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Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command Hardcover – September 1, 2015
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Sean Naylor
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Print length560 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherSt. Martin's Press
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Publication dateSeptember 1, 2015
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Dimensions6.45 x 1.74 x 9.4 inches
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ISBN-101250014549
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ISBN-13978-1250014542
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Naylor informs and provokes . . . . His interviews with inside sources endow the narrative with a wealth of information, and the book benefits from Mr. Naylor’s familiarity with the subject . . . . Naylor succeeds splendidly in showing how and why the Joint Special Operations Command evolved―and why it will remain a valuable weapon.” ―Wall Street Journal
"[An] explosive new history of American special operations." - The Washington Post
"A must-read book . . . A splendid ― and real ― adventure read." ―The Washington Times
“All the intrigue one would expect from the stories of America's most highly classified and secretive military units. . . . Relentless Strike is likely the best definitive history of how America's special operations community rose like a Phoenix from the ashes of the Desert One fiasco to become the most capable elite fighting force in the world.” ―Washington Monthly
“Naylor provides a step-by-step, mission-by-mission, behind-the-scenes account as special operations units under JSOC's umbrella, such as Delta Force and SEAL Team 6, along with its use of drone aircraft to monitor and attack terrorist targets, became better known than JSOC itself. Along the way, he offers numerous revelations.” ―Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
“A comprehensive new book about U.S. special operations . . . . well-sourced and researched.” ―Washington Examiner
“Fascinating…[Relentless Strike] might’ve sunk from the weight of its alphabet-agency acronyms in lesser hands. But Naylor, who spent 23 years covering military affairs at Army Times, often accompanying units into battle, sprinkles his 518 pages of heavily footnoted text with plenty of headline-worthy anecdotes. Naylor clearly admires the skill, tenacity and creativity of such troops. You’d think that the U.S. Special Operations Command…would quietly, if not publicly, appreciate the publication of this authoritative, largely admiring, history.” ―Newsweek
"Relentless Strike [is] the real thing. . . . You will be fascinated. . . . Naylor has an unusual problem for a writer: He knows too damn much." - Foreign Policy
“Naylor (Not a Good Day to Die), a journalist who specializes in covering special operations, has produced the most complete history to date of the most secret organization within the U.S. military: the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). Given the organization's super-secret status, much of Naylor's engrossing material was gleaned from hundreds of interviews with former members. . . . Naylor's powerful and informative history is essential to understanding America's evolving military capability and the on-going war against global terrorism.” ―Publishers Weekly
“A highly readable book that is part military history and part Tom Clancy novel, drawing the reader into tales of bravery and sacrifice on a sometimes unimaginable scale. . . . The history of America's most elite fighting force is told with panache and critical analysis, making this one of the must-read military history books of the year.” ―NY Journal of Books
“The deeply reported, richly sourced, heavily footnoted tome tells the story of the creation of the world’s most effective and lethal manhunting organization. . . . What makes Relentless Strike an indispensable history and a hell of a read is how Naylor uses his tremendous access to the community, a treasure of existing literature and documents on the subject, and superb insight to craft a book that informs and entertains.” ―Tampa Bay Tribune
“A superb piece of writing . . . . An exceptionally well written, lucid and comprehensive account as to the rise and supremacy of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) on today’s battlefields. . . . The book is extraordinary and is probably better and more detailed than that which would be produced by the several Command historians.” ―Foreign Policy
“Over the past quarter-century, Sean Naylor has become one of the country's foremost experts on special operations forces.” ―Military Times
“A smoothly penned and thoroughly researched account of an important military asset in the ongoing U.S. war against terrorism.” ―Library Journal
“A history of the Joint Special Operations Command, one of the most elite and little-understood pieces of the American military. While most people know about Delta Force and SEAL Team 6, few have heard of their umbrella group, JSOC. . . . Naylor delivers an unquestionably comprehensive history.” ―Kirkus Reviews
"Increasingly viewed as a 'must read' in the defense community" - Mark Safranski, Zenpundit.com
About the Author
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Product details
- Publisher : St. Martin's Press; First Ed edition (September 1, 2015)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 560 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250014549
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250014542
- Item Weight : 1.7 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.45 x 1.74 x 9.4 inches
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Best Sellers Rank:
#169,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #245 in Iraq War History (Books)
- #392 in Intelligence & Espionage History
- #1,789 in American Military History
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Mogadishu... no mention of Clinton's & Les Aspin's refusing "Heavy Armored vehicles" and & C-130's (Spookies) because they felt it was too much of a "show of strength" (Delta and Rangers RIP for still entering the Devil's Den)
I'm betting that "Able Danger" won't even be mentioned do to "Posse Comitatus" fears...
Plain Vanilla reporting.
"Killer Elite", "Triple Cross", "Kill Bin Laden" and any Marcinko book for the "real Story"
Mostly, there is a ton of info of why JSOC came into being after the 1990 Iran rescue failure, its hunt for Balkan war criminals and the ups and downs up to 2001 and gradual expansion ever since.
There is a lot about the organization chart of how was leading the JSOC, tons of names. Sometimes you get confused as new officers are mentioned for the first time. Or, and that is frequent, a unit's codename changes. Lots about the equipment they would use and the gradual evolution of their doctrine, especially to go after Zarqawi in Iraq in '06 (they're the ones who called in the airstrike). No, you don't see much sympathy for Zarqawi and the other butchers, but there is grudging recognition that they were pretty good at being evil terrorists, else they'd soon be dead.
For the weapon/gear geeks among us, there is plenty of red meat to chew on. From how they weaponized super small helicopters to spy trade craft to embed recon elements as civilians, to landing and insertion tactics.
And there are plenty of tactical combat descriptions, if that's what you're after. From the mission to kill Bin Laden to the tragic misfortune where SEAL 6's borrowed Chinook gets shot down a few weeks later.
Although the author clearly admires the very smart and dedicated people in JSOC, he does not, on occasion, spare them from criticism. Up to Abu Ghraib, some of the JSOC interrogations might have been, let's say, a bit unpleasant. And he makes it clear that it probably did happen and that it probably wasn't just "a few guys, off the books". Ditto when he mentions in passing how little influence the Special Forces - whose mission runs more into nation-building and bringing the locals on board, have on JSOC. The top brass's doctrine is all sticks, no carrots.
(speaking of what carrots can achieve: Hammerhead Six: How Green Berets Waged an Unconventional War Against the Taliban to Win in Afghanistan's Deadly Pech Valley )
His conclusion, which takes place around the time ISIS gets started, is that there are limits to the JSOC model. They can kill, but they are not meant to hold ground. Which is specifically something he mentions in regards to ISIS's quick 2014 capture of all the Iraqi cities JSOC fought so hard to clear insurgents from. He also states, without going into much detail, how the Taliban were for some reason way more resilient in taking JSOC's punches than Al-Quaeda in Iraq. They were getting ground down, but they weren't going away and the troops were frustrated at the lack of lasting effect.
He ends with a bit of frustration that successive administrations are using those troops to solve all problems - whether or not they're a good fit. To paraphrase:
"JSOC is an awesome hammer. So Presidents now see every problem as a nail".
The controversy comes when Naylor begins to name names. There are legitimate reasons the names of specific people and specific operations should be left out of the public view. Naylor could have told his fascinating story of some of what has been going on in shadows in the name of America without using so many current active duty and still living retired military members.
However, if the reader can set aside skittishness about the use of names they will find an absolutely fascinating story of one of the most effective US military units in recent history. I highly recommend this book.
Top reviews from other countries
Having read previous book by Sean Naylor regarding use of US troops in Afghanistan, this is a fine edition to add to knowledge of workings of US armed forces.
Das Buch ist grundsätzlich chronologisch konzipiert (Anfangsphase bis 9/11, Afghanistan-Invasion, Irak-Krieg und folgende Aufstandsbekämpfung und die Expansion zu einer globalen Agenda), beinhaltet aber je nach den einzelnen Kapiteln und Themenschwerpunkten doch immer wieder kleinere Zeitsprünge, die sich aber bei der Komplexität des Themas nicht vermeiden lassen. Die Darstellung ist jederzeit klar verständlich, schlüssig konzipiert und gut nachvollziehbar geschrieben.
Die geschilderten Einsätze reichen unter Anderem von Grenada, Panama und Somalia bis in den Irak, Libyen, Afghanistan, Pakistan und dem Jemen. Thematisiert werden Missionen zur Geiselbefreiung, Terrorismusbekämpfung, Aufstandsbekämpfung oder beispielsweise aber auch zur Verhinderung der Weiterverbreitung von Massenvernichtungswaffen.
Das Buch gibt aber neben den zahlreichen Missionen ebenso auch einen fundierten Einblick in die evolutionäre Entwicklung von JSCO (Stichwort: the machine und Stan McCrystal), dessen Organisationsstruktur, Befehlsstruktur und Befehlshaber, unterstellte Einheiten, Fähigkeiten, Technologien, Taktiken, Rivalitäten oder Kurskontroversen. Es werden aber auch Verfehlungen wie Gefangenenmisshandlung vor allem in den ersten Jahren nach 9/11 oder der Tod unschuldiger Zivilisten bei manchen Einsätzen offen angesprochen.
Das Buch stützt sich auf zahlreiche Interviews mit noch aktiven und ehemaligen Soldaten, die unter JSOC dienen/dienten, Büchern von ehemaligen Kommando-Soldaten und auch auf offiziellen Verlautbarungen von US-Stellen. Besonders interessant sind natürlich die Berichte und Einschätzungen der beteiligten Soldaten als unmittelbare Zeitzeugen.
Es liegt bei diesem Thema in der Natur der Sache, das Vieles der Geheimhaltung unterliegt und deshalb nicht oder nur teilweise oder unvollständig bekannt ist und auch das es zu verschiedenen Missionen widersprüchliche Schilderungen und Berichte gibt. Dies ist aber nicht dem Autor anzukreiden, sondern ist der Aktualität und der Brisanz des Themas geschuldet. Die umfangreiche Rechercheleistung des Autors ist gerade deshalb als sehr überzeugend zu werten, zumal sich viele Informationen auch beispielsweise mit anerkannten Fachblogs wie dem Long War Journal decken. Es gelingt ihm ein sehr umfassendes, belastbares und detailliertes Bild zur Thematik zu zeichnen.
Jeder, der sich für Themen wie Spezialeinheiten, Geheimdienste, 'Krieg gegen den Terror' und vor allem auch über das Geschehen hinter den Kulissen bei sehr vielen wichtigen weltpolitischen Kriegen und Konflikten interessiert, sollte unbedingt dieses Buch lesen. Es ist eine mehr als interessante, spannende und informative Lektüre.




