The US Special Forces: What Everyone Needs to Know®
- ISBN-10
- 0199354308
- ISBN-13
- 9780199354306
- Category
- Political Science
- Pages
- 240
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2015-05-05
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Author
- John Prados
Description
The assassination of Osama bin Laden by SEAL Team 6 in May 2011 will certainly figure among the greatest achievements of US Special Forces. After nearly ten years of searching, they descended into his Pakistan compound in the middle of the night, killed him, and secreted the body back into Afghanistan. Interest in these forces had always been high, but it spiked to new levels following this success. There was a larger lesson here too. For serious jobs, the president invariably turns to the US Special Forces: the SEALs, Delta Force, the Green Berets, and the USAF's Special Tactics squad. Given that secretive grab-and-snatch operations in remote locales characterize contemporary warfare as much as traditional firefights, the Special Forces now fill a central role in American military strategy and tactics. Not surprisingly, the daring and secretive nature of these commando operations has generated a great deal of interest. The American public has an overwhelmingly favorable view of the forces, and nations around the world recognize them as the most capable fighting units: the tip of the American spear, so to speak. But how much do we know about them? What are their origins? What function do they fill in the larger military structure? Who can become a member? What do trainees have to go through? What sort of missions do Special Forces perform, and what are they expected to accomplish? Despite their importance, much of what they do remains a mystery because their operations are clandestine and the sources elusive. In The US Special Forces: What Everyone Needs to Know, eminent scholar John Prados brings his deep expertise to the subject and provides a pithy primer on the various components of America's special forces. The US military has long employed Special Forces in some form or another, but it was in the Cold War when they assumed their present form, and in Vietnam where they achieved critical mass. Interestingly, the Special Forces suffered a rapid decline in numbers after that conflict despite the fact that the United States had already identified terrorism as a growing security threat. The revival of Special Forces began under the Reagan administration. After 9/11 they experienced explosive growth, and are now integral to all US military missions. Prados traces how this happened and examines the various roles the Special Forces now play. They have taken over many functions of the regular military, a trend that Prados does not expect will end any time soon. This will be a definitive primer on the elite units in the most powerful military the world has ever known.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2015-05-05
- 240 pages
- Ebook
- Oxford University Press
Similar books
-
America's Special Forces
By David BohrerPulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Bohret traveled with each team as they trained in remote corners of the globe. Each Special Force has chapters devoted to their history, weapons and special equipment, and training procedures.
-
U.s. Special Forces: A Guide To America's Special Operations Units -- The World's Most Elite Fighting Force
By Samuel A. SouthworthU.S. Special Forces provides a handy and comprehensive compendium, including descriptions of the units and their operational specialties, training, and organization, as well as the equipment and technological gadgetry, weapons, armor, ...
-
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the U.S. Special Ops Forces
By Marc CerasiniA 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.
-
Beyond Hell and Back: How America's Special Operations Forces Became the World's Greatest Fighting Unit
By Dwight Jon Zimmerman, John D. GreshamCarney also took soil samples so that experts back in the States could evaluate the suitability of the ground for C130 landings and takeoffs. At one point duringthe night, a pair of approaching headlights appeared in the distance.
-
Oppose Any Foe: The Rise of America's Special Operations Forces
By Mark MoyarAt noon on the 27th, the Pentagon notified Admiral Metcalf's headquarters that the barracks had to be taken before dark. According to intelligence reports, the barracks served as the nerve center of the Cuban military forces on the ...
-
US Special Ops: The History, Weapons, and Missions of Elite Military Forces
By Fred PushiesIn 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.
-
Special Forces: A Guided Tour of U.S. Army Special Forces
By Tom Clancy, John GreshamAt the time some observers considered this an unusual move, given the credentials of your predecessors, General Carl Stiner and General Wayne Downing. Both had been longtime SOF professionals, while your career had followed a more ...
-
United States Special Operations Forces
By David Tucker, Christopher J. LambIn this book, two national-security experts put the exploits of America’s special operation forces in historical and strategic context.
-
U. S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress
By Andrew FeickertContents: (1) Background: Command Structures and Components; Special Operations Forces in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, and Joint; NATO Special Operations; (2) Current Organizational and Budgetary Issues: 2010 Quadrennial Defense ...
-
US Army Special Forces 1952–84
By Gordon L. RottmanThis volume also contains 12 full page colour plates by one of the world's most respected military artists, Ron Volstad.