Leif Babin on U.S. Military Strategy to Defeat ISIS

BIO: Leif Babin, Lieutenant Commander, US Navy Reserve

Leif Babin, co-founder of the leadership firm Echelon Front LLC, is a highly decorated former U.S. Navy SEAL officer and combat veteran who applies leadership lessons from the battlefield to building high-performance, winning teams in any industry.

As a SEAL Platoon Commander during a historic combat deployment to Ar Ramadi, Iraq in 2006, he led some of the heaviest, sustained urban combat operations in the history of the SEAL Teams. He and his SEAL task unit played a crucial role in the U.S. Army 1st Armored Division “Read First” Brigade’s victorious campaign now known as “The Battle of Ramadi,” which helped to changed the course of the war in Iraq. Leif’s task unit became the most highly decorated special operations unit of the Iraq war.

Leif then served for two years as the primary leadership instructor for all SEAL Officers graduating from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training where he reshaped SEAL leadership instruction based on his combat experience. His guidance and mentorship prepared the next generation of SEAL leaders to meet the challenges of the most difficult battlefields across the globe with extraordinary success. 

As Operations Officer for a SEAL Team, Leif led a 500-personnel Naval Special Warfare Squadron through a rigorous 12-month training cycle and combat deployment to multiple locations on three continents. Within this capacity, Leif served as Operations Officer for a Special Operations Task Force in Iraq and directed a highly successful campaign that targeted al-Qaeda linked terrorist networks. In 2009, he again deployed to Ar Ramadi, Iraq where he witnessed the miraculous changes in peace and security that his SEAL Task Unit helped bring about with the “Ready First” Brigade of the 1st Armored Division three years before. Leif was then promoted to Executive Officer, second in command of a SEAL Team.

In 2011, Leif left active duty to found Echelon Front LLC, a consulting firm specializing in leadership training, high-performance team building and crisis management that applies the principles crucial in the success of the SEAL teams to the business world. Clients include companies in private equity finance, banking, retail, insurance, gas and oil, real estate, pharmaceutical and construction industries.   

Leif is frequently invited to speak on U.S. military strategy and foreign policy matters. His editorials have been published in the Wall Street Journal and National Review and he has appeared on a variety of national television news and radio programs.  Leif is a National Security Fellow for the Foundation of the Defense of Democracies, a Washington D.C.-based think tank focused on national security and foreign policy. Additionally, Leif serves on the board of directors for The Little Warriors Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the children of fallen and severely wounded U.S. Navy SEALs. He remains a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

His military decorations include the Silver Star Medal, our nation’s third highest combat decoration, two Bronze Star Medals (one with combat “V” for leadership under fire), and the Purple Heart Medal for wounds received in combat. Leif has numerous Navy Commendation Medals and Navy Achievement Medals in addition to other awards and ribbons.