Mcraven, most known for his key role in the planning and execution of the raid that resulted in the death of osama bin laden, has long been a towering figure in the special operations community. It may sound impossible, but this is what special operations is all about. The commander of the united states special operations command has issued a list of suggested readings. Accomplishing the seemingly impossible is the daytoday business of mcraven and his seals and other special operators such as green berets, britains special air service and russias spetznaz.
Jan 25, 2012 the opening moments of the state of the union address, as the president enters the chamber and gladhands his way to the podium, are the closest that many of us will come to seeing an unscripted. William mcravens book spec ops stands alone in the realm of military books as the only basic textbook for special forces operations. Special operations command before retiring from the navy. Joint special operations university and the strategic studies department the joint special operations university jsou provides its publications to contribute toward expanding the body of. Mcraven is a former united states navy admiral who last served as the ninth commander of the united states special operations command from august 8, 2011, to august 28, 2014. United states special operations command history on. Case studies in special operations warfare, theory and practice, a sort of textbookhistory of hostage rescues, pow camp raids, battleship assaults and. By defining this clearly, he then goes on to show that the goal of any mission planning for a so force should be to attain relative superiority and maintain it with a few basic tactical principles i. Online shopping for special forces from a great selection at books store.
Feb 01, 2018 the commander of the united states special operations command has issued a list of suggested readings. Based on the incredible graduation speech with over 10 million views on youtube if you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. If the book helps garner more support for or awareness of the. Buy special operations in the age of chivalry, 11001550 warfare in history by yuval noah harari isbn. Nov 21, 20 americas top operator, admiral william h. Commander of bin laden raid blasts senate for disrespecting. Best books on special forces missions these nonfiction books are related to u. As a fourstar admiral, his final assignment was as commander of all u. Quite often, books about special forces are heavily based on anecdote and action. Spec ops forces gain the initiative with small vehicles. Its intent, he says, is to motivate members of the sof special operations forces community to. Mcraven, who led the mission to kill osama bin laden, aims to recast the special operations forces to face a widening array of new threats as americas combat role in.
In spec ops, a wellorganized and deeply researched study, mcraven analyzes eight classic special 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. Apr 02, 2017 he headed special ops teams in iraq and afghanistan and served as commander of u. I found out i could write and enjoyed the creative process of writing. Mcraven, commander of the pentagons joint special operations command, to cia headquarters in langley, virginia, to give him details about the compound and to begin planning a. Mcraven, a retired fourstar admiral, former navy seal and former commander of. Mcraven, the commander of united states special operations command ussocom. Mcraven addressed the graduating class of the university of texas at austin on their commencement day. There are theories of war escalation and war termina. The special operations unit was formed in 1977, as a reaction to a series of. Mcraven in his thirtyseven years as a navy seal, he commanded at every level. Mcraven, a retired fourstar admiral, former navy seal and former commander of the secretive joint special operations. In this wellorganized and deeply researched study, mcraven analyzes eight special operations. Admiral mcraven charts a new path for special operations.
It is how special operations forces achieve this decisive advantage that explains their success. Take the navy seal who oversaw the most important manhunt in history and rose to command all of u. Mission at the caves, the first book in the special operations files series, highly decorated former navy seal brandon webb tells his incredible. Mcraven y is for yesterday is no 1 on fiction list. Since january 2015, he has served as the chancellor of the university of texas system. Special ops and the future of american warfare, by linda. He is the author of several books including special forces, strategy and the war on terror routledge, 2008, contemporary military culture. Aug 30, 2014 it is, of course, the raid that killed osama bin laden on may 2, 2011, that has ensured mcravens place in the history books as the architect of the operation. In an unusually blunt column published sunday in the tampa tribune, william h.
He is now chancellor of the university of texas system. Special ops brace for release of tellall book thehill. Naylor said hes been told that fort bragg, where the u. Theory of special operations in the realm of military literature, there is much written on theory of war, ranging from herman kahns thinking about the unthinkable on the nuclear end of the spectrum to b. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext.
In a may edition exclusive to am, admiral william h. Feb 11, 2014 7 leadership lessons from the seals commander who got bin laden. He headed special ops teams in iraq and afghanistan and served as commander of u. Apr 16, 2017 based on the incredible graduation speech with over 10 million views on youtube if you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. Gccs, and through unified action, conduct sustained special operations to. Mcraven helped to devise the strategy for how to bring down. What drew you to that particular vocation, and how did you make the transition to becoming a special operator.
Tampa the wars in iraq and afghanistan forced the pentagon to depend so much on special operations units to fill countless nights hunting terrorists and insurgents in directaction missions. Killing or capturing the worlds most dangerous terrorist. The making of a special forces warrior by dick couch, masters of chaos. Mcraven is back with amazing stories of bravery and heroism during his career as a navy seal and commander of americas special operations forces. Special operations command before retiring from the navy and accepting the chancellor position at ut, his alma. From 2015 to 2018, he was the chancellor of the university of texas system mcraven previously served from june, 2008, to august 2011 as commander of joint special. Apr 25, 2016 in an unusually blunt column published sunday in the tampa tribune, william h. Only give the most successful college graduation speech in. The opening moments of the state of the union address, as the president enters the chamber and gladhands his way to the podium, are the closest that many of.
Dec 24, 2011 the full interview with the 2011 texan of the year, bill mcraven. This book develops a theory of special operations that explains why this phenomenon occurs. I will show that through the use of certain principles of warfare a. May 05, 2011 that would be his 1995 book, spec ops. It also needs suddenness and speed in operations, keeping the enemy off their balance and unable to predict what you can do. Admiral william mcraven, whose 36year career as a navy seal has been shrouded in secrecy, made a rare appearance in public to deliver the commencement address at the university of texas and revealed his 10 life lessons he learned from his basic seal training. Mcraven helped to devise the strategy for how to bring down osama bin laden, and commanded the courageous u. Overview ussocom commanders reading list research guides.
Liddell harts indirect warfare on the conventional end. You were a journalism major at the university of texas. Special operations command said here yesterday during a discussion moderated by cnns wolf blitzer at the aspen institutes annual security forum. 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 the.
Case studies in special operations warfare, theory and practice, a sort of textbookhistory of hostage rescues, pow. This guide provides information about the availability and location of these titles in the nimitz library. Shadowspear special operations news and community network. Special operations command commanders reading list for 2014. William mcraven, the man who oversaw the bin laden operation. Its intent, he says, is to motivate members of the sof special operations forces community to grow professionally and personally. The full interview with the 2011 texan of the year, bill. Will special operations be subject to the same budget cuts as. Special operations command ussocom has released his reading list for next year. They still explain and illuminate the tasks and missions of special forces, if the reader pays attention to the details and connects all the dots. Washington there is unlikely to be a tellall book or movie. Sea stories, a wellwritten book that reads like a thriller, covers some of the most important historical actions taken by navy seals and other special operators.
Armys special operations forces is headquartered, is going ape shit over your book. The washington times readers interested in the essential work of military special forces will be inspired by mcravens adventures. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read spec ops. The number of special operations forces committing suicide. Aspen, co the nation expects special operations forces to be successful every time they are called upon, but theyre not wholly about combat, the commander of u. William mcraven, former head of special operations command and the man who led the strike against osama bin laden, might have caused a national furor in more. Special operations command with nine videos in the cspan video library. Mcraven, who led the mission to kill osama bin laden, aims to recast the special operations forces to face a widening array of new threats as americas combat role in the middle. Mcraven from books im reading now to books ive read john twomey moved spec ops. Special operations in the age of chivalry, 11001550 warfare in.
In his thirtyseven years as a navy seal, he commanded at every level. I got into the school of journalism in my junior year. Military officials say tellall about albaghdadi raid team unlikely. Special operations command, addresses the audience during the ussocom change of commander ceremony at macdill air force base, fla. The full interview with the 2011 texan of the year, bill mcraven. How can a small group of soldiers attack a numerically superior force in an entrenched position and hope to succeed.
William harry mcraven born november 6, 1955 is a retired united states navy fourstar admiral who last served as the ninth commander of the united states special operations command from august 8, 2011, to august 28, 2014. Navy retired served with great distinction in the navy. Accomplishing the seemingly impossible is the daytoday business of mcraven and his seals and other special. Spec opscase studies in special operations warfare. It is, of course, the raid that killed osama bin laden on may 2, 2011, that has ensured mcravens place in the history books as the architect of the. Buy spec ops by william h mcraven online at alibris. The books, movies, video games, and other things about special operations all seem to become wildly successful in their own way.