Killer Elite: The Inside Story of America's Most Secret Special Operations Team

Killer Elite is an eyeopener to those accustomed to images of warfare based on the orderly models of the past, i.e. planning, staging, task force formation, and so on. This evolution began with the formation of a small group of military officers and enlisted men who groped their way towards a successful operational model. Against enormous opposition from military commanders, including Gen. Arnold Schwarzkopf, who succeeded in keeping them out of the first Gulf War with Iraq this group survived to become the leading edge of modern warfare which relies more on stealth and secrecy than it does on large scale military operations. Their involvement in the killing of Colombian druglord Pablo Escobar as well as in the capture of war criminals from Kosovo demonstrates not only their flexibility but also the changing definition of war itself. Using a style of operations referred to as "Taking down the mountain" these forces etched away at Escobar's support structure by aiding in the detention and/or assassination of vital contacts for him and in the process forced him to take increasingly greater risks in order to avoid capture. Eventually Escober was "without a friend" and died in a shootout with these Killer Elites operating alongside regular Colombian military forces. Today these killer elites already have "boots on the ground" in virtually all expected future military targeted enemy territories, leading the way by gathering intelligence far in advance of any actual operation by maintaining a low profile and gathering vital intelligence. Their boldness in performing these advanced operations is both dangerous and exciting. For example, in the second Iraq war they were on the ground months before the actual military assault began and were instrumental not only in tapping into fiber optic telephone lines to provide vital intelligence advantages to operational military commanders but also in destroying key infrastructure components which served to deny operational readiness for Iraqi forces once the war began. Killer Elites is a well constructed story of how this group came into creation despite constant sabotaging by senior military commanders and how they became what the title of this book suggests, true "killer elites". ================================End=======================================

I found this book to be a great read. To me this book went into great detail about the "behind the scenes" aspects. From reading many other books related to the Global War Terrorism, mainly dealing with the special forces aspect, I was able to "tie all of their stories together". This book fills in many blanks in military operations in the Tier 1 arena, as well as exposing you to a small group of absolute professionals. This book also holds nothing back in revealing how unglamorous and non-Hollywood Special Forces and the military in general are. I highly recomend this book to anyone interested in this little known area of the Department of Defense.

I had the good fortune of segueing into Smith's book after reading Dick Couch's "Chosen Soldier: The Making of a Special Forces Warrior". Unknown to me at the time, Couch's book laid some excellent groundwork to provide a better understanding of the men in SOF. Smith pulls no punches, revealing how SOF was considered by many, especially senior officers in the US Army, a renegade maverick group of fighters/warriors. Yet, clearly, the Special Operations Teams (Special Operations Forces) are critical to successful warfare. That is particularly true in this era of guerilla and insurgent style warfare. These "behind-the-scenes" stealth warriors are essential and critical to strategic and tactical operations. They are the men in the shadows, often immersing themselves in the most hostile and dangerous elements of warfare. This work is recommended to all US Military (and Allied) personnel, even if not considering SOF for their own journey. The good news is that in recent years these Teams have received greater respect, stronger support and more funding. Anyone interested in the "guts and grit" required within this less-revealed aspect of Military operations should take the time to read this book. That includes Military and Civilian alike.

As a writer on intelligence matters, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the worldwide activities of the U.S. military's Special Operations Forces, as seen through the spectrum of the U.S. Army's secretive clandestine intelligence unit formerly known as the "Intelligence Support Activity." Not only is Mr. Smith's book very readible, but it is also very informative and thought provoking about the vitally important role played by the U.S. military in trying to combat the growing number of terrorist and insurgent threats around the world. Regardless of where you come down on the political spectrum about U.S. foreign and military policy, this serious book is important because it reminds us that U.S. Special Operations Forces have played an important, albeit secretive role in virtually all significant counterterrorist and counterinsurgency operations since the end of World War II, and that their role in the war on terrorism is becoming increasingly important. Mr. Smith has a well-deserved reputation for being a top-flight military affairs reporter in England, and this book further confirms his standing as one of the best in the field.

Mr. Smith has tackled a difficult, at best, topic to research and write about. I am recommending the book to everyone in Chapter 85, Special Forces Association at our next meeting. As a former Special Forces soldier and graduate of the Army's COTA Course I can relate to many of the operational unit developments Smith covers in, ' Killer Elite ". Having had the pleasure to serve with and /or meet some of the 'characters' mentioned I can attest to the accuracy of the information provided. Mr. Smith, you can be sure I'll be reading your other works.