Fighting elites : a history of U.S. Special Forces

In Fighting Elites independent historian Fredriksen offers a compact reference volume on the US Special Forces' capabilities, training, selection process, and contributions to securing the freedoms that Americans enjoy. Divided into two parts, the volume provides a historical look at American military organizations from 1676 to 1991 that includes descriptions of the units in their historical context, and describes a defining moment in the various units' existence. In part 2, Fredriksen delves into the world of special operations since 1992. Chapters 4-16 highlight a specific US Special Forces unit and provide the same detailed information as the preceding chapters; each of theses chapters ends with "an extensive listing of bibliographic citations, including the latest literature, to promote further research." Any book that attempts to recount military history is prone to some inaccuracies and omissions in its descriptions of specific branches, units, and operations. Although this volume offers a wealth of information, factual deficiencies are evident, e.g., regarding the 75th Ranger Regiment, units are placed at the wrong locations, the regiment's headquarters are omitted, and the description of the regiment's training process is actually the one used in the US Army's Ranger School training. Overall, however, Fighting Elites accomplishes its goal of being a "one-stop reference guide ... that affords extensive historical and bibliographic coverage yet is easy for lay readers to access." It includes illustrations and a chronology. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. E. M. Tinoco University of Southern California

In a modern age characterized by asymmetrical warfare and shrinking military budgets, the future of armed conflict will be centered more and more on drone strikes and the deployment of small, specialized forces of elite troops across the globe. Fighting Elites brings America's long history of small, well-trained special-forces units into sharp focus. Whether discussing the paramilitary forces of colonial New England or the U.S. Navy's SEAL Team Six, Fredriksen argues that the American proclivity toward individualism and the changing nature of warfare have pushed these units from tactical novelties to standing strategic necessities. Part 1 covering the years from 1676 to 1991 is broken into three chronological chunks, including special purpose units to 1918, the era of WWII (1939-45), and the Cold War era (1946-91). The information in part 2 falls under 13 categories, including Airborne Forces, Green Berets, Navy SEALs, and Special Activities Division (CIA). In part 1, each chapter follows the simple but effective method of presenting information on individual units, followed by a section entitled Defining Activity, which highlights an event or operation representative of each special unit's activities. An example of this is a synopsis of Revolutionary-era Minutemen, followed by the details of the events at Lexington and Concord (1775). Abandoning chronological arrangement, part 2 tackles individual special-forces groups (1992 to the present) with the subheadings of Organization, Personnel and Training, Equipment, and Known Activities/Operations. All chapters include a decent number of sidebars on such notable individuals as Daniel Morgan, Richard Marcinko, and David Petraeus and conclude with an extensive bibliography. With clear, pertinent, and up-to-date information (including the killing of Osama Bin Laden), Fredriksen's Fighting Elites is a valuable asset for larger collections and media centers supporting a military/terrorism curriculum.--Odom, Brian Copyright 2010 Booklist

In a modern age characterized by asymmetrical warfare and shrinking military budgets, the future of armed conflict will be centered more and more on drone strikes and the deployment of small, specialized forces of elite troops across the globe. Fighting Elites brings America's long history of small, well-trained special-forces units into sharp focus. Whether discussing the paramilitary forces of colonial New England or the U.S. Navy's "SEAL Team Six," Fredriksen argues that the American proclivity toward individualism and the changing nature of warfare have pushed these units from "tactical novelties" to "standing strategic necessities." Part 1—covering the years from 1676 to 1991—is broken into three chronological chunks, including "special purpose units" to 1918, the era of WWII (1939–45), and the Cold War era (1946–91). The information in part 2 falls under 13 categories, including "Airborne Forces," "Green Berets," "Navy SEALs," and "Special Activities Division" (CIA). In part 1, each chapter follows the simple but effective method of presenting information on individual units, followed by a section entitled "Defining Activity," which highlights an event or operation representative of each special unit's activities. An example of this is a synopsis of Revolutionary-era "Minutemen," followed by the details of the events at Lexington and Concord (1775). Abandoning chronological arrangement, part 2 tackles individual special-forces groups (1992 to the present) with the subheadings of "Organization," "Personnel and Training," "Equipment," and "Known Activities/Operations." All chapters include a decent number of sidebars on such notable individuals as Daniel Morgan, Richard Marcinko, and David Petraeus and conclude with an extensive bibliography. With clear, pertinent, and up-to-date information (including the killing of Osama Bin Laden), Fredriksen's Fighting Elites is a valuable asset for larger collections and media centers supporting a military/terrorism curriculum. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.