FOX News Channel (FNC) has hired former U.S. Navy SEAL Rob O’Neill as a contributor, announced Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO for the network. In this role, O’Neill will offer military expertise and analysis across various daytime and primetime programs. He was profiled in a FOX News documentary last year entitled, The Man Who Killed Usama Bin Laden.
In making the announcement, Ailes said, “Rob O’Neill is an American hero who dedicated his life to serving our country and protecting our freedoms. It’s incredibly rare to have someone in a television contributor role with his leadership experience and expertise at the fighting unit level. His military insight will be a major asset to the network and we are honored to have him.”
During his career in the Navy, O’Neill has served as a team leader within the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, also known as SEAL Team Six, and completed more than 400 different combat missions within four theaters of war. O’Neill was deployed more than a dozen times and led the military’s best individuals in many high-profile operations, including the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama and Operation Neptune’s Spear.
O’Neill, who is said to have fired the shots that killed Usama Bin Laden, is a highly-decorated combat veteran. He has received more than 52 military decorations, including two Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars with Valor, a Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor, three Presidential Unit citations and two Navy/Marine Corps Commendations with Valor.
Since being honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 2012, O’Neill has provided leadership advice and overseas experiences to various organizations across the country as both a speaker and consultant. Utilizing his SEAL training and knowledge of conflict situations, he has helped businesses create high-performing teams and cultivate effective management and risk assessment skills. Additionally, O’Neill remains committed to helping veterans and their families through his involvement with many military-focused charities.
FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as political and business news. A top five cable network, FNC has been the most-watched news channel in the country for more than 13 years and according to Public Policy Polling, is the most trusted television news source in the country. Owned by 21st Century Fox, FNC is available in more than 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.
