Fighting Elites

From Army Rangers to Green Berets to the U.S. Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden, this book explains what makes Special Forces "special," covering the rich and varied history of elite formations in American military history and describing their recruitment, intense training, and equipment in depth. Most civilians have only a vague idea of what the U.S. Special Forces are all about—who they are, how they differ from our "normal" military forces, what they've accomplished throughout our history, and how they operate today. Fighting Elites: A History of U.S. Special Forces examines the rich and varied history of U.S. Special Forces, identifies their contributions to specific conflicts from colonial times forward, and highlights their present operational excellence. In this first-ever reference guide to U.S. Special Forces, military historian John C. Fredriksen provides a carefully balanced presentation, describing all units in their own detailed section that discusses their origins, recruitment, training, tactics, and equipment, and defining military engagements, if known. The text also contains 20 biographical entries of noted personalities associated with special purpose activities.

The most authoritative and up-to-date account available on special forces in history, with texts by noted military historians. Many of the most famous fighting forces in history have been elite units, trained and equipped for particular tasks, whether as imperial guards, shock troops, fighter pilots, or behind-enemy-lines special forces. This highly illustrated survey covers fifty-two such units, from the Persian Immortals of 2,500 years ago to the Delta Force and Green Berets today. These forces are distinguished by: • a willingness to fight to the death (the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae; the Knights of Malta) • a spearhead role (Alexander the Great’s Companion Cavalry; the Mongol Keshik; the Aztec Military Orders) • specialist skills and endurance (Edward III’s longbow men; Navy Seals) • reliability and loyalty to a leader or cause (the Zulu Impis; Mosby’s Rangers in the Civil War) Each profile lists important dates and includes a key battle and quotations from contemporary sources. The wide range of illustrations includes battle scenes and special uniforms and insignia.

The Europe of Elites is the first comprehensive study of how European political and economic leaders think and feel about Europe and about what course future European integration should take.

Learn the trade secrets of special operatives. It is easy to visualize special operations troops as men in camouflage with painted faces, lurking in the shadows of modern warfare. But the truth is far more complex—and enthralling. A wide array of skills, both physical and cerebral, combines to make up the modern elite soldier. Fighting Techniques of the Elite Forces not only shows the road down which the specialist must travel to reach his place as one of the world's fighting elite, it details the equipment he uses to carry out his missions and the actual techniques he employs. Themed chapters and a wealth of illustrations explain everything you need to know about the formidably trained warriors of the British and Australian SAS, US Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, the French GIGN, and more. Learn how to select a drop zone for parachute insertions or how to execute a High Altitude High Opening (HAHO) insertion when you are twenty miles' distance from your objective. Find out how combat swimmers launch from submarines to carry out beach reconnaissance prior to an invasion. Understand the special considerations and knowledge required to fight and, more importantly, survive in such hostile environments as jungle, desert, or mountain. Discover how today's special operative must master skills as diverse as horsemanship and the compact computer, or how to kill silently with a knife or laser designator. Fighting Techniques of the Elite Forces is a must-have for anyone interested in the covert world of elite forces; it will provide the key to understanding what makes the specialist soldier so very "special."

Whether about Brit. Commandos, the German Elite Forces, the Amer. Special Forces, the Egyptian Airborne, or Soviet marines, tales of daring exploits by crack troops operating behind enemy lines are always fascinating. Examines the record of major elite forces during WW2, and also explores the qualities -- skill, courage, determination, stamina -- required of soldiers handpicked to serve in those units. Describes the deeds of valor performed by these troops. Includes: Israeli special units such as the Golani, GHQ Recce Squadron (Sayeret Matkal), and Naval Commandos; Arab assault units in the Golan Heights, in Lebanon, and in the Sinai; and soldiers in the Falkland and Grenada campaigns. Photos.

Elite Point Fighting and the Meaning of Life is about sports combat and specifically point fighting in martial arts tournaments. The book is designed for those who are fighters, martial arts buffs and those interested in the martial arts world. The book is written in a conversational tone and should "speak" to the reader. New coaches, managers, parents and fighters will find helpful information to become better in competition and move towards other areas of sports combat competition.

Duck punch, cover block and knee strike. Boxing, wrestling and Ju-Jitsu. Gameplan, lines of attack and final disengagement. If taking flight isn't an option, fighting is a necessity. Extreme Unarmed Combat is the authoritative handbook on an immense array of close combat defence techniques, from fistfights to headlocks, from tackling single unarmed opponents to armed groups, from stance to manoeuvring.Presented in a handy pocketbook format, Extreme Unarmed Combat's structure considers the different fighting and martial arts skills an individual can use before having to consider at the areas of the body to defend. It teaches how to attack without getting hurt, and how to incapacitate an opponent. With more than 120 black-&-white illustrations of combat scenarios, punches, blocks and ducks, and with expert easy-to-follow text, Extreme Unarmed Combat guides you through everything a person need to know about what to do when escaping trouble isn't an option. This book can save lives.

In this report, RAND researchers explore the factors, contexts, and mechanisms that shape a national government’s decision to continue or end military and other operations during a conflict (i.e., national will to fight). To help U.S. leaders better understand and influence will to fight, the researchers propose an exploratory model of 15 variables that can be tailored and applied to a wide set of conflict scenarios.