Special Forces

What is the truth about Navy SEAL Team Six?Few military units have acquired such a formidable reputation—or generated so much myth, speculation and controversy. Known around the world as SEAL Team Six, the organisation has been associated with some of the most sensitive counter-terrorism operations in modern American history. Yet behind the headlines lies a far more complex story of failure, transformation, secrecy, sacrifice and extraordinary military capability.THE TRUTH ABOUT NAVY SEAL TEAM SIX: Inside America’s Secret Counter-Terrorism Unit takes readers inside the publicly documented history of the organisation that evolved into the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group—DEVGRU.The story begins not with victory, but disaster.In April 1980, Operation Eagle Claw—the attempt to rescue American hostages held in Iran—ended catastrophically at a remote staging area known as Desert One. Eight American servicemen were killed, and the failure exposed serious weaknesses in the way the United States coordinated complex special operations. The lessons would help transform American special warfare and provide the backdrop to the creation of an extraordinary new Navy counter-terrorism unit under the unconventional leadership of Richard Marcinko.From those turbulent beginnings, SEAL Team Six developed a culture centred on demanding training, adaptability and readiness for missions in which a single mistake could have international consequences. But the organisation familiar to the public today is not simply the original Team Six under another name. This book explores the transition to DEVGRU and its place within the wider American special-operations system, including its relationship with Joint Special Operations Command, Delta Force, specialised aviation and the intelligence community.