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Includes the making of Special Forces personnel--recruitment and training; a look at actual Special Forces Group deployment exercises; tools of the trade--weapons, communications and sensor equipment, and survival gear; roles and missions--a mini-novel illustrates probable scenarios of Special Forces intervention; an interview with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Special Forces Operations Command (USSOCOM) General Hugh Shelton.Tags
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Member Reviews
This is a very thorough description of a misunderstood function of the U.S. military. Clancy shares the history, the typical functions, and, especially, the people who have made it happen. He includes a "mini-novel" at the end to describe their role at its best and to convey why we need it. It changed my opinion, somewhat, that our deployment to so many nations isn't as bad as I thought, but it didn't convince me we need to be the world's policeman. At least the role of Special Forces in other nations appears to both promote an appropriate image of America and to keep this thinly spread force sharp at a very low incremental cost.
I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about the special forces: what they are, how they practise, where they are deployd. But the text in which these facts were presented was, like they say here, very, very dry. And that was the reason that I did not get past page 100. I usually give a book 100 pages. If it doesn't get me or annoys me, I leave it.
I left it with a sense of disappointmet, because I would have liked to learn some more about this part of the armed forces.
No rating for this book.
I left it with a sense of disappointmet, because I would have liked to learn some more about this part of the armed forces.
No rating for this book.
A Tom Clancy patriotic promotion to brief the public about us army special operations training and capacity. Useful but dated org charts and glossary. No index.
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Author Information

180+ Works 121,991 Members
Tom Clancy was born in Baltimore, Maryland on April 12, 1947. He graduated with a degree in English from Loyola College in 1969, became an insurance agent, and in 1973 became the owner of an insurance agency. It was not until 1980 that he started writing novels. His works include Red Storm Rising, The Cardinal of the Kremlin, The Sum of All Fears, show more Rainbow Six, Dead or Alive, and Threat Vector. His books The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger were adapted into major motion pictures. He also wrote nonfiction books including Into the Storm: A Study in Command, Submarine, Armored Cav, Fighter Wing, Airborne, and Reality Check: What's Going on Out There? He died on October 2, 2013 at the age of 66. His last book, Command Authority, co-authored with Mark Greaney, was published posthumously in December 2013 and made the New York Times bestseller list. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2001
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, History, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 356.1673 — Society, government, & culture Public administration & military science Foot forces and warfare Organization Special infantry troops Rangers, Commandos, Etc.
- LCC
- UA34 .S64 .C58 — Military Science Armies: Organization, distribution, military situation Armies: Organization, distribution, military situation By region or country
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 406
- Popularity
- 76,452
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.16)
- Languages
- 6 — Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 16
- ASINs
- 1




























































