Grey Wars: A Contemporary History of U.S. Special Operations

by N.W. Collins

WAR ON THE ROCKS SELECTED BOOK

"Fascinating and deeply researched, covering the defining moments in modern special operations; Grey Wars is a must-read for anyone interested in the post 9/11 world." --Admiral William H. McRaven, USN, Ninth Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command and past chancellor of the University of Texas

"An extraordinary look into the forces who carried one of the heaviest loads in our post 9-11 conflicts, from N. W. Collins." --General (ret.) Joseph L. Votel, senior fellow of Harvard University and West Point

"Going beyond the myths surrounding our special forces, Collins skillfully captures their culture and roles." --General (ret.) Jim Mattis, U.S. Marines, the 26th Secretary of Defense and senior fellow of Stanford University

"Grey Wars provides a gripping account . . . Collins combines important insights with vivid portrayals to yield what is not only a most informative history, but also a great read." --Robert Jervis, past president of the American Political Science Association and past member of CIA Historical Review Panel

This original and accessible book is a comprehensive, authoritative analysis of U.S. Special Operations.

U.S. Special Operations Command trains and equips units to undertake select military activities, frequently high-risk missions, often for the purposes of counterterrorism and counterinsurgency. Since 9/11, impelled by an attack on U.S. soil, these forces have been a central instrument of America’s military campaign—operating in about one hundred countries on any given day. This fight—neither hot war nor cold peace—was launched and executed as a new type of global war in 2001 and has since splintered into a spectrum of regional conflicts. The result are our nation’s grey wars: hazy and lethal.

This contemporary history, published by Yale University Press, incorporating extensive interviews and archival research by security studies expert N. W. Collins, chair of Defense and Security Studies at Columbia University, delves deeply into the transformation of these forces since 9/11.

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

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 29, 2021

About the author

N. W. Collins is a fellow of Yale University and chair emeritus of security studies at Columbia University. Dr. Collins serves as a senior advisor in the U.S. Government.

Reviews

[Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting book. In essence, it weaves together two different threads about the US Special Forces community. One thread is the key missions (eg. Black Hawk Down). Those sections make for fascinating reading in and of themselves, not least the chapter on the Bin Laden assassination.

The second thread is more unique: A behind-the-scenes description of how the Special Forces operate, not just tactically but also their organizational and political setup and challenges, and how they have evolved over time.

One example I found particularly fascinating (from Chapter 3): during WWII and the Cold War, the US military collaborated closely with major US corporations like GE and General Motors, drawing on the country's top talent to keep their lead in the global arms race. Now, however, most major US organizations (think Google etc.) operate on a global level. As a result, these companies are much more cautious about having close ties to the US national security apparatus - not just for privacy-related reasons but also due to employee opposition to working with the defense sector. As a result, the US military now has a harder time drawing on the best brains in the country to maintain their lead.

The book has lots of insights like these and it is also very well written. Very much worth a read.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagine you get a letter inviting you to tour the US Special Operations HQ. That premise is this book’s appeal, the author gives a first person account of SOCOM and CENTCOM and basically pulls as much of the curtain back as legally possible to the US military’s secret units all from the author’s POV.

The good: he has a good analytical ability, writes decently, and getting to walk through the places of SOCOM and CENTCOM is interesting to say the least.

The bad, The scope of the book is a little limited, its main focus is the war on terror and given that most of that information is not in the public domain there isn’t much he can say that isn’t already public. If this book was written today would only be slightly different because with all of the inside information that he was granted about the war in Afghanistan he appears to anticipate that the infrastructure of the United States placed in that country would not last.

If anyone is interested in joining up and services in order to participate in special operations is definitely a good read. If you’re just interested in things that don’t make the news also good read. Outside of those two specifications I’m not sure of this book will benefit most people that read it.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

History books aren't usually this thrilling, but this one examines recent American military interventions through the perspective of the tip of the spear—the special operations groups that have come to define modern warfare. The combination of deep, detailed histories—how did the author get permission to share so much detail?—with storytelling that makes these harrowing missions come alive makes for intense reading. In a good way. This book provides a critical education for anyone trying to understand this chapter of American foreign policy, and you almost don't notice how much you're learning—so well written and kinetic are the passages that describe now legendary military operations, from Blackhawk Down in Mogadishu to the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad. You'll read it in a day or two, but you'll be thinking about it for much longer.

[Marv McGuire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb analysis of Special Operations Forces (SOF)!

Grey Wars provides an interesting assessment of the legislative authorities, operations, capabilities, units and personalities that have shaped America's SOF over the last few decades.

Starting at USSOCOM's MacDill AFB headquarters, the author assesses what attributes really distinguish SOF from other U.S. military units and then embarks on analysis ranging from operations in South Asia and Sri Lanka to as far away as Attotobad, Pakistan; providing interesting insight and commentary on the evolution of SOF capabilities.

A highly informative an interesting read. I highly recommend it.

[RC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional read about U.S. Special Operations. N.W. Collins does a superb job in highlighting the contemporary history of this unique capability and how it quickly emerged as a go-to solution for senior military and political decision-makers. Perhaps as important, the author also highlights the consequences this emergence caused. Very well written, the book is an easy, yet comprehensive read. It flows exceedingly well and is chock full of interesting historical anecdotes that pique the reader's interest and make it incredibly hard to put the down. I highly recommend to anyone that is interested in military history and / or national security issues.

[Bryn D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but not too revealing book about the evolution of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) from the Iran Hostage Crisis to the present while highlighting key historical moments. Part first person reflection of his tour of SOCOM HQ at MacDill AFB in Tampa, FL and part historical analysis, I enjoyed this brief read about how U.S. Special Operation Forces have changed over the years.

[Bryan Steinkopf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overviews the history and changes of SOCOM, citing the specific events that resulted in adaptations and growth.

It gets an extra boost for not including classified information about units and events, even those already leaked.

[Nick Harriss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but interesting book that gives a fast paced summary of the evolution of US special forces over the last 40‐50 years.