Inside CentCom: The Unvarnished Truth About The Wars In Afghanistan And Iraq [Hardcover]

Michael DeLong (Author), Noah Lukeman (Author), Tony Zinni (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

General Mike DeLong deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars was second only to General Tommy Franks in the war on terror. At the centre of discussions between President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and Tommy Franks, General DeLong offers the frankest and most authoritative look inside the wars-how the US prepared for battle, how they fought, how two regimes were loppled-and what's happening now. Shows where Bob Woodward, Richard Clarke and others got it wrong. Reveals disagreements between Franks, Rumsfeld, DeLong and Wolfwitz

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Only two men on earth have the insider knowledge about what really happened at the highest levels of our government and military from September 11, 2001, through the fall of Saddam Hussein's notorious dictatorship in Iraq.

One of these men is Army General Tommy Franks. The other is Marine Corps General Mike "Rifle" DeLong, Franks's deputy.

General DeLong was Donald Rumsfeld's "answer man" during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He assembled and held together the international coalitions for the War on Terror and the war against Saddam Hussein. And while Franks was in the field, former Marine combat pilot DeLong ran CentCom, the nerve center of both wars.

In Inside CentCom, you'll learn what only insiders have known up to now:

* How President Bush had a chance to take out Saddam and his sons before the war-and why he chose not to
* How the idea of invading Iraq came up as early as September 11, 2001
* The likely hiding place of Saddam's weapons of mass destruction-yes, they do exist
* Al-Qaeda and Saddam: why CentCom believes they are co-conspirators
* Why CentCom knew in advance that the United Nations would never approve military action against Iraq-and why the war was justified
* Why chaos in Iraq was greater than predicted-and the mistakes that contributed to it
* The failure of Ahmad Chalabi's alleged Iraqi "freedom fighters" as American allies

Inside CentCom takes you inside the center of American defense intelligence and war planning for the greater Middle East. You'll go behind the scenes on the stealth operations leading up to the Afghan and Iraq wars, and then read the after-action report from today's Iraq. This is an unmissable book about the wars we have already won-the first steps in winning the War on Terror.

From the Back Cover

"Mike 'Rifle' DeLong was the best deputy commander I could have imagined. Seasoned in Vietnam as a young helicopter pilot, he never forgot the lessons of war: loyalty, focus, commitment to mission and the troops. Rifle was 'Joint' to the core. He had the respect of all who served with him. A manager and a leader of the highest caliber, I am proud to call him a friend."
-General Tommy H. Franks, former commander of CentCom

"General DeLong did an outstanding job on General Tommy Franks's behalf in dealing with Secretary Rumsfeld, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers, and President Bush himself. General DeLong was also the 'go-to' guy for the sixty-plus countries that participated in the Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns. This is truly an insider's view of these history-making events."
-General Joseph Hoar, USMC (retired), former commander of CentCom

"General Tommy Franks and General Mike DeLong were masters at war fighting, managing the sensitive relationships in the region, and holding together the complex coalition put in place to deal with the significant threats that faced us. General DeLong was the unsung hero of these efforts. His savvy, intellect, common sense, professional competence, and honesty come through in this book, and give us a rare insight into critical events that have shaped our course at the beginning of this troubled century."
-General Tony Zinni, USMC (retired), former commander of CentCom

"I can't think of a finer Marine or a finer person who serves anywhere in this armed forces."
-General John Abizaid, current commander of CentCom

"From the point of the bayonet to the crisis of the conference room, General DeLong has spent a lifetime serving his country in war and peace, in combat and in preparation. His experience from Mogadishu to Tampa, from fighting terrorists to dealing with Washington (maybe even more terrifying for a military man) gives him a unique vantage point from which to help his fellow Americans understand the world they live in and the challenges they face."
-Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 222 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing; 1st edition (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895260204
• ISBN-13: 978-0895260208
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #611,205 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An insider's look at the battles for Afghanistan and Iraq, September 9, 2004

By 

Dan J (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside CentCom: The Unvarnished Truth About The Wars In Afghanistan And Iraq (Hardcover)

Coming out shortly after the release of Tommy Frank's new book, American Soldier, Inside CentCom is written by the only other man not in the military that knows what really went on during the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, former deputy commander of CentCom, Lt. General Micheal "Rifle" DeLong.

General DeLong sets out in his book to tell nothing but the truth about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq unlike so many other books coming out today that so clearly have agendas. DeLong describes in great detail special operations missions that helped bring down the Taliban in Afghanistan, including the Northern Alliance's assault on Mazar-e-Sharif. He describes the coalitions lightning advance towards Baghdad in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the joint warfare that made that campaign so successful.

He also has many new revelations in this book. I won't go into them as they are all mentioned in the editorial review and are described in greater detail in the book. Buy and read this book right after reading "American Soldier" to give yourself a much understanding of the battles in the War on Terror we have already won and what we still face.

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read.. Gripping, A Unique Inside Look, September 22, 2004

By 

Anthony (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside CentCom: The Unvarnished Truth About The Wars In Afghanistan And Iraq (Hardcover)

"Rifle" Delongs command as written with Noah Lukeman provides readers with a powerful story of what went on behind the scenes of the wars. This non-fiction book read's like a best selling Tom Clancy novel. It places the reader right in the middle of the action that the news channels never broadcasted, much less knew about. Any objective reader without an agenda will find this book both intriguing and valuable.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you, September 20, 2004

By 

Xavia Publishing "XP Angela" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside CentCom: The Unvarnished Truth About The Wars In Afghanistan And Iraq (Hardcover)

Thank you for writing a book that speaks straight out to the American people. No matter their class, history, background or standing in life this book is meant for us.

At times it seems that the media is set out to create different kinds of mindsets for the different classes of people that America holds. Thank you for including everyone and for me personally, showing that in Iraq there are those who will work with the U.S. and the Coalition, and those who will fight and die for their own freedom and all that it encompasses.