Navy SEAL who killed bin Laden says military needs to be ‘ferocious, not fabulous’

The retired Navy SEAL who claimed to have killed Osama bin Laden has criticized a Navy recruiting strategy involving an active drag queen ambassador.

Rob O’Neill, 47, said Monday at Varney & Co. on Fox Business Network that the US military should be “ferocious, not fantastic.”

The Navy is in the midst of somewhat of a recruiting crisis and is expected to fall 8,000 short of meeting its recruiting targets for the year.

It has come under scrutiny for its attempts to rectify that and a campaign that first launched in November featuring a drag queen influencer, Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, who goes by the stage name Harpy Daniels.

It comes as Kelley said last week in response to much of the negative attention he’s drawn for the campaign: “Haters only hate when you win.”

Rob O’Neill, 47, said the US military should be ‘ruthless, not fantastic’

Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, who goes by the stage name Harpy Daniels, has caused a stir by posting drag videos on TikTok

“This isn’t going to drive recruitment, this is going to do the opposite,” O’Neill said when asked if he thought the Navy’s digital ambassador program would be effective.

“We don’t go into the military to express ourselves,” O’Neill added.

“All we have in common is that we are all afraid of having our heads shaved, then we are part of a team, and our job as an army is alliance, solidarity, forward defense and deterrence. And a deterrent is a way to avoid conflict by using force.”

Kelley was tasked with marking her journey from performing on board starting in 2018 and becoming an “advocate” for those who were “oppressed in the service for years.”

The program he was a part of ran from October 2022 to March 2023 and was designed to “explore the digital environment to reach a wide range of potential candidates” for military recruiting.

O’Neill said during his appearance on Monday evening that more traditional aspects of the military should be emphasized.

“I’m all for freedom, you do what you want behind closed doors, you have your own time, but we need submarines with nuclear capability, aircraft carriers, men and women who fly jets, and the best infantry in the world, that’s the United States Marine Corps,” he said.

“I talk to thousands of people in person every week, and we have very good young men and women who still want to join,” said O’Neill.

“I always tell them, if you can do something, get into the academy and fly something, because that’s still cool. I don’t care who you are.’

During the campaign, Kelley (pictured) was one of five digital ambassadors. Kelley has a large following on TikTok, where he has been sharing videos of drag performances aboard naval vessels for years

A Navy spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the digital ambassador program was a pilot that ended in March 2023.

“They should be get up in the morning, go to training, go to the shooting range, learn your tactics, practice them, and then go back to the shooting range. And now they’re bringing out all that useless stuff,” O’Neill said.

In a TikTok video released last week by the Harpy Daniels account, Kelley posted a tweet responding to his content, in which conservative podcaster Graham Allen wrote, “This isn’t the same army I served under… Our enemies LAUGH at us.’

The video showed supportive comments that read “LGBTQ+ people can serve” and “LOUD & PROUD.”

“Haters only hate when you win,” Kelley wrote in the caption to the TikTok post.

“LGBTQ+ people could never serve open because of DADT [Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell]. Now that we can, you can see who the homophobia is [sic] and are transphobic people.’

While the campaign was running, Kelley was one of five digital ambassadors. Kelley has a large following on TikTok, where he has been sharing videos of drag performances aboard naval vessels for years.

In a post over the weekend, he thanked his followers and asked them to support the four other ambassadors as well.

“Please also give the same respect and support to the other four outstanding sailors who also did the Naval Ambassador Pilot,” he said.

“In the Navy, everyone has the ability to lead and make a difference, regardless of rank, race, gender, sexual orientation or background. We are all fighting for the same mission and goals to be a stronger and better navy,” Kelley wrote in the caption.