Reddit mentions: The best intelligence & espionage history books

Get an AR15. If you can't afford the $400 to $500 get a good basic AR or they are banned in your state, then we can talk about other long arms, but if neither of those is a problem there is no reason to get any other type of rifle. Getting a pistol would be good too, but I don't consider myself qualified to recommend pistols, so I'll leave that subject to others.

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As for manuals, I'd recommend staying away from the classic leftist books on guerilla warfare, such as those my Mao and Che. Their interesting historical pieces but don't hold up in many ways. If you want a more theoretical overview of how asymmetric warfare works, I'd recommend David Kilcullen's book Out of the Mountains: The Coming Age of the Urban Guerrilla. As for a more hands on approach, I found many of these videos helpful. The US Army manual and the Smartbooks manual on small unit tactics seem good from what I can tell, but I'm not an expert.

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Cybersecurity is very important, but something I'm not super knowledgeable in. At the very least I'd recommend using TOR, Signal, and Protonmail. Be careful of what kind of history you leave of yourself on social media accounts.

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Basic survival skills are a good thing to learn as well. How to start a fire, how to purify water, etc. Also, become familiar with concepts such as every day carry (EDC) kits, and being the Greyman. Learning how to pick locks probably wouldn't hurt either. Tactical driving is good to know as well. Learn basic first aid/emergency medicine. Skinnymedic on Youtube had good videos.

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Train train train with whatever weapon you have. Having more training is far more important than having a super nice/fancy gun.

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Make connections with your neighbors, community, comrades, etc. Having community to fall back on and to back you up is so important. Seriously, our success depends on community support the same way fish depend on water.

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Anyway, that's just a quick list of things off the top of my head.

Quicksand, by Geoffry Wawro

Power, Faith, and Fantasy by Michael Oren

The Coming Anarchy by Robert Kaplan

The Revenge of Geography by Robert Kaplan

The Shia Revival by Vali Nasr (although to be honest I found this one a little dull)

Imperial Life in the Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekaran

Little America by Rajiv Chandrasekaran

Soldiers of God by Robert Kaplan

Sleeping with the Devil by Baer

Dirty Wars by Jeremey Scahill

Ghost Wars by Steve Coll

Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile

The Way of the Knife by Mark Mazzetti

Eastward to Tartary by Robert Kaplan (I actually haven't read this one yet but it's definitely on my to do list and I'm a huge fan of Kaplan's writing, observation, and analysis.)

The Ends of the Earth by Robert Kaplan

This is a partial list of some books I've read in the past couple of years. I put stars next to the ones that I think are the really really excellent ones. Some of them aren't entirely about the Middle East but the concepts in them are really important if you want to understand the region. I hope you look through the list and at the very least look at some of the books that Amazon recommends to go along with these books.

Oh, you should also check out this essay. I like to think it's decent reading if you want to understand what motivated Bin Laden and the context surrounding his life.

If you manage to read just a few of these, and also keep up with the news (I recommend a subscription to the Economist and to the New York Times) you will be a phenomenally well educated person about the Middle East.

Yes, the department of defense. The GRU was just the USSR's military intelligence. The US has a very large military intelligence apparatus. Actuallly, about 80% of all US intelligence resides in the department of defense. It is just organised very differently than the USSR so there is not one specific organization to look at. THE NSA, DIA, NRO, are all just parts of the department of defense intelligence assets.

If you want to get a much better idea of how the US organizes its intelligence community, referred to as the US Intelligence Community or USIC, I would recommend The US Intelligence Community by Jeffrey Richelson or Intelligence: From Secrets to Policy by Mark Lowenthal.

Here's a long post I saw on another forum about some of the very little known details about the Iran Contra affair, specifically about the never-launched rescue missions to rescue the hostages. The whole thing shows how much of a traitor and piece of shit Oliver North is.

Most of it is painstakingly re-typed stuff from The Killer Elite a book about the Intelligence Support Activity. The ISA is a special mission unit that infiltrates an area and gathers intelligence for other units, such as the SEALs, or Delta Force, before they go on a mission. 

The following passage basically shows that during the Lebanon hostage crisis Oliver North inadvertently prolonged the torture of the (original) seven American hostages (as well as the three subsequent hostages), and allowed CIA Chief of Station in Lebanon, Bill Buckley to die - all because Oliver North wanted the weapons-for-hostages deal (Iran-Contra) to go on. 

There were plans from Joint Special Operations command to go in and get the hostages, and at several times the ISA and JSOC had good intel about the whereabouts of the hostages – at one point, their source had a man on the inside in the same damn building. They even drew up plans where Delta Force and the ISA would assault the entire compound they were being held in, and rescue the hostages. They never went ahead with the rescue plans. Here's the backstory, and why:

[quote]
By September 1985, seven US citizens were thought to be held by Lebanese-based terrorist groups in either the Southern suburbs of Beruit or the Beka'a Valley. In fact, there were only six. Unbeknownst to the outside world, Bill Buckley [the CIA Chief of Station in Lebanon who was captured by Hezbollah, who was brutally tortured for his CIA secrets] was already dead. Those who remained at that stage were [names of the people]. Early in September, a Special Operations Task Force, commanded by General Carl Stiner and almost certainly including members of the ISA, deployed to the British base at Akrotiri in Cyprus in readiness for a possible hostage rescue. "We had intelligence information indicating that there might be a release of all the hostages," Stiner later recalled. "My orders were to set up a mechanism for their pickup and return to the US. We were also prepared for a rescue operation in case something went wrong." (Smith, 2010, pg. 131-132)

There was no real intelligence. The information that the hostages might be released came from National Security Council where Lt. Colonel Oliver North was directing a complex scheme to supply arms to Iran in exchange for the release of the seven hostages held by Lebanese terrorist groups linked to the regime in Tehran... For the Reagan administration, it removed its biggest problem - the seeming impotence in the face of the terrorists who had kidnapped the so-called "forgotten seven" - while at the same time improving its poor relations with a poor country that was seen as vital in holding back Soviet expansionism [Nicaragua]. " (Smith, 2010 pg 132)

The death of Buckley sparked anger within the American covert operations community. “We at one point were very close to running a rescue operation to get Bill Buckley back,” said Bill Cowan, then a member of the Activity. “I was told by people who would know that we had a very good fix on where he was. We had somebody inside that building who was providing good, credible information. We in fact moved forces into Europe, maybe further, in preparation to rescue Bill Buckley and the operation was cancelled by the White House. Some say by Oliver North. It was canceled shortly before it was going to happen. Those who I’ve spoken with who were in the know say it was canceled because we had a very active program going on, out of the White House, [exchanging] arms for hostages, and the rescue of Bill Buckley might have impacted negatively on that.” (Smith, 2010, pg. 133) 

[…] Robert McFarlane, Reagan’s former national security advisor and a key figure in the so-called “Concept,” the arms for hostages program, secretly visited Tehran with Oliver North for talks with Iranian officials. North’s operations plan for the trip defined the objective as “to secure the return of the four American hostages who continue to be held by Hezbollah elements in Lebanon.” These were now [names of remaining hostages], [Peter] Killburn having been executed in April in retaliation for US air attacks on Libya, which were themselves sparked by the bombing of a Berlin disco in which two American servicemen were killed. (Smith, 2010, pg. 135)

North defined the purpose of “the Concept” as being to “provide incentives for the Government of Iran to intervene with those who hold the American hostages and secure their safe release.” But the talks foundered on Iranian demands that more spare parts and missiles be produced before they release any more hostages. Although there was agreement to continue talking, Admiral John Poindexter, the new national security advisor, and other members of the NSC now believed that the arms-for-hostages negotiations had reached a stalemate. On 31 May, Poindexter wrote a memo to North in which he said “I am beginning to think that we need to seriously think about a rescue effort for the hostages.” North wrote back saying that the Joint Chiefs had “steadfastly refused to go behind the initial thinking stage unless we can develop hard evidence on their whereabouts.” There was already an ISA officer in Beirut preparing the ground for a hostage rescue should it be ordered, North said [to Poindexter]. [Some details about who was there, and their history] The following day, President Reagan approved military planning for a special operations hostage rescue mission and revived the previous plans put together by the Activity. (Smith, 2010, pg. 135)

[Several pages outlining the proposed rescue mission – codenamed Operation/Project Round Bottle]
[/quote]


They (the ISA) were getting their intel from a member of the Christian Mlitia’s (Phalangists) intelligence branch, codenamed Felix. The information was highly reliable and proved accurate hundreds of times over – this information was passed onto the NSA, CIA, etc. It was good stuff. 

A former Activity member said, “They [the Christian Militia] provided us with the exact location of every hostage. They told us where they were being moved to, every location. We were able to verify this by other means. We could have launched the operation and freed the hostages.”

[quote]
Meanwhile, the deep flaws in the whole arms-for-hostages operation were being exposed. Having handed over two American hostages, Hezbollah simply kidnapped two more. [Details about those kidnappings, and a subsequent third one]. But astonishingly, Poindexter and North continued with the policy of talking to the Iranians, deciding that a different back channel… would produce better results. The Activity was told to put the hostage rescue mission back on the shelf and to “cease and desist” contacts with the Lebanese Forces. 
[Paragraph about the Israeli’s pushes to keep supplying the Contras, because they wanted Iran stronger against Iraq, whom they feared more.]

But within two weeks, with the arms-for-hostages program falling apartand about to leak to the press, the National Security Council changed its mind yet again and the DCSINT, deputy chief of staff for intelligence, ordered the Activity to reactive the plans for Project Round Bottle. The Felix network had reported that three US hostages were being held in tents and caves in the Beka’a and this appeared to be confirmed by aerial reconnasance. (Smith, 2010, pg. 143-44)

Two ISA operatives had just been sent into Lebanon for the mission when the the order came down once again to pull the plug. “Project Round Bottle was terminated without evaluation of information even though the DCSINT personally requested same,” the secret history of the unit [ISA] for 1986 said. The reason for the second cancelation was that North had visited Frankfurt for talks with [an Iranian official’s nephew], who “assures us he will get two of the three hostages freed within the next few days.”< span> The Iranians insisted that neither [of the two hostages] had been kidnapped by groups under their control, despite all of the intelligence suggesting otherwise. But the whole enterprise was already unraveling. The use of the second back channel through [Iranian official] had left the earlier negotiators furious and they leaked the story out through a small Hezbollah newspaper in Baalbek. Another American hostage, David Jacobsen, was released on 2 November 1986 in exchange for 500 TOW missiles. [Details about the whole affair being aired out] (Smith, 2010, pg. 144)

One senior ISA officer ridiculed the North plan to swap hostages for weapons. “That policy was a great deal for the Iranians. ‘We’ll give you two hostages and we’ll go pick up two more.’< span> It’s an endless source of money. I’d be happy to run an operation like that. You keep paying me something, and I’ll make sure I’ve got plenty of it. Unbelievable. People in the State Department, clearly in the CIA, certainly people who understand terrorism and counterterrorism operations were aghast at the whole thing. It was amateurish at best, absolutely amateurish. It undermined the whole thing. When you are trying to run undercover operations and suddenly you’ve got some crazy operations, by any standards, being run, you’ve lost all credibility with those with whom you’re dealing with.” (Smith, 2010, pg. 144-145)
[/quote]

That's not even getting into the fact that it was illegal and arguably unconstitutional. It was dumb as fuck.

While they are not active duty soldiers, reserve Special Forces soldiers train and deploy just like their active duty counterparts.

The Ranger Tab (“short tab”) does not necessarily imply service in the Ranger Regiment (generating controversy over who may be called “Ranger”), while the Special Forces Tab (“long tab”) generally (though not necessarily) implies service in a Special Forces group. Those completing SFAS and the “Q” course will generally serve in a Special Forces group immediately thereafter, and both Reserve and Active Special Forces soldiers go through this same initial training.
Special Forces, unlike the Rangers, don’t have a separate tab and scroll. Thusly, no such controversy has arisen over the “long tab,” at least not that we have heard of. It would seem that Special Forces is Special Forces—as I said, Reserve units train and deploy just like their active duty counterparts.
“Hanmerhead Six” is a well-written book detailing the deployment of a Reserve Special Forces ODA.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/75th_Ranger_Regiment_(United_States)#The_term_%22Ranger%22

https://www.amazon.com/Hammerhead-Six-Unconventional-Against-Afghanistans/dp/0316341444

Bro there is an abundance of resources for information on the officer route:

Current as of May of this year

Couple years old, but still pretty good

Trimhopp went to SOAS and was offered an officer slot a while ago. Dig through this thread and his comments for some insight. He's not active on the sub anymore but I'm sure he'd be willing to answer questions. He's chill.

Breaking BUD/S: Nothing in here we haven't heard, but the author lays out the process pretty well. I'm sure some things have changed since the book came out, but it's a good resource.

u/77dude has a son who went through BUD/S as an officer. Maybe he would also be willing to answer questions. But inform yourself first OP so you don't have to ask anything you can Google. (Not being an asshole, just encouraging the "ask three before you ask me" rule I learned growing up)

I don't have any fitness advice, but since you're considering joining BUD/S I thought I'd point out a book for you to read about the training.

The book is called Breaking BUD/S: How Regular Guys Can Become Navy SEALs by DH Xavier.

It's a very informative book about BUD/S, what happens during training, what to do before training, the different jobs there are, the difference between officers and enlisted, etc. It's also mixed with humor so it's even more enjoyable to read.

I thought I'd point it out because from the outside looking in, it seems like all SEALs are gods and they do things you never could. This book can really help you understand that they were once in your position and they're actually pretty normal guys. It doesn't matter if you are an accountant or mechanic, you can still be a SEAL.

Dick Couch also wrote a book called The Warrior Elite which was also very informative. Breaking BUD/S however was more enjoyable to read because it was so straight forward and had a lot of humor and funny analogies.

I beat my personal record on deadlift and I learned some new wrestling moves. Also got some one on one time with a trainer for free. Work was also pretty slow so we got to goof around a lot as well and yet somehow I ended up with the usual amount of tips. Pretty good day. notbad.jpeg

This would really help me out with strength training.

Yeah, all due respect Laesyvan, but I've heard and read the direct opposite. All the guys I've known in group have said that SOPC/SFPC does a terrific job of preparing X Rays for SFAS, and they tend to fair a lot better than their reg army counterparts on average during selection...check out Chosen Warrior by Dick Couch. He echoes that sentiment. Plus X rays aren't really hated for their background, if a guy works hard and gets after it, he'll be respected (or at least that's what I've been told).

None the less, if you're really interested in becoming an Officer /u/TheRadSpaceman then all of this is moot anyway. You'll apply to SFAS as either a first LT or Captain, and will have to spend a few years in the regular army before applying - not unless you apply for RASP 2.

Go SF. You know what the key to passing selection is? Preparation. Physical and Mental preparation. There are plenty of resources to help you gain these things. At 17 you have plenty of time to prepare. The 18X program is not bad, what is bad are the people who go unprepared.

Don't worry about learning a language or programming, neither is on the ASVAB. Language will be based on needs at the time you join, I would not try to guess what would be useful.

>will being relatively small, particularly regarding height, hurt my chances for SF?

You'll need to look into the ways to ruck properly with your height. My understanding however is that being short is not a big problem.

>my GPA is pretty shit (3.0, private jesuit school) in comparison to my standardized test results so far (part of the reason i'd like to go into the military before college). will this discrepancy hurt me?

No.

>is joining one branch and cross training to another part of the military a better idea than trying to get in straight from enlistment? if so is there any path you recommend

No. Once you serve your choices get limited, the military spends the majority of its efforts attracting new service members. Generally if you try to go to a different service you are going to experience limitations.

SF sounds like the route for you with your goals. Go buy these two books and get started.

https://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Soldier-Making-Special-Warrior/dp/0307339394

https://www.amazon.com/Get-Selected-Special-Forces-Successfully/dp/0975355279

Also I believe the ShadowSpear forum has mentors for people interested in a career in SoF.

I read Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit it was a great read. Not sure how much is true, but either way it's a great story told in a great way.

Thank you.

Here is some stuff on SOF:

• A cool video showing how they view tactical risks differently
  
• A good book on the subject
  
• The second half of this article focuses on SOF
  
• This article explores the kinetic parts of SOF link
  
• Another article on the subject link
  
• Dated, but does a good job at explaining how Russians view special reconnaissance. link
  
• Touches on EW and SOF link
  
  That should help guide you on SOF. EW is harder, as it involes going through Russian stuff.

Hopefully I'm still alive when this type of detail is released about the Jimmy Carter :)

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I also highly recommend looking into the Covert Shores book. It's an awesome read & I can't count how many guests of mine have picked it up & read the entire thing.

I am listening to "Blind Man's Bluff", 1998, non-fiction, by Sontag, and Drew. Narrated by George Wilson. Length is 15 hours. Writing and narration is very good! Link here

It's about US submarine operations (post WWII) conducting espionage mainly against Soviet and Russian Naval elements. It started slow, but got much better!

It's an exciting account of tactics, secret observation, chases, collisions, accidents, tragedy, sinkings, and the challenges of men separated from home and family faced with constant danger. For some incidents, I found coverage of Russian comments/perspective very interesting. Huge new respect for both Russian and American sailors. The CIA, not so much. :-)

Very exciting reading and highly recommended!

Blind Man's Bluff is a great book. Also, if you like submarines I'd recommend:

Rig Ship for Ultra Quiet - Subs from an Enlisted POV. Non-Fiction.

Making a Submarine Officer - A story of the USS San Francisco (SSN 711) - Subs from an Officer POV. Non-Fiction.

Stalking the Red Bear: The True Story of a U.S. Cold War Submarine's Covert Operations Against the Soviet Union - Subs from the Captain's POV. Non-Fiction.

Firing Point - Great story that they based the movie Hunter Killer on. Very different (and much better) than the movie. Fiction.

Red November: Inside the Secret U.S.-Soviet Submarine War - Arguably better than Blind Man's bluff. Various accounts of covert sub ops from '46-'92 and the evolution of associated technology. Non-Fiction (written like Fiction to protect the tech and sources. Reads like a great story.).

I work in computer security and have met several folks that have worked for the CIA or NSA. I was recommended 2 books which are "the most accurate" descriptions. One book is very much like a text book and I didn't like it very much: http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Warfare-Understanding-World-Intelligence/dp/1574883453

The other book was really really good. I highly recommend it: http://www.amazon.com/Short-Course-Secret-War/dp/1568331797

A lot of what you mention sounds very similar to what I read in Matthew Alexander's Kill Or Capture. Is there a lot of overlap between the interrogation and PSYOPS communities? I really liked his book and his stand against "enhanced interrogation" but I'd be curious to hear a knowledgeable boots-on-the-ground take on his book.

I imagine a close knowledge of the targeted community is needed in PSYOPS, did your interactions with either Iraqis or Afghans change your perception of them?

Lastly, since you claim the American media is the greatest PSYOPs operation going (and I tend to believe you), what would you want Americans to know about either theater of operations that the media ignored, twisted, or flat-out omitted?

Yes great book. Some of this special mission sub stuff is also in my book https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1533114870/

)

Ben MacIntyre wrote a great narrative history of the incident as well. A rollicking good read.

I own pretty much the entirety of that pile. ;)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TDTR5ZW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1#

https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Bin-Laden-Commanders-Account-ebook/dp/B0017T09N6/ref=pd_sim_351_14?ie=UTF8&dpID=513yrUu%2BlcL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_OU01_AC_UL160_SR106%2C160_&refRID=1BQ6XPQT4RSA0Z9Y36YW

https://www.amazon.com/Sog-Secret-Americas-Commandos-Vietnam/dp/0451195086/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466604388&sr=8-1&keywords=SOG+book

A few more good ones.

Blackwater by Jeremy Scahill is a great look into OIF which is the most significant event to happen in the region in the 21st century.

His book Dirty Wars is also excellent.

Also, Legacy of Ashes

This is all super American centric, but there's a reason for that.

The ISA was actually an amazing organisation, that is super worth reading about. The developments in intelligence gathering that were pushed through during the Pablo operation still have echoes within the intel community to this day.

I can not over-recommend this book about the ISA: Killer Elite by Michael Smith.
https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Elite-Americas-Special-Operations/dp/0312362722

Actually, it is the reverse. Saudi Arabia is acting on the behalf of the US. The US supplies all arms, targets, intelligence, logistical support, etc. Bush initiated covert operations in Yemen, using drones, special forces and agents. Obama continued these operations but determined that operations needed to be escalated to traditional bombing campaigns. President Obama felt that direct action by the US was not politically feasible so assigned Saudi Arabia to carry out the US's goals.

The book, Dirty Wars, covers this well and in depth.

Spycatcher is a good read. I'd also recommend Silent Warfare by Abram Shulsky, which is a bit more of a history of modern intelligence, and less of a biography, but an interesting read nonetheless.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1574883453/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1417453272&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

Some from my shelf

Arsenals of Folly

The Cold War

On China

The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

NATO's Return to Europe

On War

Bonus: The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War

Inside Delta Force

If You Survive

Helmet for My Pillow

In the Company of Heroes

If you like Clancy, I highly recommend the entire John Ryan series, starting with Without Remorse and moving in chronoligical (which differs from publication) order.

There's a whole book about them if you're interested. Killer Elite - The Inside Story of America's Most Secret Special Operations Team.

There's even a comic series called The Activity.

Honestly, the fact that these exist is a bit disheartening in regards to their secretive image.

If you're serious and want to learn more about OCS by gobbling up every bit of information you can to get an edge.

I can give you a decent primary source.

Costs you 17 bucks, and you will only read around 20-30 pages from the book.

(Feel free to read the rest to see how we train our SEALs and what makes them one of the best SoF units in the world.)

Breaking B/UDS

This book as you can tell by the title is not exclusively about OCS, but the man who wrote it does write about how HE got into OCS with a SpecOp Billet for the SEALs.

Which obviously is light years more harder to get into SEAL contract for OCS. But the process is somewhat similar and in the book he focuses 3 chapters about how to get into OCS, what requirements are and what they look for, how to be competitive and what to expect life to be after becoming an officer instead of an enlisted.

Edit: Clarification

This. And Afghanistan has been the SEALs playground for awhile.

2 great books by Delta Os, BTW:

Kill Bin Laden: A Delta Force Commander's Account of the Hunt for the World's Most Wanted Man

The Mission, The Men, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander

I recommended he read them so what do you think they are? Google is your friend.

http://www.amazon.com/Get-Selected-Special-Forces-Successfully/dp/0975355279

http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Soldier-Making-Special-Warrior/dp/0307339394/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463092494&sr=1-1&keywords=chosen+soldier

Group is cool, but I was thinking WAY cooler. Lol. More along the lines of Orange.

The soviet union dedicated an extreme part of it's economy to weapons, not just nuclear arms and missiles but also conventional weapons.

So I'd say the answer is that they did it by prioritizing it highly and sacrificing the general living standard of their citizens.

As for the space race, the Soviets actually de-prioritized their moon program in order to build nuclear missiles instead. This was done to make up for a large gap in the US's favor in nuclear arms and delivery systems that existed in the 60ties.

In fact one of the main drivers of Gorbachevs disarmament initiatives in the 80ties were a wish to reorient the economy away from arms production.

There's quite a bit on all of this in Richard Rhodes book "Arsenals of Folly" which tracks the arms race from WW2 to the 1980ties.

http://www.amazon.com/Arsenals-Folly-Making-Nuclear-Vintage/dp/0375713948

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: this book


|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|




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There's a really good book about this too by Ben Macintyre - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Operation-Mincemeat-Story-Changed-Course/dp/1408809214

Read the book, it's very good. https://www.amazon.com/Dirty-Wars-Battlefield-Jeremy-Scahill/dp/156858671X

Their primary recruitment pools are Rangers and Army SF (Green Berets). Recommended reading is Charlie Beckwith's book and Eric Haney's book.

Delta is a fascinating subject and it gets next to no press.

Good book that touches on the CIA/Delta in Central America.

http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Delta-Force-Americas-Counterterrorist/dp/0385336039

Counter-argument: be nice enough to the locals in a culturally relevant way so as to convince them to do most of the killing. The winning hearts and minds approach is not mutually exclusive to being a cold blooded killer. See below.

https://www.amazon.com/Hammerhead-Six-Unconventional-Against-Afghanistans/dp/0316341444

Chosen Soldier is a must read if you're curious.

Ben Macintyre wrote a very indepth book about it (surprisingly called Operation Mincemeat. It shows how close it came to unravelling (IIRC mainly a lazy Spaniard Nazi supporter who didn't check the body properly), which if it had would then reveal the real location because why would they fake the real location.
Also goes into detail of some of the interesting characters from Britain's WW2 intelligence services.

There's fantastic book on this Operation Mincemeat. There's also an older book and film (The Man Who Never Was), but given that it was written in the 50s, there's quite a lot left out (intercepts from Enigma, for one thing) and some stuff is an outright lie.

Did you read the book that the series was based on?

Its amazing. The story about the guy who literally walked his feet OFF during selection was worth the price of admission:

http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Delta-Force-Americas-Counterterrorist/dp/0385339364/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348258584&sr=8-1&keywords=inside+delta+force

It's mainly covered by the book Operation Mincemeat by Ben Macintyre. Amazon UK link.

And thanks to a dead Welsh tramp, the Germans believed that the Allies would attack Greece and Sardinia instead of Sicily. Multiple divisions as well as Rommel were moved to Greece, including two Panzer divisions on the Eastern Front, which also helped the Soviets. One of the greatest deceptions in history.

http://www.amazon.com/Sua-Sponte-Forging-Modern-American-ebook/dp/B0072O02XW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421627853&sr=1-1&keywords=sua+sponte

http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Soldier-Making-Special-Warrior/dp/0307339394/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

http://www.military.com/military-fitness/army-special-operations/army-green-beret-training?comp=1199451047853&rank=2

US Army Small Unit Tactics Handbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/0989551342/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ujFnzb5R36D36

Not remotely short, but still very informative.

josieKM: ^^original ^^reddit ^^link

in the book dirty wars by jeremey scahill it is pretty clear that Al-Awlaki was forced to become an informant of some description. He is also used frequently as a person who allegedly motivates others such Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and others who face terror charges..

And they all seem to allegedly get their ideas from Inspire magazine which also has very doubtful origins (some journalists say CIA produce it). So its like when they want to prosecute someone they use Al-Awlaki + Inspire - I usually get suspect when I read those linked to someone.
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/07/5-reasons-to-doubt-al-qaeda-magazines-authenticity/59035/
http://www.amazon.com/Dirty-Wars-The-World-Battlefield/dp/156858671X

Whether the State Department is or isn't assassinating people isn't really up for debate. There has been ample reporting on the issue by both the human rights organizations and the U.S. press; hell, Diane Sawyer covered the issue of the drone assassinations on World News a few weeks ago, the ACLU is embroiled in a prominent lawsuit against the State Dept. over it, etc. A respected journalist has just released a well-documented book that will bring you up to speed on this, if you're interested, but at any rate, again, as pkwrig alludes, the State Department is assassinating people left and right, in several countries, several of the victims by now have been Americans, and that really isn't debatable.

I have no advice to give you about chemicals because I think the timing, lack of privacy and the level of scrutiny would make it a nightmare to be on a cycle.

Don't know about the pellets though...wouldn't the be a literal pain when you have to drag your body across stuff (crawling, jumping over walls, etc)?

I have read a ton of books, and one I really enjoyed was "Suffer in Silence", not because of the ficcional story, but m ore so because the author was in BUD/S and it almost sounds like a first person account.

http://www.amazon.com/Suffer-Silence-Novel-Navy-Training/dp/B00A19ZGWM

Also, you can´t go wrong with the books written by Dick Couch...Thw Warrior Elite is awesome:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/431898.The_Warrior_Elite

http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Soldier-Making-Special-Warrior/dp/0307339394

On running, rucks and shin splints:

Start with low mileage, and low weights (when Rucking)...I don't quite remember where they are but there are some protocols that you can search with recommended training.

If you can, buy the same boots that you are going to be issued in school and train with those (running too, after you get used to them).

I got BAD shin splints from running with a pair of boots that felt great, but had the heels a bit too high... I try to stick to flatter soles and use a gel insole.

I actually went to a whole course geared towards millitary/tactical fitness training, and was advised on planning ahead so that I only had to add 10% to my weekly mileage everyweek....with that in mind, I wouldn't choose to train for a full marathon:

1. It takes a long time to prepare for that unless you are already used to that much running
   
   
2. It's not going to make your body any better
   
   
3. I doubt you'll have to run one in Ranger School
   
   On the mental strenght aspect, one think I have to say is that, in several schools, the body-builders and athletes are the first ones to mentally quit...some reasons:
   
   

• They keep worrying too much about: catabolizing (the very same term you used was the one described to me), not getting propper nutrition, dehydration, overestimating injuries.
  
  
• Despite hard training, their bodies are used to a certain level of confort (regular meals, regular sleeping patterns, painkillers, anti-inflammatories, etc)... and when they don't get that their determination erodes.
  
  So, for advice, here's some food for thought:
  
  
• Accept the fact that your body is going to be fucked up for a long while, and that you are going to be sore, to lose muscle and to have a buch of nagging injuries)
  
  
• Prepare for the worse...no sleep, crappy food, going hungry, going thirsty (do they still let you get thirsty in the US?) .
  
  
• Get away from negative people (before and during school)...you know , the guys that are always complaining about something or announcing some impending doom.
  
  
• Likewise, try to stick around with the upbeat guys, and enjoy the suffering
  
  
• The most important one, for me: Do your best to make sure your family is OK while you are away...try to antecipate any monetary issues and health concerns, have friends who you trust check on them and make sure they know what you are going to go through is hard, important, and that you may need their encouragment.
  
  Also: don't quit :)

I am born and raised in America.

>It's not offense on countries with resources we deem valuable that's just a stupid talking point that has no merit.

Has no merit? http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Economic-Hit-John-Perkins/dp/0452287081

>Economic hit men (EHMs) are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. They funnel money from the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other foreign "aid" organizations into the coffers of huge corporations and the pockets of a few wealthy families who control the planet's natural resources. Their tools included fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder. They play a game as old as empire, but one that has taken on new and terrifying dimensions during this time of globalization.

>I was initially recruited while I was in business school back in the late sixties by the National Security Agency, the nation’s largest and least understood spy organization; but ultimately I worked for private corporations. The first real economic hit man was back in the early 1950s, Kermit Roosevelt, Jr., the grandson of Teddy, who overthrew the government of Iran, a democratically elected government, Mossadegh’s government who was Time‘s magazine person of the year; and he was so successful at doing this without any bloodshed—well, there was a little bloodshed, but no military intervention, just spending millions of dollars and replaced Mossadegh with the Shah of Iran. At that point, we understood that this idea of economic hit man was an extremely good one. We didn’t have to worry about the threat of war with Russia when we did it this way. The problem with that was that Roosevelt was a C.I.A. agent. He was a government employee. Had he been caught, we would have been in a lot of trouble. It would have been very embarrassing. So, at that point, the decision was made to use organizations like the C.I.A. and the N.S.A. to recruit potential economic hit men like me and then send us to work for private consulting companies, engineering firms, construction companies, so that if we were caught, there would be no connection with the government.


Or how about this book? http://www.amazon.com/Dirty-Wars-The-World-Battlefield/dp/156858671X

>America's hand is exposed in this sprawling investigation of autonomous US military operations and the abuse of executive privilege that escalated global war. New York Times bestselling author Scahill (Blackwater) pulls no punches from right or left in his exposure of governments that passively authorized the use of torture in interrogation, marked an American citizen for death without due process, and empowered a military branch to conduct warfare on their terms, turning at least four countries into warzones. Interviews with U.S. army colonels, former CIA officers, Somali warlords, and a Yemeni sheik are only a few focal points in Scahill's narrative prism. Years of ground investigation are chronicled in stock terms, creating an accessible and shuddering effect: congress "asleep at the wheel;" an enemy of the state "on a collision course with history;" government officials who "cut their teeth" in the White House. Even in Scahill's most frustrated moments fact supplants editorial, adding valiancy and devastation to his brutal portrayals.


Your view of America is unrealistic.. or you haven't been paying attention.