A General Speaks Out: The Truth About the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

by Michael DeLong, Noah Lukeman, Gen. Anthony Zinni USMC (Ret.) (Introduction)

Lt. 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 conducting the war on terror.

From his vantage point at the center of discussions between President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and Tommy Franks, General DeLong offers the frankest and most authoritative look yet inside the wars--how we prepared for battle, how we fought, how we toppled two regimes--and what is happening now on these two crucial fronts.

His eye-opening account provides a much-needed insider's view of what's gone right, what's gone wrong, and what we need to do to succeed in this ever more perilous enterprise.

This is a paperback edition of Inside Centcom (ISBN 0895260204) published by Regnery Publishing.

215 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2007

Reviews

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Novel is telling a story from the perspective of Gen Micheal DeLong as he tells his side of the story about the formation of the Coalition to restore Afghanistan and the US invasion of Iraq. He writes what when into the planning two US invasions and how the War in Afghanistan was about revenge against the Al-Qaeda/Taliban Terrorists. He formed many friendships with his colleges and even became a unofficial diplomat to the Coalition Nations considering that he formed it. He, Gen Franks and General Abizaid formed a trio of Generals who help shaped CENTCOM (the United States Central Command of Army Forces) Delong retired after the US invasion of Iraq and became the Head of Security for a Contractor Business dealing with rebuilding destroyed Iraq. I recommend this book people who interested with Army and the Non-Fiction Genere. I rated this 5 Stars because it easiness to read but with its shortness it conveys a lot of information in a quick snap.

[Edgar Raines · Rating 3 out of 5]

This brief account by the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command from 2000 to 2003 provides a brief but interesting account of the opening of the war in Afghanistan in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and in Iraq in March 2003. General DeLong provides a unique perspective on General Tommy Franks and on the elusive Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. As of 2007, when this revised version of his original 2004 book appeared, he remained convinced that Saddam was able to spirit all traces of his biological and chemical warfare programs into Syria before Coalition forces arrived. I wish General DeLong had written at slightly greater length and explained many things in greater detail. His account of the land campaign to Baghdad and beyond was so compressed that it was difficult to follow. This is a good book. A little more exposition and explanation would have made it a better one.

[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...

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book. Most of us think we know what happened in the Middle East after 2001, but this book details what the media and public perception got wrong.

Mike DeLong is apolitical (his words), and he writes neutrally, highlighting the facts. I think it's an important read, for everyone.

[Jwduke · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author was brave to do this. A whole book for a few revelations though. Easy to find the nuggets of good, but most of it isn't good. Seemed like a lot of filler.