64
bin Laden and Al Qaeda as priority of, 19–21, 57, 59, 64, 68, 282
bin Laden body identification and, 273–75
bin Laden’s desire to assassinate, 302
birth of, 62
birth certificate controversy and, 201–2, 227, 229
Cairo and, 298
conspiracy theories about, 61
Davis incident and, 112
Democratic National Convention speech of, 62–63
drone strikes authorized by, 64
early life of, 62
elected president, 20, 63
health care program of, 143
Iraq war and, 19, 62, 304
law career of, 62
Libya and, 133, 143
midterm elections and, 61, 64
McRaven and, 227–28, 291–92
Morell sent to brief Bush on raid by, 295–96
Mullen and, 185
news conference of, 18–19
Nobel Peace Prize awarded to, 63
Oval Office of, 18, 20, 21
Panetta appointed director of CIA by, 54–55, 57, 68, 92
Panetta appointed secretary of defense by, 206–7
Panetta asked to bring military leaders into bin Laden case by, 105–6
and Panetta’s informing Congressional leaders about CIA’s bin Laden operations, 103, 130, 131
Panetta’s meetings with, 18, 20–22, 182
Panetta’s meetings with national security advisors of, 111
parents of, 62
perceived as dove, 19–20, 62
Petraeus appointed director of CIA by, 206, 207, 216
and political ramifications of bin Laden raid, 211–12, 250
Rasmussen on, 308
reelection of, 310
SEALs thanked by, 296–99
speech on bin Laden raid, 277–84, 283, 287, 289
voter disillusionment with, 61
war as viewed by, 19, 63–64
White House Correspondents’ Dinner attended by, 220, 222, 226–29, 233
Obama, Michelle, 228
Obamacare, 143
Office of Strategic Services, 66–67
Olson, Eric, 162, 185, 240
O’Neill, Amber, 15, 98, 197, 316, 317
O’Neill, Jessica, 317
O’Neill, Kelley, 15
O’Neill, Robert, 10–17, 14, 96–99, 151–55, 315 in Afghanistan, 10–11, 15, 96–99
in Afghanistan for bin Laden mission, 197–98, 203–5, 224–26
and aftermath of bin Laden mission, 288–89, 297, 299
on bin Laden mission, 241–45, 247, 249, 251, 253, 255–63, 267–70, 272, 274, 288–89, 300
bin Laden shot by, 263, 264, 268, 297, 315, 317
book written by, 317
character and appearance of, 10
charity created by, 317
childhood of, 11
divorce and remarriage of, 317
goodbye letters to family members written by, 226, 242
marriage of, 15
Maya and, 203–4, 225, 274
on mission against insurgents, 15–17
parents of, 11, 12, 16–17, 97, 242–43, 289, 294
prisoner exchange and, 97
in Phillips rescue, 151–54
return to U.S. following bin Laden mission, 294–95
SEALs joined by, 12–13
in SEAL management, 96
SEAL Team 6 joined by, 14–15
at SEAL training site in North Carolina, 162–64, 166–67, 177–80
Silver Star awarded to, 16–17
O’Neill, Tom, 11, 12, 242–43, 289, 294
Operation Desert Shield, 108
Operation Desert Storm, 173
Operation Eagle Claw (Iranian hostage crisis), 39, 94, 101, 137–38, 208–9, 211, 212, 215, 220, 237, 252
Operation Enduring Freedom, 4
Operation Neptune’s Spear, see Abbottabad compound, raid on
Operator, The (O’Neill), 317
opium, 72, 269
Oval Office, 18, 20, 21
Pakistan, 9, 15–17, 57, 70, 304 Abbottabad, see Abbottabad; Abbottabad compound; Abbottabad compound, raid on
Al Qaeda and, 72, 73, 85, 98
anti-American sentiment in, 145
bin Laden’s death relayed to, 277–78
counterterrorism cooperation with U.S., 73, 85, 135
Davis incident in, 112–14, 145, 182
India and, 135, 174, 246
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in, 70, 122, 136, 182, 292
Islamabad, 121
Khyber, 71–72
military infrastructure of, 174
Peshawar, 6
polio vaccination programs in, 72
Taliban and, 72, 73, 85, 98, 122, 135, 182, 211
U.S. drone strikes in, 145, 182
U.S. relations with, 145, 148–49, 182, 211, 215, 278
Pakistan-Afghanistan Department of the CIA Counterterrorism Center, 2, 59, 66, 67, 77, 158
Pakistan Military Academy, 73, 74, 121, 135, 136
Panama, 13
Panetta, Carmelo, 55, 91, 92
Panetta, Leon, 37, 54–60, 55, 60, 68, 82, 91–95, 100–103, 111–14, 160, 225, 309, 311–12, 320 Abbottabad compound and, 1, 7–9, 54, 68–69, 74–79, 91, 93, 160
Abbottabad raid operations and, 231, 234, 239–40, 246, 248, 254, 255, 258, 265, 266
in Abbottabad raid planning, 80–85, 119–24, 128–31, 132–34, 136–38, 144–46, 181–84, 192–93, 206–11, 218–22, 226
Abbottabad raid success and, 272, 276, 277, 281, 284–86
Afridi and, 315
and aftermath of bin Laden mission, 293
appointed CIA director, 54–55, 57, 68, 92
appointed defense secretary, 206–7, 293, 311
Balestreri and, 94–95, 278, 311
bin Laden plan of, 21, 282
Brennan’s meeting with, 111, 113, 114
Califano and, 56
career of, 7, 55–56
Cartwright’s meetings with, 111, 120
Catholic faith of, 93, 234, 240, 272
character and personality of, 7
CIA’s bin Laden hunt reorganized by, 58–59
command record written by, 219
Congress informed of CIA operations by, 93, 102–3, 129–31
at Counterterrorism Center meetings, 1–2
Davis incident and, 112–13, 182
Department of Defense leadership briefed by, 94
dog of, 54, 55, 59–60, 60, 92–93, 102, 111
Donilon’s meetings with, 111, 113, 114, 119–20
Forward Operating Base Chapman attack and, 57–59
Institute for Public Policy of, 54–55, 92, 311–12
al-Kuwaiti information and, 3, 5
McRaven and, 136
in Monterey, 91–94
Obama’s meetings with, 18, 20–22, 182
Obama’s pressure on, to find bin Laden, 21, 64
Obama’s request to bring military leaders into bin Laden case, 105–6
office of, 2–3
parents of, 55, 91, 92
Pasha and, 181–82, 278
reputation of, 56
retirement of, 311
sons of, 93
at White House Correspondents’ Dinner, 228–29
Panetta, Sylvia, 55–56, 91, 92, 95, 278, 311
Panetta Institute for Public Policy, 54–55, 92, 311–12
Pasha, Ahmad Shuja, 113, 181–82, 278
Patek, Umar, 113
Pawlenty, Tim, 227
Pearl Harbor attack, 66
Penn, Sean, 228
Pensacola, Fla., Al Qaeda–inspired attack in, 304
Pentagon building, 3, 44, 305
Peshawar, 6
Petraeus, David, 312 appointed CIA director, 206, 207, 216
bin Laden raid and, 216–17, 248–49
bin Laden’s desire to assassinate, 302
resignation of, 312
Phillips, Richard, 109, 151–54, 271–72
Play Misty for Me, 94
polio, 72
presidential elections of 2000, 42, 78
of 2008, 19–20, 61, 63, 64
of 2016, 310
of 2020, 310
President’s Daily Brief (PDB), 42–44
QRF (quick reaction force), 146–47, 218, 244
al-Rahman, Atiyah Abd, 301, 303
Rasmussen, Nick, 128, 130, 308
Reagan, Ronald, 101, 108
Republicans, 93–94, 102, 202
Rhodes, Ben, 277, 279, 280, 280
Rice, Susan, 223
Rogers, Mike, 102–3
Roosevelt, Franklin D., 66
Roth, Eric, 155
Rouse, Pete, 245
Rumsfeld, Donald, 43, 66
Saddam Hussein, 43, 81, 108, 210 weapons of mass destruction attributed to, 56, 81, 210
Sam (CIA expert on Al Qaeda), 2, 3, 22, 36, 59, 66–68, 77, 79, 105, 142, 157–59, 183, 204, 266, 276 and aftermath of bin Laden mission, 293
Panetta and, 77
in Situation Room meeting, 82, 83
at SEAL training site in North Carolina, 162, 166
Sardine Factory, 94–95, 278
Save the Children, 72
SEALs, 11, 16, 17, 104, 108 Chesney’s joining of, 50
McRaven’s joining of, 107–8
O’Neill’s joining of, 12–13
training of, 13
SEAL Team (TV series), 315
SEAL Team 6, 155, 162, 315–22 Chesney’s joining of, 51
deaths of members in attack on helicopter, 316
O’Neill’s joining of, 14–15
Phillips rescued by, 109, 151–54
SEAL Team 6, in bin Laden raid in aftermath of mission, 288–89
anonymity of soldiers in, 315
approach and entry to the house, 147, 177–79, 189, 251–63
briefing of, 158–59, 162–67
Cairo, 244–45, 253, 254, 256, 260–62, 267, 270, 271, 289
Chesney, 244–47, 251, 253–54, 256, 260–61, 267–68, 270–71, 289
decision to use, versus Green Berets, 139–40
dress rehearsals for, 167, 170, 181, 185–91, 192–94, 214, 291
exit and return to Afghanistan, 148–49, 266–73
full-size replica of compound created for training of, 149, 167–69, 177, 178
“Martyrs’ Brigade” team, 180, 225, 295
McRaven’s final briefings for, 230, 236–39
McRaven’s final message for, 242
nondisclosure forms and, 165
Obama’s thanking of, 296–99
O’Neill, 241–45, 247, 249, 251, 253, 255–63, 267–70, 272, 274, 288–89, 300
O’Neill’s shooting of bin Laden, 263, 264, 268, 297, 315, 317
Presidential Unit Citation awarded to, 297
return to U.S. following, 294–95
Silver Stars awarded to, 297
training in North Carolina for, 149, 158–59, 162–69, 177–80, 181
and women and children living in compound, 147–48, 258–59, 264–65, 267, 270, 308
see also Abbottabad compound, raid on
September 11 attacks, see 9/11 attacks
Situation Room, 20, 82, 82, 276 bin Laden raid success and, 276
bin Laden raid viewed in, 226, 235–36, 250, 252, 253, 257–58, 267
Smith, Rex, 140–42
Somalia, 304
Somali pirates, 109, 151–54, 271–72, 297
Souza, Pete, 250
Soviet Union, 67, 108 Afghanistan invaded by, 40, 41, 72, 304–5
Spielberg, Steven, 228–29