Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces

by Linda Robinson

Special Forces soldiers are daring, seasoned troops from America's heartland, selected in a tough competition and trained in an extraordinary range of skills. They know foreign languages and cultures and unconventional warfare better than any U.S. fighters, and while they prefer to stay out of the limelight, veteran war correspondent Linda Robinson gained access to their closed world. She traveled with them on the frontlines, interviewed them at length on their home bases, and studied their doctrine, methods and history. In Masters of Chaos she tells their story through a select group of senior sergeants and field-grade officers, a band of unforgettable characters like Rawhide, Killer, Michael T, and Alan -- led by the unflappable Lt. Col. Chris Conner and Col. Charlie Cleveland, a brilliant but self-effacing West Pointer who led the largest unconventional war campaign since Vietnam in northern Iraq.

Robinson follows the Special Forces from their first post-Vietnam combat in Panama, El Salvador, Desert Storm, Somalia, and the Balkans to their recent trials and triumphs in Afghanistan and Iraq. She witnessed their secret sleuthing and unsung successes in southern Iraq, and recounts here for the first time the dramatic firefights of the western desert. Her blow-by-blow story of the attack on Ansar al-Islam's international terrorist training camp has never been told before.

The most comprehensive account ever of the modern-day Special Forces in action, Masters of Chaos is filled with riveting, intimate detail in the words of a close-knit band of soldiers who have done it all.

Genres: Military Fiction, History, Nonfiction, War, Military History, Politics, Audiobook

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Steven Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces before, and somehow forgot to post a review. Linda Robinson does a masterful job of delving into the history of the US Army Special Forces from the 1980s to the mid-2000s, following the careers of several Special Forces NCOs and officers who caught both the tail end of the Cold War and the front end of the GWOT.

It's an extremely compelling and informative account, showing that the strength of the Special Forces is not primarily in their skills with a gun but rather their social intelligence and overall intellect. The final chapters that focus on SF actions during the opening stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom highlights this in spades. If the Bush Administration had listened to the SF soldiers on the ground, the Iraq War might not have degenerated as badly as it did, and ISIS might not even be an entity (or if it became one, then it would be a fraction of its current menace).

I definitely recommend it to those wishing to study Special Forces and the history of US unconventional warfare.

[Mickey Smith]

lol this book has a random name drop of a “Master Sgt. Jefferson Davis” that gets no explanation or acknowledgement from the author.

An absolutely ghoulish artifact that I couldn’t help but read as insidious where it crept beyond the objective. Constant references to intense and embroiled political catastrophes that are glossed over by the author as easily justified. What’s worse is there are frequent quotes from the operators involved in these situations that show they clearly have a more nuanced and rich understanding than the author of what’s going on and have considered the consequences and implications at greater length. The author absolves any wrongdoing or culpability in a way that seems to belittle what the actual people involved felt.

A RAND analyst unsurprisingly values the consultant-style structure of the Special Forces and its small team high effectiveness. Through this whole book we’re shown how the SF develops a deep understanding of the political and social machinations of societies to which they’re introduced, but little is made of the follow-up in these countries or the purpose of this regime-shifting offensive policy. Never is the question asked whether what can be learned by US citizens about a country’s political milieu is intricate enough to drive the country effectively. One thing that becomes clear though, is the distillation of what these SF members report up the civilian chain until abstract simplifications of very real and organic shaped problems become all that is understood in Washington of real human endeavors in real places with real complex problems. McKinsey’s model becomes very clear as we see countries suffering fates like companies gobbled up by private equity.

The book was cool when it was in the soldiers’ own words and when describing nearly word-for-word their tactics, training, and mentality. Anything extrapolated beyond that left me feeling nauseous.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great overview of Special Forces (specifically that is Army Special Forces, not Special Operations Forces generally), from the late 1980s (Panama invasion) to 2004 (early Iraq war and occupation). I'm pretty familiar with Army SF (lived/worked with them for a while in Iraq; structurally, probably the best designed part of the US military), and it was interesting particularly to learn about the 90s SF (which I didn't know much about), and their use in Panama.

From 2006-today, there's been an increased conflict between the doctrinal Army SF mission (training and using local forces) vs. just using them as a special operations unit (given that especially in Iraq we had so many targets and needed teams to deal with them). This mostly fell to JSOC and the "black" special operations community, and an increased use of Army SF as the kind of elite small infantry team they're not optimal for (they're good, but they're not the absolute best at it, and it misses most of their other capabilities; it's like using a Mac laptop as a server for a moderately sized website -- works great, but you're missing a lot of other missions, and is very expensive in both direct costs and opportunity cost.) To some extent the Army decided to set up larger units and use National Guard/etc. to work with local military forces instead of using Army SF, with the argument that those local military forces were already organized and trained, but as we saw in Iraq and especially Afghanistan, they never really were -- we ended up with lots of "green on blue" violence which probably wouldn't have happened with Army SF running things.

The book was written by a journalist who embedded with specific ODAs, and thus told the stories of individual soldiers (who were largely representative of SF overall), which makes it a more approachable book. I generally prefer the books written by the principals themselves, rather than journalists or outsiders, but Robinson does a very good job presenting information, and it's a longer time scale than most individual careers would have covered (plus, only a very small percentage of the military was involved in any of the conflicts pre-2003). Also a great audiobook format with a good narrator.

Biggest downside is the book is now a bit dated; a lot of things happened from 2005-today, so this is only really a look at how Army SF worked 1989-2005. The Vietnam era was its own thing (and extensively covered); I'm interested in the nadir period of the military as well (post Vietnam to Gulf War I), which I haven't found great books about, and you'd probably want coverage of 2005-2011 at the very least (covering the peak terrorist hunting), if not the post-2011 post-UBL Afghanistan conflict.

Overall, a solid book, and a great introduction to Army Special Forces.

[David Lodge · Rating 1 out of 5]

The subject matter and patriotism aside, this book is awful. It is difficult to read, changes topics from paragraph to paragraph like an internet news article, and introduces so many characters that your head will spin. There were paragraphs that I had read three times before I understood what the author was talking about. If you want a dizzying informational experience, just read Malcom Gladwell or watch CNN. Whoever edited this book seriously needs to ever edit another book again.

The stories are fascinating, but spread sparsely throughout the book. I got half-way through the book, and decided that I'm only going to read the shooting stories. I'm sure the material is great, and has never been published before, but it is so dry and unstructured that I'm surprised the pages themselves didn't crack as I read the book.

If you pick up this book and hang in there you will learn something new. Whether your regret spending so much time deciphering the authors intent, absorbing an absurd number of introductions, or turning pages until you find something interesting, that is up to you.

The reason this book has such a high rating is because it tells stories that haven't been told, and it describes special forces as the john waynes of civilization (hero worship). The only reason I read this book beyond the first chapter was because I live in New Jersey, and this place is miserable.

[Medusa · Rating 2 out of 5]

It just isn’t very well written. It also feels extremely credulous and worshipful. It seems to take American exceptionalism for granted, asks no or very few hard questions about the ethics and responsibilities of the use of such forces. With a straight face she reports about how American troops poised to invade Iraq on a flimsy pretext thought of themselves as comparable to the men who landed at Europe to end the prior big outbreak of fascism. That’s an absolute obscenity.

In short, it’s close to propaganda.

America’s special forces are indeed impressive and the people in them are unique. None of what I said about this book casts doubt on any of that. This just isn’t a good book.

1.5 stars. There are many better books on this topic.

[Drew Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am stunned by books written by journalists that turn some of the most compelling stories of our time into lifeless drivel. I don't have anything against Linda Robinson, but how do you spend that much time with these warriors and only get this out of it? I honestly can't remember any accounts from this book and struggled to finish it. Needless to say, I am disappointed.

Masters of Chaos. Great title. Promises to be a dusty, bloody, combat-hardened account of the secret missions we all hear whispers about; but it doesn't deliver. There is no chaos in this book. Only plodding, warmed-over recounting of censored stories sterilized ten times over until they aren't even worth hearing.

[Jason]

A very compelling read of the history of the Special Forces (aka Green Berets) from the past 20 years or so. The only peeve I had were even though the descriptions of the battles are detailed, there are very few maps scattered so it's difficult to visualize the sheer size of these battles. And it makes it harder if you aren't already familiar with these countries the SF guys are operating in.



Overall, a good read and informative.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. I don't think it's really a secret history of the special forces, and is unclear which special forces she's referring to in the title.

It's really a more intimate look at certain US special forces through the eyes and experiences of a few soldiers in the Army. It captures quite well the multifaceted abilities of the American special forces soldier: multiple areas of training, multilingual, overachieving, outstanding at straightening out messes of ANY type, able to get a whole country back on its feet if the bureaucracy would only get out its own way.

The ultimate skill of these soldiers might be their flexibility. Challenge? Answer yes, before there is any inkling of what the challenge will be. You will be surprised, but even the form of the surprise will surprise you.

One of those few books for which I took notes to save and refer to later. I am about as unlikely a special forces guy as you could see, but there are attitudes and learnings and capabilities I aspire to here.

[Jack Hayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading books about the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, two decades later, provides a fascinating retrospective. This book is characterized by a reverential tone towards military technology, such as laser-guided missiles, and the early efforts to build nations in these regions. A task for the Green Berets.

In this book, the author appears to endorse America’s actions, particularly in Iraq, the primary focus of the narrative. “Master’s of Chaos” suggests that America’s nation-building endeavors may have been more successful than commonly perceived, drawing a comparison with the reconstruction of Panama, which the book presents as a successful example.

Despite the author’s perspective, the book serves as a compelling snapshot of the 1980s Beret missions. According to the review, these missions were pivotal in shaping contemporary Special Forces strategy.

87% Master of Propoganda

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. I appreciate Robinson’s writing style (very accessible and readable despite a complex topic and a dense book), and I appreciate the mix of journalism with factual retelling. She follows a core group of SOF soldiers through the string of wars up through Iraq/Afghanistan. This makes it read like a story, where we get to know these “characters.” It’s more of a story than a bland history lesson. That said, I think it weighed heavy on scenes/dialogue/plot at times and could have used more historical context. I also felt like it got a bit wordy and she shared some unnecessary anecdotes, but I appreciate that this was probably from getting to know her interviewees and wanting to provide a holistic picture. Not a bad book, just felt a bit long at times.

[Craig Fiebig · Rating 4 out of 5]

While falling just shy of and possibly duplicating, “The Unforgiving Minute” and “The Heart and the fist”, “The Masters of Chaos” offers interesting insight into the contributions of the operators of the ‘Green Berets’, particularly in more recent events. Recommended reading for those interested in understanding the role of the US Special Operations community, the men involved, their backgrounds and the impact on their lives.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Masters of Chaos is, as the subtitle suggests, a history of the US Army Special Forces, sometimes known as the “Green Berets.” It’s important to understand that this is a specific, specialized, branch of the military, not to be confused with the more general term “Special Operations”, which covers not only the Army Special Forces, but also groups like Navy SEALS, Delta Force, and other groups made popular by eighties action stars. For the rest of this review, I’ll refer to the US Army Special Forces simply as “Special Forces”, because it’s easier, and because I understand they prefer that term to “Green Berets.”

I’m trying a new format for this review. Comments on it are welcome (as are comments on the review itself, of course.).

The Good:

This is a very comprehensive history. Robinson’s background is in journalism, and she’s done an impressive amount of research in addition to spending time interviewing a large number of Special Forces operators. She does an excellent job of describing what it is that the Special Forces do, what makes them special, and how they’re different from other Special Operations groups. She covers their operations from Vietnam up through the current Iraqi conflict (or as far as that conflict had gone at the time of the books publication). The book weighs in at an impressive 388 pages of fairly small type—there is a ton of information here.

Robinson does a fairly good job of characterizing the various soldiers, not at all an easy task. One of the great difficulties in any kind of military writing (or film making, for that matter) is capturing the differences between a bunch of guys who all dress the same, have the same haircut, etc. The Special Forces tend to have looser uniform regulations, but still, it can be easy to make them all end up sounding the same. Robinson doesn’t, by and large. I had some moments of confusion, but for the most part, I could keep track of the various characters, even the unnamed ones.

Yes, there are some unnamed characters; some members of the Special Forces asked to have their names kept out of the book, and Robinson respected that. So there are few characters like the sergeant who keeps trying to finish the deck on his house, that never get named. But still, they’re mostly easy enough to keep track of.

There is a fair amount of technical information, and again, it’s all presented in a fairly clear and easily understandable fashion.

Robinson does a nice job of staying focused on the history that she’s telling without drifting to the politics that surround the deployment of the Special Forces. While there’s certainly a place for evaluating that sort of thing, I appreciated that she mostly stuck to the story of what the Special Forces did on their various assignments. It helps keep the story focused, and lets the reader focus on the characters, and what they do. Which isn’t to say that she paints a rosy picture; Special Forces operators are human, and humans make mistakes, have accidents, and die just like everyone else. Robinson doesn’t shy away from the fact that the operators do sometimes make errors or have problems, but she keeps her focus to the operators themselves, not the larger structures that they’re involved in (except when it’s particularly relevant).

What they do, incidentally, is extremely interesting. If you think that the Special Forces are just a bunch of steroid-abusing Rambo-style thugs, this book is worth a look just to dispel that belief. These guys are warriors, but they’re also scholars and diplomats. They have a great deal of latitude in their mission, which generally require a lot of creative thinking, and not necessarily a lot of firepower.

Of course, firepower is occasionally required. These guys are in the military, after all.

Finally, Robinson makes a convincing case for the need to expand and invest further in the US Special Forces. These are the people who specialize in dealing with asymmetric or unconventional warfare, terrorism, and similar kinds of threats—in short, the types of conflicts that the US is likely to have to deal with in the next several decades.

The Bad:

Robinson’s writing is very direct and straightforward, but sometimes, it’s less than inspiring. She has a tendency to resort to ridiculous clichés far too often for my taste, and some of her characters verge on becoming caricatures. It’s the sort of writing that’s fine for a newspaper column (as I mentioned, she is a journalist), but for a nearly four-hundred page book, it can get a little tiresome.

The Ugly:

The title. It’s also a chapter title in the book, but it sounds much more “macho” and “bad-ass” than this book or the men it portrays really deserve. Also, the cover photo on the paperback edition is less than ideal.

There’s a picture section imbedded in the middle of the book, which is ok, except that I didn’t realize it was there until I reached it, and the pictures reference things that happened all over the book. I wish they had just placed the pictures with the relevant chapters.

Overall:

If you like military history, this book is definitely worth checking out. If you want to know what the US Army Special Forces are really about, it’s definitely worth checking out. But it isn’t a light read, and I wouldn’t go for it unless there’s something about the subject that really interests you.

[Chuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fact filled, detailing the SF structure. The interviews with the individual SF members was interesting. However I was not impressed with the author’s writing style. It didn’t “flow” for me and I found it hard to stick with the book. I kept coming back to it hoping it would pick up...but it didn’t.

[Bill Zappone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read. I enjoyed how it links with other books from her perspective. The other books from Medal of Honor recipients, didn’t have many kind words of the imbedded correspondence writers. They seemed to be in the way during the battle. All in all, author does a good job of sharing the inner world of Special Forces.

[dave bonczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

Gives wonderful insight into the operations and intricate actions of the unsung heroism of the sf community. I,d recommend it to any one searching for the behind the scenes, real action of our military.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I am not the biggest fan of her writing style which on occasion felt clunky, I think the research and work she put in to be accurate in her observation and investigation of down range operators was quite good. Nice shot of the bearded ODA guys for the cover!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional read; enthralling and personal; you can feel the heat of the desert and the weight of the ruck as the author follows these Soldiers through the gates of history. A motivating and tamely patriotic story.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Chosen Soldier which focuses more on the actual training of Special Forces soldiers but this book is an excellent complement to that as it shows how the Special Forces put their extensive training to use in real world situations.

[Rorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read on the history of the Special Forces. Reading this has sparked my interest in learning more about different events around the world. Even though they happened in my lifetime, the only thing I really know about these events (The Balkans, Panama, etc.) is that they happened.

[William M. Whilden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight of modern SF

Excellent account of the ever changing role of SF with insights on the unique people who run the missions. Very informative.

[Nancy Shaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saw in reshelving area at library. From earning the Green Beret, through several wars, a good book of history.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read for everyone to understand what goes on in an unconventional war. Eye opening stories.

[Robert Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book on SF from their beginning with the Jedburgh Teams of WW-II thru Afghanistan & Iraq.
o Glenn was interviewed for this book and one of his ops is talked about – no name mentioned

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book. It was just okay. I prefer any of Dick Couch's book to this one.

I cannot recommend this book.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The portrayals of the missions are gripping, but the personalities of the soldiers weren't given enough justice so the names tend to blur together.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[John Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobody can stand up to the US Military’s conventional fighting force using conventional tactics. Yes, Russia and China have significant militaries and a fight with them would be bloody. But it’s not likely we’re going to go to war with them. Instead, as we’ve seen since the 1990′s, we’re likely to fight much smaller groups—Somali warlords, genocidal brutes in the Balkans, terrorist-supporting regimes like the Taliban, unstable dictators like Saddam Hussein, or Islamic extremists who aren’t associated with any nation.

Those who do try to fight us conventionally get wiped out. We saw that very clearly with Saddam Hussein. Which is why the fight went underground. In this type of war, when the bad guys are hiding among the good, we can’t just rush in and bomb the place to the stone age. If we do, the local population will soon come to hate our presence and work against us. And when that happens, we set ourselves up for defeat.

The best way to fight against insurgents is to ally ourselves with friendly portions of the populace who can identify who the insurgents are, which doors to kick in, and can actually kick those doors in themselves, if only they get some support and training.

Because of this, a strong argument can be made that the US Army’s Special Forces are the most effective tool we have in winning the types of wars we’re likely to fight in the near future.

The US military has a number of special operations forces. Those you’re probably most familiar with are the Navy SEALs, Delta Force, Rangers, Marine Force Recon, and the Army’s Special Forces (commonly known as Green Berets). There are other groups like the Air Force’s Combat Control Team, the Army’s 4th Psychological Operations Group, and other black op units that the military doesn’t officially recognize. There is some overlap in the types of things these forces do. However, each has its own focus, the thing it’s best suited for. The reason why the Army’s Special Forces are so valuable in our current environment is that one of their main missions, the thing they do better than anyone else, is conducting and fighting unconventional wars.

Along with all the other cool stuff that goes along with special operations work, Special Forces troops have to learn how to build rapport and trust because unconventional war is conducted through and by the indigenous population. Special Forces troops not only have to know how to conduct high-risk missions, they have to be able to train others to do the same, which is why they are all required to learn a second language. All this people work requires a more mature soldier. And it shows: the average age of the SF operators is thirty-two, while the average age of a US Marine is nineteen.

I just read two fabulous books on the Army’s Special Forces. The first is Masters of Chaos by Linda Robinson. Robinson was given unprecedented access. She traveled with them to the front lines and was allowed to interview and report as no other had been allowed up to that point. She starts with a brief history of the SF and their training; she then details missions the Special Forces carried out from 1989 – 2003, including their work in Panama, El Salvador, Kuwait, Somalia, the Balkans, Afghanistan, and the second gulf war. My eyes were opened to the significant role they’ve played in all these conflicts. It was absolutely fascinating.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Linda Robinson has written a comprehensive overview of the Green Berets, the US Army Special Forces. It's important to recognize that the term Special Forces is only used when referencing the Green Berets. Special Mission Units, Special Operations, Joint Special operations Command, etc. are used when referring to other elite groups such as the SEALS, Rangers, Delta Force, Recon units, etc. In Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of Special Forces, Robinson tightens her focus solely upon the Green Berets. From their origins to the present-day, Robinson skims through history, providing just enough background to maintain a sense of readerly competency as we jump from Vietnam to Panama, from El Salvador and Iraq to Afghanistan. Interestingly enough, the Green Beret's efforts in Columbia have been omitted, as have many other global areas of intervention.

What Robinson does with the Green Berets is analogous to what John Plaster did in his book SOG: Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam. We become familiar with various teams and team members as they are deployed. We follow along as they carryout their missions, and we are there when they achieve success or encounter failure. Whereas Plaster was able to be more transparent with semi-sensitive information since it deals entirely with Vietnam, Robinson must remain vague when addressing certain modern-day tactics and equipment. These Omissions do not interfere with Robinson writing a solid account of the Special Forces.

The audiobook is narrated by Kirsten Potter. She does a nice job. Her pacing is slower and more deliberate than I prefer, but her delivery is smooth and reinforces a strong sense of narrative place. In this, we as the listener never feel lost or out of step with the text.

I liked this book. It's a nice starter text for anyone interested in the Green Berets, a good jumping-off-point as books go. My frustration is centered more around the lack of information than with the writing style of Robinson or the glossing of history. I wanted more information about missions, about the training, about the evolution of team members. I find it fascinating that the Green Berets are on average older than other active soldiers and have language mastery requirements. I imagine that in twenty or so years, the kind of book I want will be allowed into text. After all, we are still actively and publically engaged in Afghanistan. But this forces me to acknowledge my hypocrisy. I openly identify the type of book I desire, yet I believe the less explicit we are with these types of elite forces, the better. Sometimes not knowing is better than knowing. Sometimes leaving things in the shadows is better than hauling it out into the light of day to be examined by individuals who only possess partial knowledge.

While we want them on that wall, it's probably better that we don't see them on that wall (extra points to anyone recognizing source).

[Mikelis Skudra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story! We know only fraction of how much these brave soldiers accomplish around the world...

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

America's own superheroes. A tight and comprehensive rundown of what the Special Forces are (as opposed to the "Special Operations Forces", as opposed to Delta Force, as opposed to Navy SEALs, etc) and some good journalism on their past successes in Central America, the Balkans, and the Middle East.

The book is hampered somewhat by assumptions about my knowledge of Army chain of command and echelon structure; Robinson might do well to provide appendices listing rank order, abbreviation lookups, more pictures of the main players in the book, that kind of thing. There were also a couple times where classification issues prevented her from naming a soldier and she would just say "the Captain" for several pages, but never saying "whom I'll just call the Captain", so I couldn't figure out who she was referring to.

So some technical problems, but none of it gets in the way of the stories of some of the most incredible military exploits in our history, impressive not because of some macho addiction to destruction, but because of the obsession with indigenous sovereignty and boots-on-ground ingenuity.