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Oppose Any Foe: The Rise of America’s Special Operations Forces
Oppose Any Foe is the epic story of America's most elite warriors: the Special Operations Forces. Born as small appendages to the conventional armies of World War II, the Special Operations Forces have grown into a behemoth of 70,000 troops, including Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces, Special Operations Marines, Rangers, and Delta Force. Weaving together their triumphs and tribulations, acclaimed historian Mark Moyar introduces a colorful cast of military men, brimming with exceptional talent, courage and selflessness.
In a nation where the military is the most popular institution, America's Special Operations Forces have become the most popular members of the military. Through nighttime raids on enemy compounds and combat advising of resistance movements, special operators have etched their names into the nation's registry of heroes. Yet the public knows little of the journey that they took to reach these heights, a journey that was neither easy nor glamorous.
Fighting an uphill battle for most of their seventy-five year history, the Special Operations Forces slipped on many an occasion, and fell far on several. Presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to Barack Obama have enthusiastically championed Special Operations Forces, but their enthusiasm has often surpassed their understanding, resulting in misuse or overuse of the troops. Lacking clearly defined missions, Special Operations Forces have had to reinvent themselves time and again to prove their value in the face of fierce critics-many of them from the conventional military, which from the start opposed the segregation of talent in special units.
Highlighting both the heroism of America's most elite soldiers and the controversies surrounding their meteoric growth, Oppose Any Foe presents the first comprehensive history of these special warriors and their daring missions. It is essential reading for anyone interested in America's military history-and the future of warfare.
In a nation where the military is the most popular institution, America's Special Operations Forces have become the most popular members of the military. Through nighttime raids on enemy compounds and combat advising of resistance movements, special operators have etched their names into the nation's registry of heroes. Yet the public knows little of the journey that they took to reach these heights, a journey that was neither easy nor glamorous.
Fighting an uphill battle for most of their seventy-five year history, the Special Operations Forces slipped on many an occasion, and fell far on several. Presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to Barack Obama have enthusiastically championed Special Operations Forces, but their enthusiasm has often surpassed their understanding, resulting in misuse or overuse of the troops. Lacking clearly defined missions, Special Operations Forces have had to reinvent themselves time and again to prove their value in the face of fierce critics-many of them from the conventional military, which from the start opposed the segregation of talent in special units.
Highlighting both the heroism of America's most elite soldiers and the controversies surrounding their meteoric growth, Oppose Any Foe presents the first comprehensive history of these special warriors and their daring missions. It is essential reading for anyone interested in America's military history-and the future of warfare.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published April 25, 2017
21 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 7, 2017
Excellent history of special operation forces, the evolution of various organizations and their implementation from WWII to present. Great history. Objective and void of political partisanship; I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned a lot.
October 16, 2017
Moyer's recognition of his limitations may be the best attribute of his book. Throughout, he is careful to balance all of his assertions, and more importantly doesn't try to do too much with what could be an unwieldy topic. Pulling in just enough history and adding just enough analysis, his approach to the current state of Special Operations Forces makes it a valuable read for a wide range of audiences. His narrative style gives history a very readable pace and voice, and his overall analytical approach is not too narrow in its scope. Some could see these as liabilities (and they might be worth half-a-point off a review score), but they are ideal for this particular subject matter.
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July 7, 2022Too wordy, hard to get through
September 13, 2020
"Oppose Any Foe: The Rise of America's Special Operations Forces", authored by: Mark Moyar.
This book is very rich. In reading each of the sections, it is the experience of taking a college course, in which the professor was characteristically extremely diligent and generous to make certain that every faucet of history concerning Special Operations Forces, is present in the itinerary of instruction.
This book is very rich. In reading each of the sections, it is the experience of taking a college course, in which the professor was characteristically extremely diligent and generous to make certain that every faucet of history concerning Special Operations Forces, is present in the itinerary of instruction.
May 22, 2020
Reading history is essential for understanding and employing SOF
The application of Special Operations Forces (SOF) in achieving military objectives and U.S. national policy is an issue that no lack of ardent supporters and vehement opponents. Mark Moyer is correct in stating that the study of and the honest assessment of our U.S. SOF is essential for military leaders and U.S. policy makers in shaping, training, and utilizing these forces. Policy makers also need to study the history and capability of these forces to understand their capabilities and usefulness in executing U.S. policy. This book is a good starting point for those needing to increase their understanding of the history of SOF and their application.
The application of Special Operations Forces (SOF) in achieving military objectives and U.S. national policy is an issue that no lack of ardent supporters and vehement opponents. Mark Moyer is correct in stating that the study of and the honest assessment of our U.S. SOF is essential for military leaders and U.S. policy makers in shaping, training, and utilizing these forces. Policy makers also need to study the history and capability of these forces to understand their capabilities and usefulness in executing U.S. policy. This book is a good starting point for those needing to increase their understanding of the history of SOF and their application.
August 21, 2017
“Somewhere between Ignorance and Arrogance”: Oppose any Foe by Mark Moyer.
You gotta play this game with fear and arrogance (Crash Davis)
Yeah, fear and ignorance. (Nuke Lalouche)
No, fear and arrogance you hayseed! (Crash)
Huh, I just like seeing you get mad (Nuke)
To those with only a cursory knowledge of our nation’s special operations forces, Mark Moyers history of SOF from WWII to present will provide both context and perspective. However, for even an amateur student of military history and/or special operations forces, this book has much less to offer. Moyer starts off his account with both the famous and less well known, referencing the much publicized mission to kill UBL and the successful rescue of a Danish-American de-mining team in Somalia in 2012. He then goes on to point out “The Rise of Special Operations Forces” to a force of almost 70,000 today and the almost unprecedented publicity and glamorization as compared to the services conventional forces. He has four major themes he follows in the course of his book: 1) Political expediency and sponsorship; 2) Mutability – what domain do SOF operate most effectively; 3) Disputation of value – the differences of opinion on their claims of success and actual contributions and 4) Rivalry with conventional forces – often in terms of ignorance (misuse) or arrogance (jealousy). The book’s value lies in his attempts at objectivity – inherently recognizing all SOF Ops aren’t successful. I also found that his starting point of World War II – the point at which the formation of most modern day SOF occurred as well as the post war NDA creating ‘Jointness’ were sound. Much of his book is concerned with a survey of SOF units, including devoting attention to some less well known (Det 1/OSS Kachin Rangers). However, he relies on all secondary source material – most of what he recounts will be more than familiar to those who’ve completed a cursory survey of SOF – and grossly oversimplifies many of his arguments (use Ranger and Raider examples). He offers very little perspective on the institutions that gave rise to them and falls prey to the ‘cult of personality’ that so dominates most SOF Narratives. Like most recent books on SOF, his recent accounts are dependent on very few sources. One topic he dances around is that specialized forces are a function of large militaries. ‘Specialization is for ants’ as Robert Heinlein wrote. Most SOF are in fact, parasites on larger conventional formations and institutions, exceptionally expensive and draw and inordinate amount of talent (he addresses this last point). They are also tactically fragile; not being easily raised they are exceptionally difficult to reconstitute. Losses that wouldn’t slow a conventional unit can bring a SOF unit to a halt; and usually result in a standown and loss of operational tempo. Additionally, their strained relationship with their services almost guarantees a propensity for malfeasance greater than their conventional counterparts. Finally, as there are great differences in the services, there are similar difference in the various SOF selection processes as there are differences in the different service approaches to manning them. A question that goes unanswered is what is the optimal SOF-conventional mix? These are the kind of questions that await a more scholarly and thorough book.
You gotta play this game with fear and arrogance (Crash Davis)
Yeah, fear and ignorance. (Nuke Lalouche)
No, fear and arrogance you hayseed! (Crash)
Huh, I just like seeing you get mad (Nuke)
To those with only a cursory knowledge of our nation’s special operations forces, Mark Moyers history of SOF from WWII to present will provide both context and perspective. However, for even an amateur student of military history and/or special operations forces, this book has much less to offer. Moyer starts off his account with both the famous and less well known, referencing the much publicized mission to kill UBL and the successful rescue of a Danish-American de-mining team in Somalia in 2012. He then goes on to point out “The Rise of Special Operations Forces” to a force of almost 70,000 today and the almost unprecedented publicity and glamorization as compared to the services conventional forces. He has four major themes he follows in the course of his book: 1) Political expediency and sponsorship; 2) Mutability – what domain do SOF operate most effectively; 3) Disputation of value – the differences of opinion on their claims of success and actual contributions and 4) Rivalry with conventional forces – often in terms of ignorance (misuse) or arrogance (jealousy). The book’s value lies in his attempts at objectivity – inherently recognizing all SOF Ops aren’t successful. I also found that his starting point of World War II – the point at which the formation of most modern day SOF occurred as well as the post war NDA creating ‘Jointness’ were sound. Much of his book is concerned with a survey of SOF units, including devoting attention to some less well known (Det 1/OSS Kachin Rangers). However, he relies on all secondary source material – most of what he recounts will be more than familiar to those who’ve completed a cursory survey of SOF – and grossly oversimplifies many of his arguments (use Ranger and Raider examples). He offers very little perspective on the institutions that gave rise to them and falls prey to the ‘cult of personality’ that so dominates most SOF Narratives. Like most recent books on SOF, his recent accounts are dependent on very few sources. One topic he dances around is that specialized forces are a function of large militaries. ‘Specialization is for ants’ as Robert Heinlein wrote. Most SOF are in fact, parasites on larger conventional formations and institutions, exceptionally expensive and draw and inordinate amount of talent (he addresses this last point). They are also tactically fragile; not being easily raised they are exceptionally difficult to reconstitute. Losses that wouldn’t slow a conventional unit can bring a SOF unit to a halt; and usually result in a standown and loss of operational tempo. Additionally, their strained relationship with their services almost guarantees a propensity for malfeasance greater than their conventional counterparts. Finally, as there are great differences in the services, there are similar difference in the various SOF selection processes as there are differences in the different service approaches to manning them. A question that goes unanswered is what is the optimal SOF-conventional mix? These are the kind of questions that await a more scholarly and thorough book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews