Grey Wars: A Contemporary History of U.S. Special Operations

Description

WAR ON THE ROCKS SELECTED BOOK: GREY WARS (YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS) RECIPIENT OF YALE UNIVERSITY'S TURNER AND STERN PUBLICATION AWARDS "Fascinating and deeply researched, covering the defining moments in modern special operations; Grey Wars is a must-read for anyone interested in the post 9/11 world." —Admiral William H. McRaven, USN (ret.), Ninth Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command and past chancellor of the University of Texas . "An extraordinary look into the forces who carried one of the heaviest loads in our post 9-11 conflicts. N. W. Collins not only highly captures their past contributions but helps us understand why the culture and skills they possess will be essential going forward. Great reading for everyone who strives to understand unconventional security challenges." —General (ret.) Joseph L. Votel, Former Commander of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command; senior fellow of Harvard University and West Point An analysis of U.S. Special Operations, at the center of America's twenty-first-century wars . This original and accessible book is a comprehensive, authoritative analysis of U.S. Special Operations. U.S. Special Operations Command trains and equips units to undertake select military activities, frequently high-risk missions, often for the purposes of counterterrorism and counterinsurgency. Since 9/11, impelled by an attack on U.S. soil, these forces have been a central instrument of America's military campaign—operating in about one hundred countries on any given day. This fight—neither hot war nor cold peace—was launched and executed as a new type of global war in 2001 and has since splintered into a spectrum of regional conflicts. The result is our nation's grey wars: hazy and lethal. This contemporary history, incorporating extensive interviews and archival research by security studies expert N. W. Collins, delves deeply into the transformation of these forces since 9/11. __________________________________ Author's Note from Grey Wars A lot is missing from this book—deliberately. This is not the place to find out who first shot bin Laden or how that night ended in the Benghazi annex. Nor does this narrative peel apart the stories of American Sniper or Lone Survivor. It is neither an airbrush nor a whitewash. This book is not an exposé. Instead, this book is intended for readers who seek a deeper understanding of U.S. Special Operations Forces, the military instrument most used in the 9/11 wars, a counterterrorism and counterinsurgency fight spanning two decades. Violence on behalf of the nation by sacred trust, sums up one military leader. Rings of sorrow, paraphrases another. While fighting matters evoke raw sentiment—and rightly so—the focus here is on the everyday reality of special operations, not the extremes. I set out—and received authorization—to work inside U.S. Special Operations Command to conduct this research. Over five years, I embraced varied sources, from scribbled notes to formal analyses, from historical photographs to informal discussions. Throughout, I adhere strictly to the classifications of national security and to the core values of academia to respect confidential sources and sensitive information. Upon completion, this book was reviewed in its entirety by the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Prepublication and Security Review. I wish to express gratitude to Yale University and Columbia University for the deep culture of interdisciplinary scholarship and to West Point for its strong community of leaders. I am deeply appreciative of the University of Chicago, Columbia University, Harvard University, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Yale University, which provided funding for this work. I offer many thanks to the Council on Foreign Relations, which set this initial idea in motion, and to Yale University Press for being a rigorous and exceptional publisher at every stage of this project.