Inside CentCom: The Unvarnished Truth About the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

by Michael DeLong

General Mike DeLong deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars was second only to General Tommy Franks in the war on terror. At the centre of discussions between President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and Tommy Franks, General DeLong offers the frankest and most authoritative look inside the wars - how the US prepared for battle, how they fought, how two regimes were loppled-and what's happening now. Shows where Bob Woodward, Richard Clarke and others got it wrong. Reveals disagreements between Franks, Rumsfeld, DeLong and Wolfwitz.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction

Audible Audio

First published August 1, 2004

Reviews

[Terry Cornell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lt. General DeLong could have just called this Inside CentCom, and that would have been more accurate. DeLong was the second in command to General Tommy Franks when he commanded Centcom. Basically Central Command was the restructuring of the command element of the U.S. Armed Services. Franks headed up a joint command made up of Army, Air Force, Marines, and Navy based in Florida. All planning and operations could be carried out under one authority instead of each individual service. Franks and DeLong's appointment was during the post 9/11 planning for the invasions of both Afghanistan and Iraq. Eventually the CentCom organization had to be expanded to include our allied country armed forces representatives. As parking lots kept having to be replaced by trailers housing these folks, it seems parking may have been difficult at MacDill Air Force Base.

Compared to other books I've read this is more from a planning and organizational perspective. There were a few minor details mentioned that I didn't know. It is written in an engaging style, while it could've been much drier reading. The book title is somewhat sensationalized, since much more about these wars have been revealed over time. I suppose for the time it was published some of these revelations might have been new. A quick read, it includes several appendices, including maps, General Franks' presentation to the House Armed Service Committee in 2003, The U.S. National Security Strategy, and the U.S. National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction. Most of this information can be found elsewhere, but it is interesting that this is written by someone heavily engaged in overseeing planning and preparation.

[Atar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of military books and have read many books regarding Iraq and Afghanistan. So I was really looking forward to reading this book about the U.S. Military’s Central Command. This Command primarily deals with the Middle East. I was looking forward to hearing about its role in the aftermath of 9/11 and both wars that followed. Inside Centcom, by Lt. General Micheal Delong was written well, and I learned some things that I would probably not have gotten elsewhere but the book has some major issues. Even accounting for the fact that this book was published in 2004, there are some facts that the author, either was very creative in truth, or deliberately lying or somehow been misinformed. Of course I am reading this and looking back in hindsight, but there are some falsehoods that do not match up, some opinions that are suspect. I wonder if others who have read, are reading, or are about to read this book will see the same. I do not want to give examples for two reasons. First I don’t want to bias anyone and, second, I don’t want to spoil the book or the misrepresentations that I found. Overall I liked the book but just found some parts hard to swallow. I recommend anyone interested in the modern military to read this book. I’ll be looking to read other’s comments and reviews to see what people think.

[Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a current member of CENTCOM and someone who participated in many of the events LTG DeLong discusses, I can say that this is a very important chronicle of the highest level of the US military from 2000 - 2004. Great insights from an exceptional warrior. Regretfully LTG DeLong rode on to Fiddlers Green in July 2018.

[Brenden Flanigan]

In the book Inside CentCom the author's purpose is to tell what actually happens in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this book the author says that "Special Forces troops need to analyze the terrain and pick the best location to hide." This tells us what they have to do to get ready to fight so they don't get killed. A good amount of people including me do not know what goes on over in Iraq and Afghanistan so the author of this book really explains well what happens.

The theme of this book is that if you are wanting to join the military you will see some things that you do not want to see. In the military you are authorized to shoot people and do whatever you have to do to keep your men alive so your country can be safe. In the book they say "I'm not convinced that's him," Franks said, "and the collateral damage issues are significant." This is saying that they killed someone they have been going after but they do not think that who they killed is the person they want dead. Then they said that the collateral damage is big, this is saying that even though they thought that they were only gonna kill that one person they killed many more people that did not deserve to be killed.

In this book Michael DeLong used the style informative. He uses this because he is telling people about Iraq and Afghanistan so this helps for everyone to understand about the war. "We're concerned," I answered. "Based on what we've been seeing, we think al-Qaeda is going to try to harm Americans somewhere." This is informing the person that is reading the book what is going on right now in the war so we know what is about to happen. I think the style is very effective because it allows people to understand a lot better on what is happening with the people that are protecting their country. "The two F-117 Stealth Bombers began their three-hour flight to the Iraqi border, but were instructed not to cross Iraqi air space until given the command." This quote proves my statement because it shows how he is informing the readers of what commands were given.

I really liked reading Inside CentCom because I really do like reading books about the military. I liked this book because it explained really good about how they handled things in Iraq and Afghanistan. The only thing I think I would change about this book is I think they should have included how they traveled over seas to Iraq and Afghanistan. I have not read any books that are similar in telling what they do over seas in combat. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in the U.S. military.

[Carrie Brang · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am sending no disrespect General DeLong's way. I'm glad that I picked up his book and took the time to read it. All I wish to say, here, is that things look very different when your not sitting at the top. Ok, practically night and day different and history is different depending on whose perspective you are looking at it from. This book is the historical interpretation of the beginning of the war from the Deputy Commanding General of CENTCOMs point of view. He provided interesting details that you normally wouldn't get from other media or news sources. This is the main reason why I liked this book and to understand things from his perspective. His position of leadership and the structure of the military chain of command protects him from the harsh realities of ........ reality ........ and maybe the war looked like it would be short and successful for a couple of ....... days ...... or hours ........ oh!!! times up ...... he heard his retirement package calling.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clear and easy to read history of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It's inaccurate in some parts. It claims that Abdul Rashid Dostum recaptured Kabul from the Taliban. In reality, Fahim Khan entered the city after the Taliban fled in fear of US air power. It's also simplistic and lacking in real substance. He fails to discuss Rumsfeld's blunders, for one. His account of the war in Afghanistan doesn't offer that much new information.
Disappointing...

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear, comprehensive and easy to read truth about the US's position in Afghanistan and Iraq .