Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare: Theory and Practice

I give this five stars for its clarity, mutually consistent concepts and relevance, but would give it many more.Admiral McRaven, by published accounts, was a major player in planning the raid that Seal Team Six made on the Usama Bin Laden compound. Other reviewers have gone into more detail than I will, but four items from its conceptual toolkit are useful to my discussion, focused on the mutable character of war making. I will use two accounts about the Bin Laden raid to illustrate some points related to the Admiral's book.In my lifetime, war making has changed from the "conventional" army operations of WW2 to the Cold War of regional military efforts, to this era of "terrorist" war making. I refuse to name this use of collateral damage by "special human/technical weapons" as a "war on terror." It is dependent on media coverage of carnage wrought on budgets generally smaller than for conventional wars. War is made on a specific adversary, not on a method. SPEC OPS preceded its practical importance by more than a decade, a tribute to a brilliant analyst.1) McRaven's theory of special operations proposes "...a successful special operations defies conventional wisdom by using a small force to defeat a much larger or well-entrenched opponent."2) The smaller force relies on precision, stealth and speed to achieve "strategic advantage of relative superiority."3) McRaven defines special operations as "A special operation is conducted by forces specially trained, equipped, and supported for a specific target whose destruction, elimination, or rescue (in the case of hostages) is a political or military imperative."4) The ruling idea is from General Carl von Clauswitz' "frictions of war" (chance, uncertainty and will of the enemy). This "friction" is an emergent property of the interactions of nonlinear outcomes from a number of sources in the combat arena. It would be helpful here to get and to read (if not already at hand) Clauswitz' "On War" to be familiar with his trinitarian analysis.There are many books available on the Bin Laden raid. Each has a somewhat different account, according to published reviews. I have two of them: Mark Owen's "No Easy Day" and "SEAL Target Geronimo: The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama bin Laden." Of the two, "SEAL Target" is the more credible account for me, as its described sequence of the raid near Abbottabad does not damage the "strategic advantage/relative superiority" of McRaven's planning by losing its stealth at the beginning with a helicopter crash. I commend you to McRaven's Figure 1-1 Sample Relative Superiority Graph. Its time line goes from "point of vulnerability" to six hours, with a radical change of risk at about 2.5 hours. As the remainder of the book explains, this is a complex type of multilevel systems undertaking based on competency with an amazing array of weapons, accurate intelligence (human and technical), courage and character (not necessarily in that order). Those who are members of elite military teams are aware of Murphy's Law. Or, as Clauswitz points out, "The greater the magnitude of any event, the wider the range of forces and circumstances that affect it." It is imperative to have creative backups to Plan A.Bin Laden raid books are easily available for comparison of accounts of an event where some critical details will necessarily remain hidden. As Macchiavelli pointed out, "When little is known, much is suspected." Readers should examine various versions of the raid on Bin Laden in the light of learning about the budgeting and planning expenses of this species of "black operations" war. I am reminded of variations in some important official accounts in my lifetime, starting with the Eisenhower administration's handling of the Francis Gary Powers U2 incident, the Warren Commission Report on the assassination of President Kennedy, the Reagan Administration raid on Grenada* and now the current administration's accounts of the Bin Laden raid. The movie "Zero Dark Thirty" is not a subject of this review.Stories groups craft to explain their actions may tell more about them than if they were transparent about their assertions. Mc Raven's book is a useful place to start to understand the "learning curve" that underlies a history of wars. This review would get even longer if I suggested more history of war or art/science of war books. But "SEAL Target Geronimo" recommends "The Book of Five Rings" or the Way of the Warrior by Miyamoto Musashi (translated by Jo Han-sun). "Leaders must exercise it, soldiers must know it. No one living really knows all there is to know about strategy."*This raid was a textbook case of "Cold War geopolitical chess." Get out a map of the Caribbean and technical specs of MiG 23 aircraft in terms of flight radius with bases on eastern Cuba, El Salvador and finally, Grenada. With the third southern piece of the puzzle under Soviet control, economic and strategic shipping in the Caribbean and Panama Canal Zone could have been interdicted at will.

Vice Admiral William McRaven is a bit of a legend in the Special Ops world. The current head of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) has been leading, planning and directing SEAL Team Ops since Jesus was playing fullback for Nazareth.Word on the street is he played a pretty key role in the death of Bin Laden. He may not have pulled the trigger but it was his command that planned and executed the Op. Panetta, former head of the CIA, is said to have handed Operation Neptune's Spear over to McRaven and his team of Counter Terrorism specialists.Most of those within the Special Operations community would recognize his name from the seminal book, Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare: Theory and Practice, so I thought I'd have another look over it and do up a review.Spec Ops was published in 1995, when McRaven was commanding a SEAL Team. It's basically a historical look at 'Direct Action' missions from 1940 through to 1976. Direct Action (DA) is a term used in the Special Ops world to describe a short offensive action against a target (person or building), usually behind enemy lines. DAs are known for their precision and violence.McRaven's book is well researched and referenced, and his subject matter expertise is evident throughout. In fact it has become a bit of a 'bible' for Special Operations theory. The Admiral convincingly argues his theory of 'Relative Superiority' and his six principles of Special Operations. Worth the read just to pull out these little gems.So who should read it? Well, the book's a must for any serious student of military history or any Special Ops buff. It's the definitive academic reference on Special Operations theory for Direct Action on heavily fortified targets. The lessons and theory drawn out of it remain relevant for current day operations, as evidenced in the success of Neptune's Spear.However, it does have some limitations. This book isn't an up-to-date classified tactics and procedures manual. Special Ops have advanced leaps and bounds since the 70's, particularly in the fields of intelligence, air support, cyber warfare and insertion techniques. In short, Spec Ops is a well-researched history on DAs. If you're after something more entertaining with a bit more bang, grab one of my PRIMAL books.

I've been a fan of military stories since I was a kid, and this book is among the best I've ever read. Not only are each of the stories interesting, but McRaven's analysis is enlightening and instructive. One can clearly see the influence of these Principles in the Abbottabad raid where bin Laden was finally put down.Highly recommend 10/10

Gostei do livro

A very well researched and written piece of workA must read for all military readers

Es un compendio de misiones pasadas, bastante antiguas. Era un regalo y gustó. Pensé que hablaría de misiones más recientes.

Highly recommend. Even if you are not in military or law enforcement circles, the leadership and planning principles are invaluable.