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No Room For Error: The Story Behind the USAF Special Tactics Unit
“John Carney is one of the few heroes I have.”
–LT. COL. L. H. “BUCKY” BURRUSS, USA (Ret.)
Founding member and Deputy Commander of Delta Force
When the U.S. Air Force decided to create an elite “special tactics” team in the late 1970s to work in conjunction with special-operations forces combating terrorists and hijackers and defusing explosive international emergencies, John T. Carney was the man they turned to. Since then Carney and the U.S. Air Force Special Tactical units have circled the world on sensitive clandestine missions. They have operated behind enemy lines gathering vital intelligence. They have combated terrorists and overthrown dangerous dictators. They have suffered many times the casualty rate of America’s conventional forces. But they have gotten the job done–most recently in stunning victories in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan, which Carney calls “America’s first special-operations war.” Now, for the first time, Colonel Carney lifts the veil of secrecy and reveals what really goes on inside the special-operations forces that are at the forefront of contemporary warfare.
Part memoir, part military history, No Room for Error reveals how Carney, after a decade of military service, was handpicked to organize a small, under-funded, classified ad hoc unit known as Brand X, which even his boss knew very little about. Here Carney recounts the challenging the secret reconnaissance in the desert of north-central Iran during the hostage crisis; the simple rescue operation in Grenada that turned into a prolonged bloody struggle. With Operation Just Cause in Panama, the Special Tactical units scored a major success, as they took down the corrupt regime of General Noriega with lightning speed. Desert Storm was another triumph, with Carney’s team carrying out vital search-and-rescue missions as well as helping to hunt down mobile Scud missiles deep inside Iraq.
Now with the war on terrorism in Afghanistan, special operations have come into their own, and Carney includes a chapter detailing exactly how the Air Force Special Tactics d.c. units have spearheaded the successful campaign against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Gripping in its battle scenes, eye-opening in its revelations, No Room for Error is the first insider’s account of how special operations are changing the way modern wars are fought. Col. John T. Carney is an airman America can be proud of, and he has written an absolutely superb book.
–LT. COL. L. H. “BUCKY” BURRUSS, USA (Ret.)
Founding member and Deputy Commander of Delta Force
When the U.S. Air Force decided to create an elite “special tactics” team in the late 1970s to work in conjunction with special-operations forces combating terrorists and hijackers and defusing explosive international emergencies, John T. Carney was the man they turned to. Since then Carney and the U.S. Air Force Special Tactical units have circled the world on sensitive clandestine missions. They have operated behind enemy lines gathering vital intelligence. They have combated terrorists and overthrown dangerous dictators. They have suffered many times the casualty rate of America’s conventional forces. But they have gotten the job done–most recently in stunning victories in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan, which Carney calls “America’s first special-operations war.” Now, for the first time, Colonel Carney lifts the veil of secrecy and reveals what really goes on inside the special-operations forces that are at the forefront of contemporary warfare.
Part memoir, part military history, No Room for Error reveals how Carney, after a decade of military service, was handpicked to organize a small, under-funded, classified ad hoc unit known as Brand X, which even his boss knew very little about. Here Carney recounts the challenging the secret reconnaissance in the desert of north-central Iran during the hostage crisis; the simple rescue operation in Grenada that turned into a prolonged bloody struggle. With Operation Just Cause in Panama, the Special Tactical units scored a major success, as they took down the corrupt regime of General Noriega with lightning speed. Desert Storm was another triumph, with Carney’s team carrying out vital search-and-rescue missions as well as helping to hunt down mobile Scud missiles deep inside Iraq.
Now with the war on terrorism in Afghanistan, special operations have come into their own, and Carney includes a chapter detailing exactly how the Air Force Special Tactics d.c. units have spearheaded the successful campaign against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Gripping in its battle scenes, eye-opening in its revelations, No Room for Error is the first insider’s account of how special operations are changing the way modern wars are fought. Col. John T. Carney is an airman America can be proud of, and he has written an absolutely superb book.
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2001
34 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 28, 2018
I found this read interesting in that there are several aspects of major American Special Operations events that I found have not been covered anywhere, especially Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada).
June 4, 2021
A revealing look at an aspect of special operations I was not fully aware of.
August 25, 2016
Not a lot of bragging room since 3 of the biggest military failures in the past 40 years were directly responsible by the "Special Tactics Units" under the author's command... The Failed Iran hostage rescue of 1979, the embarrassment of Granada and the Black Hawk Down fiasco. Funny how every failure was "the military's fault" while every success was directly related to Col. Carney. Not recommended.
November 11, 2019
Every branch of the military today has formed it's own elite special operations forces starting with the Army Rangers, the Green Berets, SEALs, Delta Force, etc. In the late 1970's the US Air Force decided to create its own elite "Special Tactics" team to work in coordination with Special Ops forces of the other services. Initially they didn't have much support as it was generally believed that existing teams were sufficient; in fact they were initially known as Brand X, small and underfunded, and it was looked upon as an experiment that was expected to eventually go away. They specialized in reconnaissance, search and rescue, hunting down mobile enemy missile launchers, and setting up and marking temporary landing strips to facilitate bringing in troops and equipment. They participated in the failed rescue mission in the Iranian desert, the operation in Grenada, the overthrow of Panamanian dictator Noriega, Operation Desert Storm, and campaigns against the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Author Colonel (ret) John T Carney Jr was the man who put this team together for the USAF and lead it through all of its formative years. And in No Room for Error: The Covert Operations of America's Special Tactics Units from Iran To Afghanistan he gives us a book by an ultimate insider that is part memoir and part military history as he takes us through the origins of Special Forces and the development and operation of the USAF Special Tactics Units often behind enemy lines. Fans of military history will not be disappointed!
July 13, 2020
This book started off a bit slow and seemed to put the author in a light that he had a chip on his shoulder. As the events that he witnessed or had second-hand knowledge of, it’s understandable what his frustration was, and I’m sympathetic.
AFSOC and the 24th AF rarely get much of a spotlight in Special Operations, but based on the exploits and support activities that the author and his men conducted, it’s well overdue and deserved.
As someone who also has been frustrated when my support personnel rarely receive credit or even honorable mention when operations go right, but are typically blamed first when something goes awry, I can connect with his exposition of having to fight for resources amongst an unsympathetic (and lacking in understanding) and I’ll-informed service headquarters, as well as Combatant Commands.
He also sheds light into Grenada and Panama, which I wasn’t previously aware of, and greatly appreciate his candor and assessment from his perspective.
Though only three stars, there are definitely lessons to be learned and a perspective worthy of understanding.
AFSOC and the 24th AF rarely get much of a spotlight in Special Operations, but based on the exploits and support activities that the author and his men conducted, it’s well overdue and deserved.
As someone who also has been frustrated when my support personnel rarely receive credit or even honorable mention when operations go right, but are typically blamed first when something goes awry, I can connect with his exposition of having to fight for resources amongst an unsympathetic (and lacking in understanding) and I’ll-informed service headquarters, as well as Combatant Commands.
He also sheds light into Grenada and Panama, which I wasn’t previously aware of, and greatly appreciate his candor and assessment from his perspective.
Though only three stars, there are definitely lessons to be learned and a perspective worthy of understanding.
January 23, 2017
Very interesting topic, but poorly written book. Often the author's thoughts are scattershot and the claims of one paragraph contradict the claims of the next. Still, given the important, but opaque nature of Air Force special tactics missions, this book is worth reading until a better one comes along.
July 12, 2021
An interesting history intermingled with stories and firsthand accounts. It is nice to hear what has worked and hasn't over the years. It goes to show what is possible if an organization is willing to learn from their mistakes and integrate their lessons learned.
May 4, 2018
History of Special Tactics told by one of the early commanders. Insightful and charitable towards other SOF folks.
July 27, 2020
Recommended for those interested in the background to today's AF Special Tactics.
February 12, 2023
Must read
September 13, 2024
3.5 stars. Somehow, I didn't write down any notes.
Roman, read this one.
Roman, read this one.
February 17, 2015
What happens between what you see in the news when politicians say our military service men (and sometimes not saying it till it has already started or is done) will or have done something, and what you see in the news of the soldier on the ground at the place of conflict, or disaster relief (their new mission?)
Those people and the planning and the events that take place, to make sure to the best of their ability that the soldier gets to exactly where he is supposed to be, with what he is supposed to have. Exactly that place.
There is the history of how this unit began in secret, and now is much expanded, maintaining coordination through every branch of service.
Most of their work the author explained was with the elite units.
The author seems to have almost gotten to where he was by a fluke, having reached a dead-end in his career and being passed over twice as a major for promotion, but being assigned to this "odd-ball" unit and bringing about a remarkable transformation with what he had to work with, and thereby getting the attention and admiration of his superiors.
This is not a real good review as I was much distracted during listening, but if you have an interest in the military, it will help your understanding of what just happened that will be history.
Those people and the planning and the events that take place, to make sure to the best of their ability that the soldier gets to exactly where he is supposed to be, with what he is supposed to have. Exactly that place.
There is the history of how this unit began in secret, and now is much expanded, maintaining coordination through every branch of service.
Most of their work the author explained was with the elite units.
The author seems to have almost gotten to where he was by a fluke, having reached a dead-end in his career and being passed over twice as a major for promotion, but being assigned to this "odd-ball" unit and bringing about a remarkable transformation with what he had to work with, and thereby getting the attention and admiration of his superiors.
This is not a real good review as I was much distracted during listening, but if you have an interest in the military, it will help your understanding of what just happened that will be history.
February 1, 2016
Part autobiography, part account and lessons learned from the perspective of US special ops forces in conflicts ranging from JUST CAUSE to ENDURING FREEDOM.
This was rewarding to read as an autobiography -- a twice-passed over US Air Force major who stuck to his principles with regard to the integration of combat air control into special ops...to be rewarded later with below-the-zone promotion to full colonel. His personal account of his involvement in this unique aspect of SOF makes this book well worth the read.
The account of this history of SOF is heavily biased as though SOF failures and successes alone accounted for the subsequent failures/successes of the conflicts the author discusses. My preference would have been that he stick to his experiences alone, and not make connections between his involvement and the outcomes of these various engagements.
Great book, but could have been much better if the author has chosen one track. Still, this was a great perspective to see modern warfare through, and provides some much-needed lessons learned for the modern warfare leader.
This was rewarding to read as an autobiography -- a twice-passed over US Air Force major who stuck to his principles with regard to the integration of combat air control into special ops...to be rewarded later with below-the-zone promotion to full colonel. His personal account of his involvement in this unique aspect of SOF makes this book well worth the read.
The account of this history of SOF is heavily biased as though SOF failures and successes alone accounted for the subsequent failures/successes of the conflicts the author discusses. My preference would have been that he stick to his experiences alone, and not make connections between his involvement and the outcomes of these various engagements.
Great book, but could have been much better if the author has chosen one track. Still, this was a great perspective to see modern warfare through, and provides some much-needed lessons learned for the modern warfare leader.
October 18, 2009
The author alternates from autobiographical sections to sections covering special operations training and then actual missions. As the book moves forward, each account uses the first person less than the last, which I think indicates the authors increasing remove from the events he describes: as far as I could tell the later sections could have been a summary of his reading of the book Black Hawk Down, or of Wikipedia entries on Afghanistan. It's kind of pointless to write a book like this without establishing where the author was a privileged observer or participant and capitalizing on that, and only speaking of other events that weren't known to the author at the time to provide context.
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December 17, 2012The most apt description of this is: detailed. Unfortunately, a lot of the detail goes into listing the people and units that were involved in aspects, and less on what happened. For example, there was probably more detail spent on the people involved in the Mogadishu incident (around 10 pages of the book) than Mark Bowden's entire Black Hawk Down. What's lost is the personality and the sense of understanding about the people.
This book provides a good description of how the Special Tactics unit evolved from Brand X into what it is today. It's helpful, interesting and complete, but lacks the heart and soul and understanding of other books in the genre.
This book provides a good description of how the Special Tactics unit evolved from Brand X into what it is today. It's helpful, interesting and complete, but lacks the heart and soul and understanding of other books in the genre.
February 7, 2008
This is a completely unadulterated account - from genesis onward - of the USAF's special tactics unit, by one of the "quiet professionals" who shaped it into what it is today. It's a great insight to the politics of the military and the "tip of the spear" operations in everything from Iran (the Desert One hostage rescue) to Afghanistan, including Grenada, TWA 847, Panama, Desert Storm, Bosnia, Kosovo, Somalia (the Blackhawk Down scenario), and Haiti. The author maintains a charity scholarship foundation for the children of fallen special operations warriors @ www.specialops.org
December 23, 2011
In the part where Desert Storm is being recounted, blithely the author remarks that soldiers on the ground in Iran took out an oil tanker truck with a "light anti-tank weapon they had on the handlerbars of their motorcycles." They were speeding around the desert with handlebar-mounted anti-tank weapons? Awesome!
More roots of special tactics stories with revealing details fill this book. Desert One and Urgent Fury, the invasion of Granada, make up the bulk of the history. However, therein lies the roots of modern special tactics units as we know them.
Good narration.
More roots of special tactics stories with revealing details fill this book. Desert One and Urgent Fury, the invasion of Granada, make up the bulk of the history. However, therein lies the roots of modern special tactics units as we know them.
Good narration.
July 21, 2014
15times deadly, months to liberate, dirty bomb, AFbrandX, short helicopter and moved Carter support 21errors poor intel, Granada another prep key to evolving, simplicity security surprise repetition speed purpose, Panama another significant improvement and first major success, neutralize scuds, Bosnia, comfort Kurds as done 6-8 times Cambodia and others, Somalia, Haiti, never start a job the locals can’t finish, scholarships for children, not great at predicting wars, began with 6 in 77 now 7 squads.
July 24, 2011
The first few chapters were very interesting, and the book was good overall, but is in serious need of better editing. Those without a strong military background will likely become confused and inundated with all the facts and excess information thrown at them. There are some great stories here, they just need a good editor to help bring them out.
November 21, 2008
This book have great insights into special ops and how far we've come from very botched assignments that had a lot of "lipstick" put on them! There's a lot of detail here, but it was rather fascinating.
May 5, 2011
This book read like a military report. I found it fasinating to have the author, a former Red Berret, reveal the lack of communication between these special unit forces. Very timely read for me given the recent assination of Bin Ladden by the Navey Seals.
January 3, 2008
The history and a good overview of where my job came from, from the man who started it.
August 18, 2009
Explains the early days of Special Ops -- with some great stories from an Air Force perspective.
April 11, 2012
I had heard about what a "cluster *$" Grenada was, no I have it nearly first hand.
August 31, 2012
Excellent history of little known units.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews