The casestudies are in chronological order and primarily wwiioriented. Special operations forces, under the command of adm. Mcravens life tales, spanning from his childhood adventures through his 37year career as a us navy seal and commander of americas special operations forces. My life in special operations, the retired fourstar admiral who served as the commander of all u. In sea stories, missions and mythmaking from a former. William mcravens book spec ops stands alone in the realm of military books as the only basic textbook for special forces operations. Navy admiral, follows his selfhelp guide, make your bed, in which he shared principles for success learned during his more than 30 years as a navy seal, with this collection of fascinating stories from his time as commander of the special operations forces.
Special ops commander says book on seal raid that killed. Referenced in several accounts of operation neptune spear, the seal team six raid on abbottabad that killed osama bin laden, the book is a study by admiral william mcraven, head of us special operations command, as he outlines a theory of military specials operations used in direct actions. The theory of special operations by william mcraven 1993 is a booklength thesis describing 8 casestudies of special ops missions and the degree to which they adhere to a few principles for specops success that mcraven extracts from their successesfailures. Special operations command, speaks to special operations commanders during a commanders call at. My life in special operations says all quiet on the western front is the one book that best captures the nature of. Johnson whose book raid on cabanaltuan inspired me to. The book uses six world war ii case studies and two events in the 70s, written with clarity, detail and suspense, tom clancylike, to illustrate how and why the theory of special ops works. In spec ops, a wellorganized and deeply researched study, mcraven analyzes eight classic special operations. William mcraven oversaw the covert special operations team that stormed a compound in pakistan in 2011 and killed osama bin laden.
I just finished reading william mcravens spec ops, case studies in special operations warfare. My life in special operations grand central, admiral mcraven writes of the inspiration he found in his parents generation the survivors of world war i and. Theory and practice 9780891416005 by mcraven, william h. In this instant new york times bestseller, the celebrated author of make your bed shares amazing adventure stories from his career as a navy seal and commander of americas special operations forces. Mcraven does, of course, provide firsthand accounts of the capture of saddam, the rescue of richard phillips, and the bin laden mission. Mcraven, 61, has taken the genesis of what he learned during seal training and his nearly four decades in navy special operations into a thin, powerful book titled, make your bed. Throughout the sections on his career, mcraven provides. Mcraven helped to devise the strategy for how to bring down osama bin laden, and commanded the courageous u. The author of make your bed and, most recently, sea stories. Mcravens new book features anecdotes from his life and military career.
Bill mcraven warned his troops, current and former, that he would take legal action against anyone found to have exposed sensitive information that. There isnt a ton of on the ground action, but it provides a look behind the scenes. Navy retired join the forum club of the palm beaches for a luncheon event and book signing on friday, may 31st, at. Case studies in special operations warfare, theory and practice presidio press, 1995. He himself would serve longer than any other seal, rising to become the commander of the entire u. As a fourstar admiral, his final assignment was as commander of all u.
In the books first half, mcraven describes his early life. Fifteen years before that operation mcraven wrote spec ops. In spec ops, mcraven outlines the principles of successful special operations simplicity, security, repetition, surprise, speed and purpose. Special operations command commanders reading list for 2014. Admiral mcraven, a veteran of the covert world who had written a book on american special operations, spent weeks working with the cia on the operation, and came up with three options. 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. But the highlight of the book is mcravens detailed account of the successful. While mcraven challenged conventional norms about retired officers, he did not do so in. Mcraven helped to devise the strategy for how to bring down.
Greater than napoleon told the story of how the roman general scipio defeated the great carthaginian general hannibal. Mcravens message, leadership, and the profession of arms. Spec ops, case studies in special operations warfare theory and. His special operations career takes up the majority of the book. Navy admiral takes the reader behindtheactionpacked scenes of his illustrious 40year career. Mcraven, special ops chief, tells troops to pipe down. Mcraven helped to devise the strategy for how to brin. Special operations command ussocom has released his reading list for next year. Since then, mcraven, now a threestar admiral, rose to lead the terrorist hunters of the joint special operations command, which killed bin laden. And mcravens illustrious career in special operations a community known for its emphasis on teamwork and leadership further adds credibility to his words.
Admiral william mcraven on technology, innovation, and special operations admiral william mcraven rtd. Mcraven, a vice admiral who as commander of joint special operations command jsoc had operational control of the mission to get osama bin laden. Its intent, he says, is to motivate members of the sof special operations forces community to. Americas special operations forces are usually top secret, but a new book sheds light on some of their most daring missions. His book is anecdotal but without many surprises for anyone with military experience, but his account of finding and killing bin laden is one of the best in the literature, told from the eagleseye viewpoint of one. Mcraven commanded the special operators who captured saddam hussein after the war in iraq, and he commanded the navy seals who took out the somalian pirates who boarded a commercial ship off africa and kidnapped the ships captain, richard philips. In his thirtyseven years as a navy seal, he commanded at every level. He is now chancellor of the university of texas system. His own book is an instructive textbook that will be closely studied by students of the. In a may edition exclusive to am, admiral william h. In his previous role, mcraven executed the raid in may as head of the militarys elite joint special operations command. Mcraven deems the son tay raid the best modern example of a successful spec op which should be considered textbook material for future missions.
Ut chief, bin laden raid architect recounts seal training. William mcraven, who may be bestknown as the navy seal commander who oversaw the. Navy seals, a strike with b2 bombers that would obliterate the compound, or a joint raid with pakistani intelligence operatives who would be told about the mission hours before the launch. The guiding principles in mcravens book, based on case studies he did of successful special operations from around the world, are. Booktopia has spec ops, case studies in special operations warfare theory and practice by admiral william h. His own book is an instructive textbook that will be closely studied by students of the military arts. I thought mcraven,now an admiral seal and in charge of us socom he was. My life in special operations nprs steve inskeep talks to retired adm. These blinks offer a personal look at the life of a courageous war hero as well as a firsthand account of some of the most famous missions in recent us history. Mcraven 1996, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. Navy retired served with great distinction in the navy. Mcraven is a part of american military history, having been involved in some of the most famous missions in recent memory, including the capture of saddam. But the work that most influenced me as a special operations officer was the work of b. Nye said mcraven was concerned the book would lead americans to doubt the.
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