Sean Naylor Boeken

Since September 11, one organization has been pivotal in America's military response, turning the tide against al-Qaida in Iraq, killing key figures like Bin Laden and Zarqawi, rescuing Captain Phillips, and capturing Saddam Hussein. Its commander has the capability to direct cruise missile strikes and conduct special operations globally. This narrative unveils the inside story of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), a secret military entity that has transformed counterterrorism over the past decade by integrating intelligence and operational expertise for high-profile missions. JSOC encompasses the military's elite special operations units, including Delta Force, SEAL Team 6, and the 75th Ranger Regiment, along with secret aviation and intelligence units. For the first time, the book reveals the high-stakes meetings in war rooms from the Pentagon to Iraq and the intense operations conducted from an MH-60 Black Hawk to Delta Force's Pinzgauer as they approach their targets. Through exclusive interviews, reporter Sean Naylor shares insights into how an organization originally designed in the 1980s for limited missions evolved post-9/11 to become the military's foremost weapon in the fight against terrorism and continues to adapt today.

Command refused to commit the forces required to achieve total victory in Afghanistan. Instead, they delegated responsibility for fighting the war's biggest battle-one that could have broken Al Qaeda and captured Osama bin Laden-to a hodge-podge of units thrown together at the last moment. At dawn on March 2, 2002, America's first major battle of the 21st century began. Over 200 soldiers of the 101st Airborne and 10th Mountain Divisions flew into Afghanistan's Shahikot valley-and into the mouth of a buzz saw. They were about to pay a bloody price for strategic, higher-level miscalculations that underestimated the enemy's strength and willingness to fight. Now, award-winning journalist Sean Naylor, an eyewitness to the battle, details the failures of military intelligence and planning, and vividly portrays the astonishing heroism of these young, untested U.S. soldiers. Denied the extra infantry, artillery, and attack helicopters with which they trained to go to war, these troops nevertheless proved their worth in brutal combat and-along with the exceptional daring of a small team of U.S. commandos-prevented an American military disaster.