Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command

Naylor (Not a Good Day to Die), a journalist who specializes in covering special operations, has produced the most complete history to date of the most secret organization within the U.S. military: the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). Given the organization’s super-secret status, much of Naylor’s engrossing material was gleaned from hundreds of interviews with former members. He traces the evolution of the organization, its tactics, and its missions, beginning with JSOC’s inauspicious conception in the wake of the failed 1979 Iran hostage rescue mission and ending in 2014 with the successful rescue of an American and a Danish aid worker abducted by Somali pirates. According to Naylor, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, JSOC’s mission set, size, and capabilities expanded significantly, to the point where it became “America’s premier weapon in the war against terrorism.” Over the course of the Iraq War, JSOC developed a sophisticated global intelligence capability that rivaled the CIA’s, and was linked to America’s elite commando units. Naylor’s narrative covers everything from briefings in the White House to SEAL firefights in the mountains of Afghanistan. He also describes the failures, rivalries, conflicts of personality, and arguments over strategy that are as characteristic of JSOC as its tactical excellence. Naylor’s powerful and informative history is essential to understanding America’s evolving military capability and the on-going war against global terrorism. [em](Sept.) [/em]