Spec Ops

Spec Ops
Author: William H. McRaven
Publisher: Presidio Press
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2009-02-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 030754723X

Vice Adm. William H. McRaven helped to devise the strategy for how to bring down Osama bin Laden, and commanded the courageous U.S. military unit that carried it out on May 1, 2011, ending one of the greatest manhunts in history. In Spec Ops, a well-organized and deeply researched study, McRaven analyzes eight classic special operations. Six are from WWII: the German commando raid on the Belgian fort Eben Emael (1940); the Italian torpedo attack on the Alexandria harbor (1941); the British commando raid on Nazaire, France (1942); the German glider rescue of Benito Mussolini (1943); the British midget-submarine attack on the Tirpitz (1943); and the U.S. Ranger rescue mission at the Cabanatuan POW camp in the Philippines (1945). The two post-WWII examples are the U.S. Army raid on the Son Tay POW camp in North Vietnam (1970) and the Israeli rescue of the skyjacked hostages in Entebbe, Uganda (1976). McRaven—who commands a U.S. Navy SEAL team—pinpoints six essential principles of “spec ops” success: simplicity, security, repetition, surprise, speed and purpose. For each of the case studies, he provides political and military context, a meticulous reconstruction of the mission itself and an analysis of the operation in relation to his six principles. McRaven deems the Son Tay raid “the best modern example of a successful spec op [which] should be considered textbook material for future missions.” His own book is an instructive textbook that will be closely studied by students of the military arts. Maps, photos.

US Special Ops

US Special Ops
Author: Fred Pushies
Publisher: Voyageur Press
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2016-07-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0760351538

It's the inside scoop on US military special operations. From weapons, gear, missions, and commandos, learn every military secret from the eighteenth century to today. Few aspects of the US military pique people's interest more than special ops. Due to the clandestine nature of their missions, weapons, and gear, these elite fighting forces are cloaked in an aura of intrigue that has only ratcheted upward with the expanded roles they have assumed in today's world, not to mention their recent and frequent appearances in film, books, and other mass media. In US Special Ops, longtime military author and special-ops expert Fred Pushies takes on the entire scope of America's elite fighting forces, beginning with their earliest days. Pushies profiles hundreds of weapons, gear, vehicles, missions, and commandos, from eighteenth-century fighters like Francis Marion right up through the most advanced capabilities of today's Green Berets, Rangers, SEALs, Marine Force Recon, US Air Force combat controllers, CIA Special Activities Division, and more - well over 350 entries in all. From the tomahawks used by Rogers's Rangers to special-ops legends like Col. Aaron Bank to Operation Neptune Spear and beyond, US Special Ops is a comprehensive, informative, and unique survey of all aspects of US special operations, past and present.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the U.S. Special Ops Forces

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the U.S. Special Ops Forces
Author: Marc Cerasini
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 342
Release: 2002
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780028643731

A guide to the face of modern US warfare in the 21st century. The US Special Operations Forces will be at the forefront of every battle that the US will wage against the war on terrorism.

U.S. Army Special Operations Forces

U.S. Army Special Operations Forces
Author: Jeremy Roberts
Publisher: Lerner Publications
Total Pages: 44
Release: 2004-10-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780822516460

The U.S. Army Special Operations Command are elite groups in the army that engage in unconventional warfare. Rather than fighting an enemy face to face on a battlefield, they are generally involved in hostage rescue missions, scouting missions, manhunts and other highly dangerous activities. This book talks about some of these groups; the Rangers, Green Berets, Delta Force and SOAR, to name a few. These groups are formed of highly trained individuals. It's not easy to become a member of the Special Ops. Learn more about the training, recruitment and lives of these unique soldiers.

Special Ops

Special Ops
Author: Orr Kelly
Publisher: Open Road Media
Total Pages: 827
Release: 2017-08-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 1504047451

Four military histories from a writer “whose fine work should be of great interest . . . both to casual readers and to uniformed students of special ops” (Publishers Weekly). An expert in military affairs, Orr Kelly reveals the cutting-edge technology and jaw-dropping courage of the US military’s elite forces on land, sea, and air. Brave Men, Dark Waters: Originating in World War II as Underwater Demolition Teams, the Navy SEALs are the best of the best in the armed forces—known for their toughness and fearlessness, and their remarkable ability to get the job—any job—done. Facing America’s enemies across the globe, these modern warriors were the first to enter the fight in Vietnam, Panama, Grenada, and Iraq. Brave Men, Dark Waters is “the most complete in-depth study of this fabled elite unit” (Library Journal). Never Fight Fair!: Here, in their own words, are the true accounts of the US Navy SEALs—from their formation in World War II to the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of Iraq. In this riveting oral history, these brave men speak openly about their training and their missions, offering the uncensored, inspiring, and sometimes shocking truth about their combat triumphs and their rare but devastating failures. Hornet: Born in 1978, the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet has forever changed the way America’s wars are fought. This is the fascinating true story of the controversial development and deployment of the state-of-the-art supersonic fighter and attack aircraft with a top speed of more than one thousand miles per hour. Kelly details how Hornet came to be, how it was nearly doomed by an unprecedented political battle, and how it has served ably in combat from its first mission in Libya to Operation Desert Storm and well beyond. From a Dark Sky: Very little is known about US Air Force Special Operations—yet their exploits have been as daring and their achievements as remarkable as anything accomplished by their brother warriors. Since World War II, these ultrasecretive air commandos have routinely performed the nearly impossible, from providing air support for partisans in Nazi-occupied France to participating in clandestine CIA operations in Vietnam and Cambodia to secretly inserting covert operatives into North Korea. From a Dark Sky is “a well-conceived and well-executed, well-deserved tribute to an uncommonly fine body of American warriors” (Booklist).

One Hundred Victories

One Hundred Victories
Author: Linda Robinson
Publisher: Public Affairs
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2013-10-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 1610391497

An acclaimed military expert describes the evolution of the military's special ops division through studying the elite group in Afghanistan with unprecedented access to mountain compounds, secret missions, troops and commanders.

U.S. Army Special Operations

U.S. Army Special Operations
Author: Michael Green
Publisher: Capstone
Total Pages: 114
Release: 2000
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780736804714

Presents the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, including the various sub-groups, their history, missions, training, and equipment.