Killer Elite

by Michael Smith, James Cameron Stewart (Narrator)

Completely Revised and Updated: The Inside Story of America's Most Secret Special Operations Team

A top-secret U.S. Army Special Operations unit has been running covert missions all over the world, from leading death squads to the hideout of drug baron Pablo Escobar to assassinating key al Qaeda members, including Iraqi leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and, in one of their greatest missions, capturing Saddam Hussein. 'The Activity," as it became known to insiders, has achieved near-mythical status, even among the world's Special Operations elite. Now journalist Michael Smith gets inside this clandestine military team to expose their explosive history and secrets.

The Activity's story begins with the abortive attempt to rescue the American hostages from Iran in 1980. One of the main reasons Operation Eagle Claw failed was a chronic lack of intel on the ground, so in January 1981, U.S. military chiefs set up the "Intelligence Support Activity," a cover name for a secret army surveillance team that could operate undercover anywhere in the world. Hidden from the politicians and the government bean counters, it would carry out deniable operations preparing the way for Delta and SEAL Team Six.

Michael Smith has spoken to many former members of the Activity, and we follow them on operations from the war on the drug barons that led Colombian "death squads" to the hideouts of Pablo Escobar and his men. We learn of more recent missions, including snatching war criminals from their safe houses in the Balkans (at one time disguising themselves as French soldiers to lull a Serb warlord into a false sense of security), and operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa. Killer Elite reveals the incredible truth behind the world's most secret Special Operations organization, a unit that is at the forefront of the War on Terror.

Genres: Military Fiction, History, Nonfiction, War, Military History, Espionage, Middle East

1 pages, Audio CD

First published February 1, 2006

About the author

There is more than one Michael Smith in the database.

Michael Smith is a British author and screenwriter who specializes in spies and espionage.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is often (confidently) stated that the modern CIA grew out of the WW2 OSS. That is true so far as it goes but since the CIA's actual inception it has lived with a sort of split personality. The OSS was a direct action "group" that was directly involved in sabotage, infiltration, combat and even assassination. Historically the role of the CIA has been seen as more a "primarily" intelligence gathering organization. That is however only part of the story.

There has always been a "directive" in the CIA for more "direct" action.

This book attempts to follow the growth and development of what are generally called "Special Forces". Anyone who knows anything about the development of these troops also knows that there are a lot of things that will never be "declassified". Therefore I generally take books like this with a grain of salt.

Here our writer attempts to follow the thread through groups like the Green Berets, MACVSOG on into the Seals (originally 6 was set up to secure the nuclear sights in America in case of war) and Delta (which still officially doesn't exist). Of course there are groups other than these but...you know. There is always the conflict between the Pentagon and CIA and the attempts to set up things like JSOC.

The book is interesting and I think you may find it interesting but I'd keep in mind that there are definitely records that can't and probably will never be available. They probably exist (if they still exist at all and have not been purged) only in a basement somewhere in Langley or Fort Meade, heavily redacted.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard about this book in the footnotes of Kill Bin Laden: A Delta Force Commander's Account of the Hunt for the World's Most Wanted Man and foolishly assumed that the book was about Delta Force.

This was a very good, very interesting, but very dry account of a largely unknown US special operations unit. The title makes the lay reader think this an action-packed account of "top-secret"(what else?) Hollywood-style Special Forces missions to track and kill terrorists all over the world. So don't naively expect anything more than detailed accounts of the plain, hard work that these brave, skilled operators undertake in the darkest, most remote places of the world.

The writing is extremely heavy on quoted passages that do not flow well from one to the next, making for a very "broken" reading experience. My other MAJOR beef with this book is that as far as content goes it reads more like a social-political primer than a military story. Smith covers all sorts of topics that are covered much better in books by Bowden, Beckwith, and Haney. I got the feeling at every turn that Smith was severely hamstringed by security clearances in his attempt to tell this story, which is too bad because it could have been interesting. Instead it was page upon page of very common knowledge recent history, usually culminating in two or three paragraphs of actual operational detail.

One problem I had with the book is that Smith's explanation on the lack of any effective military operations against bin Laden before 9/11 is that such operations were hamstrung by the Joint Chiefs, who "developed no less than fifteen options against bin Laden but then failed to recommend any of them." Actually, the point of developing all those plans was to demonstrate the complexity and difficulty of launching operations in Afghanistan. Also, Smith implies that simply sending the CIA,Activity or Delta Force into Afghanistan to capture bin Laden would have been a silver bullet that would have solved all of our problems and prevented 9/11. That's debatable. Simply incapacitating the leader of a terrorist organization does not make that organization disappear into thin air, Mr. Smith. Even worse, Smith assumes that such an operation would have been incredibly easy.

I had read a little about Bo Gritz before, but I had NO idea how much of a role the Activity had in that affair. Also, I had read about John Mulholland and Bill Garrison, but neve had ANY idea that they used to be in the Activity. It contains lots of "could have done it if we were allowed" stories, but this still gives you some interesting history of the unit. As a bonus, the book provides a very interesting institutional and reputational history of special operations forces that you can't really read about anywhere else.
It also provides a description of some of the SIGINT technology we use today. I had always wanted to learn more about that.

Sometimes, though, this book details operations or units that have nothing to do with the Activity, and it's very dry at times. The title makes you think this is action-packed, but it's not.

Portions of the Activity's charter and history are available below:

here


here


here


here


and here

[Bob Mayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of books out about Special Operations. This one focuses on the ISA-- Intelligence Support Activity. I recall this unit having a lot of different code names over the years and they recruited widely from not only in the regular Special Ops ranks but for specialties outside, such as unique languages.

The book is good, but not the definitive source. The fact is that very few people know the real truth of how things went down. While the ISA was certainly involved in a lot of the missions in the book, they were not alone, so there are times when the account meanders.

Here's a funny thing about Special Operations. One day I was at an FOB talking with some guys from another unit and we were talking about the guys on the black helicopters, because at the time there were lots of stories about this happening state-side. Then we suddenly realized, given all the training missions we'd done CONUS with TF-160, that WE were the guys in the black helicopters. And that's a little scary. There is a thin, hard core line that keeps the country safe.

[Leftbanker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This covered way too much territory to have anything resembling a coherent narrative, but it was still extremely interesting and full of information. I’ve already read a lot on most of what he covers in this book so the jumps in geography and decades didn’t make me dizzy.

If you take anything away from this it should be that our military elite in the USA are the worst elite class we have, and we have some fairly shitty people running things. Our generals are incapable of learning anything from history thus we make the same mistakes over and over.

P.S. I admit that I totally phoned in this review, but I'm just trying to make it to my 500th review.

[Daniel Frank · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a bit dry for my tastes, probably just due to its very nature. While it covered the general "who" and "what" of the Activity, it left absent most of the "how". There was no exciting tales or intricate details of trade, but instead a lot of vaguery amidst historical events. Most of the book doesn't even really talk about the Activity, but about other special operations teams and what events they were involved in and successes they achieved.

[Dylan G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't really like the book in the beginning but the middle to the end was very good It had much more action in it, Good book for people who like Army, U.S Military kind of books

[Kristian Reinertsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dry read but I'd not expected nothing else. Killer Elite delivered what I didn't expect it would: inside information on a world the regular citizen won't ever see.

I liked the wealth of detail and explanations of how world events, political decisions and technological advances affected The Activity and the methods it employed in the field. Sadly, I wasn't up to par on all the linguo and designations, which left me confused at times. But that's not something I can chalk up to the book itself.

Also, I found the leaps between individual events described mildly frustrating. On several occasions, it took me a moment to work out how to put it in a historic context. Thus, I wouldn't necessarily reccomend Killer Elite to the average reader but for anyone interested in researching or interested in contemporary US Special Forces, this book would be one to look into.

[Liam S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was decent. It was very slow and rather boring towards the beginning. As I went on, I felt miserable reading it. I knew some parts of it were good as I kept reading, so I pushed myself to stick to the book. Eventually, it started getting actually really good. I started to enjoy it much more than before, considering I got to read about the takedown of Bin Laden. That was probably the most exciting part of the book, as the other teams featured in the book I didn't recognize whatsoever. All in all, this book was pretty good. I'd recommend this to my peers if they are super super super interested in the military or military books!

[Naim Luqman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another light shine on the clandestine group of Pentagon's spies that resembled the OSS. The writing's a little dry though.

[Sohini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informational, but...

An important contribution. Well researched. But parts of it required better editing. At times, the flow is disjointed and not easy fpr.readers new to the subject to follow.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible insight into the history of the United States Army Intelligence Support Activity. Think of them as the military's version of the CIA, albeit with less oversight and more capabilities. A wonderful read if you're interested in how politics plays into military operations, as well a the bureaucracy of rivalries between different special operations forces.

Michael Smith has truly pulled back the curtain on one of the most secretive units in the American military and gives it context for how the future of the Global War on Terror will ever more rely on these operators to fight the wars and be the tip of the spear.

This book is filled with stories, first-hand accounts, from the hunting of Pablo Escobar to catching war criminals in the Kosovo conflict, as well as the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, ending with how the Activity played a major role in hunting HVT 1, Osama bin Laden.

[Patty Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although skipping through several decades and distant global counter-terrorism operations, discerning that the truest enemy lay within our own traditional military hierarchy was disturbing. From the final chapter, The Activity and other special operations forces, such as Delta and Dev Gru, appear to be well supported and established and flourishing globally ; and hopefully, they will continue to remain immune from political winds.

[Kym Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never could really get into this book. It covers an interesting area and I found it to be more generic than cutting edge as nothing inside was really revealing to those who had read this subject matter.

It is however a quick read and however much truth is found inside one will be entertained all the same.

35 %

[RANGER · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Authoritative History of the Activity, America's Most Classified Special Operations Unit that Doesn't Exist as Far as You Know
This is the second time I have this classic work by British military journalist Michael Smith. It's a well-researched history of America's most secretive unit, generally still referred to by its original euphemistic name, the Intelligence Support Activity (ISA). For those who don't know, this is the classified intelligence collection and terrorist assassination outfit that Tom Clancy's "Splinter Cell" and Tim Moynihan's novel "Prodigal Avenger" (among others) is based on. Having worked in US intelligence for many years, we used to joke that all of us were a giant deception operation to fool the Soviets because the real intel work was performed by units like ISA, or as we called them, the Army of Northern Virginia (in White's book it's the SECRET Army of Northern Virginia but I remember we generally dropped the word "secret"). I first read an earlier edition while researching a book. This is the most recent revised edition that includes details about the capture of Saddam Hussein and Operation Neptune Spear targeting Osama bin Laden.
This book is a joy to read but I suspect those who are not up to speed on late 20th century conflicts in places like Colombia, El Salvador, and the Balkans will find it boring and hard to follow. The portions on the War on Terror are all pretty good but the book ends with the assumption that the US was triumphant in Iraq and Afghanistan. I suppose later revised editions will cover the tragic Afghan withdrawal, the collapse of ISIS in Syria, the Assad regime's demise, and the current conflicts in places like Yemen and in Africa. The last chapter ends rather abruptly so this may be something Mr. Smith has in mind to turn this into a truly comprehensive work. But then again, this book does cover the period from the inception of ISA in the ashes of Operation Eagle Claw in the Iranian desert, the struggle to stand up JSOC and employ the latest SOF forces against the growing terrorism and narcotics trafficking threats, through to the period during OEF/OIF when SOF forces became accepted as the main effort in these campaigns. For those who doubt the wisdom of employing US SOF capabilities against Mexican Drug Cartels I suggest you read the portions of this book focused on the death of Palo Escobar. We've been using this capability on drug traffickers for 40 years now. And our SOF capability is that much better.
As a former member of the intelligence community I can neither confirm nor deny that a US Army unit called ISA is real or ever existed. But I can confirm that Michael Smith's book is an excellent resource and an exciting read for those who are interested in Military History, Special Operations, the War on Terror, counterinsurgency/counter-terrorism/counternarcotics, or US policy history during a very turbulent era.
Highly Recommended.

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend of mine and I used to swap recommendations on SpecOps literature. This one has been on my "To Read" list for a long time, and I finally got around to reading it. I have gotta say... Michael Smith got his hands on some interesting material and talked to some interesting people in order to write this book. It is impressively well researched.

Some of the book is derivative--borrowing from Eric Haney's Inside Delta Force and Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down --but much of it is either brand new or reinterprets some of those other books by adding in a new element--the Intelligence Support Activity--which, as far as I know, no one had published on previously.

In the same way Inside Delta Force ruffled some feathers with its revelations about the actual Delta Force, Killer Elite, I assume, did the same. If you want to see how the omelets get made... this is a good book for you.

[Bchara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is very entertaining to read, lots of details, lots of action is described. I was particularly interested in the parts related to Lebanon, especially the Felix Network.
Yet, i have two observations:
- the book title is Killer Elite - yet, in all the mentioned missions, it doesn’t seem the Activity itself partakes in killing. They collect information on the ground, whether HUMINT or ELINT or other -INTs but the actual killing is done by the Delta or DevGru or some proxies.
- through the different missions described in the book, the general idea one gets is that of a failed institution. Most of the missions either failed, or were called off at the last minute. Perhaps the successful missions are the ones we never hear about.

[Çağatay Boz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alanına göre epey başarılı bir kitap, zira yazar Michael Smith'in kitapta ışık tuttukları direkt olarak ABD'nin gizli operasyonlarını yürüten bir birimiyle ilgili, hakkında somut bilgiye sahip olunamayan operasyonlar yani, doğası gereğiyle. Böyle söyleyince fazla "keko" duruyor ama hoşunuza gitmediyse "covert ops" olarak değiştirebilirsiniz, daha afilli ve anlamlı duruyor.

Edebî olarak yazılmaya çalışılmış bir kitap lâkin pek o havayı veremiyor, bilgi edinme amaçlı okursanız zararlı çıkmayacağınız kanaatindeyim. Alana direkt ve bağımsız bir ilginiz yoksa pek elinize almayınız, sıkacaktır çünkü.

[Erik Sapp · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love reading about SpecOps so thought this book would be just what I wanted. And maybe if it had been about the ISA, I would have enjoyed it. But there is no real substance to this book. The author says the ISA was involved with all these different things, but what did they actually do? There is nothing about how they did their jobs, or really how they are even selected. Given the number of books that do exist about SpecOps, you can't even say the author had to be vague for security reasons. Those same reasons exist in any SpecOps book, but authors still make those books entertaining to read. This one was just dull.

[Johann Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides an introduction to FOG, SOG, SAD, SMU, ISA, and, FID, the focus of which is the ISA through 2015. The ISA has gone by many name: Intelligence Support Activity or Mission Support Activity, and nicknamed The Activity, Task Force Orange, the Army of Northern Virginia, or Office of Military Support (formerly Gray Fox).

Generally speaking, the Activity gathers intelligence while Delta and DEVGRU finds, fixes, and finishes. It is claimed that ISA selection is more physically difficult than that of any other selection.

Colonel Jerry King created the Activity, while Colonel Charlie Beckwith created Delta.

[Joseph Freedom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The level of research on display in this book is simply uncanny. Michael Smith left no stone unturned (except the classified ones, and he even turned over some of those) when putting together this chronological narrative of the vaunted organization often referred to only as “The Unit.” (It really is that classified, folks. 🤣)

I can’t confirm for you what’s truly true, mostly factual, or borderline mythical; but what I can do is tell you that we all owe a debt of gratitude to all of the amazing men and women, past and present, who have accepted the challenge of being a part of this incredible team and executing its daunting, highly critical mission. 🇺🇸

[Brian Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a shoot em up book but very interesting

If you're looking for a door kicking, shoot em up book this is not it, however, if you ever been in the military or even know anybody that's been in the military this book will make your hair stand on end . It shows the ineptness of our government and our most senior military leaders. It should make you shiver in fear for our military, at least now they figured out what we need to do to defeat our enemies. Every time our military had a bad guy in their sights we get a "but". Read this book and you'll see what I mean.

[Dan Adelhelm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating, high-tempo look at the world of ultra-quiet special operations, the kind of missions most people only hear about after the fact, if ever. The book’s strength is momentum: it moves through operations, capabilities, and the shadowy ecosystem around them in a way that’s easy to keep turning pages on.

It’s not a memoir, so you’re reading a reported account rather than one operator’s voice, but it still scratches that “how does this actually work?” itch. Great if you’re into modern SOF history and the uneasy tradeoffs between secrecy, effectiveness, and accountability.

[Esequiel Contreras Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing

I enjoy and love most of what I finish reading. This book is one of the few in which I could actually say kept me up into the wee hours of the night or up early mornings before work. I truly enjoyed every chapter and look forward to continued learning.

Zeke Contreras
San Antonio, Texas

May 2017

[Don Brunell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never expected this story would reach the public

This is an incredible book about an incredible group. The Activity truly is at the very point of the spear. They manage to conduct intelligence in places must of us think as completely denied. If it was not for the Activity our special mission units would not have the intel to be successful.

[Hunter Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fanatastic!

Probably the most informative book I have read on warfare from the end of the 20th century until today. It is amazing the work the author did to compile and effectively put this work together, and even more admirable what the Activity has done in its history to get the bad guys.

[Kalle Wescott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read /Killer Elite: The Inside Story of America's Most Secret Special Operations Team/, by Michael Smith.

I didn't care about half the book, and didn't find it well-written... but I'm giving it 5 stars for some of the informati0n in the book, that I haven't seen anywhere else... or regarding the quality of military satellite imagery, only one other place.

[Ra Fe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smith provides an incredibly detailed history of the "Activity" from inception through Afghanistan. Written (documented) in a style allowing the reader to nearly participate in the journey of spec ops reorganizations, distrust, successes, and ops models that finally allowed the Activities operators and knob turners to get the jobs done. Smith provides a richly footnoted and detailed accounting and it is one that I was appreciative of reading. Recommended.

[Robert L Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

Very good job providing the history of our special ops hero's over the past 30 plus years. Gripping and informative! I now understand that there is many things that we will never hear about.

[Efguirguis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

Interesting, well written and informative. The excess of episodes is boring at times. Fewer episodes would have sufficed.
A pity that with all their power and tech the Americans never managed to capture a terrorist leader. A bit like a bull in a china shop.

[Craig Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a solid piece of investigative journalism. The story also shows the importance of the special forces and the need for intelligence on the modern battlefield. It also shows how the top military brass is reluctant to use the special forces. A good read!