Spec Ops
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Vice Adm. William H. McRaven helped to devise the strategy for how to bring down Osama bin Laden, and commanded the courageous U.S. military unit that carried it out on May 1, 2011, ending one of the greatest manhunts in history. In Spec Ops, a well-organized and deeply researched study, McRaven analyzes eight classic special operations. Six are from WWII: the German commando raid on the Belgian fort Eben Emael (1940); the Italian torpedo attack on the Alexandria harbor (1941); the British commando raid on Nazaire, France (1942); the German glider rescue of Benito Mussolini (1943); the British midget-submarine attack on the Tirpitz (1943); and the U.S. Ranger rescue mission at the Cabanatuan POW camp in the Philippines (1945). The two post-WWII examples are the U.S. Army raid on the Son Tay POW camp in North Vietnam (1970) and the Israeli rescue of the skyjacked hostages in Entebbe, Uganda (1976). McRaven—who commands a U.S. Navy SEAL team—pinpoints six essential principles of “spec ops” success: simplicity, security, repetition, surprise, speed and purpose. For each of the case studies, he provides political and military context, a meticulous reconstruction of the mission itself and an analysis of the operation in relation to his six principles. McRaven deems the Son Tay raid “the best modern example of a successful spec op [which] should be considered textbook material for future missions.” His own book is an instructive textbook that will be closely studied by students of the military arts. Maps, photos.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The author, a Navy SEAL officer, provides a theory of special operations to explain how small, elite units consistently defeat larger forces. "The theory states that special operations forces are able to achieve relative superiority over the enemy if they prepare a simple plan, which is carefully concealed, repeatedly and realistically rehearsed, and executed with surprise, speed, and purpose." He tests his theory against eight historical examples of special operations. These show how special operations units are able to reduce their area of vulnerability (a function of mission-completion over time) and reduce what Clausewitz termed the friction of war (the will of the enemy, chance, and uncertainty) through the moral factors of courage, boldness, intellect, and perseverance. The author identifies certain principles that must be adhered to for success by special operations forces. These are simplicity, security, repetition, surprise, speed, and purpose. The historical examples clearly illustrate these principles and show the pitfalls of ignoring them. It is noteworthy that the author provides a definition of special operations which differs from official U.S. doctrine: "Operations 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." The book is an excellent primer for special operations soldiers and a wake-up call for conventional force leaders.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Excellent reference manual. Clear, concise. Concepts are thoroughly explained and built upon in every chapter. At the conclusion of this book the reader will have grasped the fundamental concepts common to all successful special operations. Indeed the principals outlined herein have wider ramifications and can easily apply to all facets of life where an objective must be seized. Phenomenal book - buy it, read it and win.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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23 reviews
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful
A key addition to modern military theory
4 July 2001
Format:Paperback
In "Spec Ops" William H. McRaven has written a comprehensive, thoughtful, theory of special operations. In so doing, he has taken a field of arms that is shrouded and myth and bravado, and applied rigorous logic to it; the end result of which is both a useful tool for the analysis of past operations, and a guidebook for future ones.
The key to this work's success is that it cuts through the mayhem, and "seat-of-their-pants" view that most people have of special operations, and breaks them down using simple, constant analysis. First McRaven considers the overall mission: Was it worth the risk? Was it executed according to plan, and if not why? What could have been done better? He then goes on to identify six key components of any special operation: Simplicity, Security, Repetition, Surprise, Speed and Purpose. He correctly points out that weakness in any one of these areas can be compensated for, to a degree, by strength in the others, but they all must be present to some degree.
Finally he considers the most critical aspect of any special operation; Did/can the attacking force achieve and maintain relative superiority over the enemy? I say critical because by definition the special forces will never have absolute superiority, it is only in their ability to temporarily achieve superiority that they can have any hope of success. McRaven, observes that failure to achieve relative superiority must inevitably result in a failure to achieve objectives at the minimum, and disaster at the worst.
By analyzing eight classic special operations, McRaven proves the merits of his theory time and again. Over the course of fifty years and a host of political environments, he illustrates the overarching validity of his arguments. In so doing he has provided both the special warrior, and the military historian alike with a powerful, valuable tool.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Most outstanding book on special operations I've read
29 Mar 2002
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is one of the most useful books on special operations I've ever encountered. McRaven is uniquely qualified to write this book, being both a practitioner and a student of the art. He succinctly and clearly outlines six underlying principles and how they interact with one another, as well as how they support special operations. The clear descriptions and graphs on the "area of vulnerablity" are especially insightful and allow the novice to understand when and why special operations succeed or fail. He then critques eight famous operations such as the Israeli hostage rescue at Entebbe and the U.S. raid on the Son Tay POW camp, using them to explain and illustrate how the six principles presented themselves. All in all, the BEST book on special operations I've ever read and would strongly recommend it to anyone who is a serious student of this particular type of operation, including domestic law enforcement tactical teams.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
A Textbook for Special Forces Operations
11 Jan 2001
Format:Paperback
William McRaven's book "Spec Ops" stands alone in the realm of military books as the only basic textbook for Special Forces operations. The book is a collection of Case Studies of special operations conducted by various internation militaries from The German Attack on Ebem Emael in 1940 to the Israeli Raid on Entebbe in 1976. While these case studies seem ancient with respect to the advances in Special Forces theory and practice and recent years their analysis is good as is as applicable today as ever. McRaven's thesis is that the success of a special operation depends on attaining superiority by surprise and intensity. This allows a small special forces contingent to defeat a much larger force. In fact McRaven actually graphs the operations and shows why each worked so well or so poorly. The analysis is so complete and clear that it seems obvious and simple. This book does for modern special forces doctrine what Rommel's Infantry Tactics did for warfare in the first half of the century. From the introduction to the conclusions the research and insight in this book are amazing. McRaven's credentials as a US Navy SEAL team commander are also impressive and lend authority to his ideas. This book should be required reading for all individuals involved in the conduct of modern warfare.
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