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| Killer Elite: The Inside Story of America's Most Secret Special Operations Team | 
 enlarge | Author: Michael Smith
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $5.50
You Save: $19.45 (78%)
New (25) Used (27) Collectible (2) from $4.14
Avg. Customer Rating:  31 reviews
Sales Rank: 92781
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4
ISBN: 0312362722
Dewey Decimal Number: 356.1670973
EAN: 9780312362720
ASIN: 0312362722
Publication Date: March 6, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: DJ shelf wear.
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Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...
 Misleading title leads to disappointing read May 18, 2007
30 out of 39 found this review helpful
I bought this book along with several other non-fiction special forces titles and based on the description and reviews I found here I was expecting an exciting read. I couldn't have been more disappointed. My criticisms of this book are myriad, so I'll just start with Smith's style. 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. Boring. I'd highly recommend you skip this book and instead read some works by the other authors I have mentioned above. This one just lacks anything worthwhile.
 Great glimpse into a covert world! June 12, 2007
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
The book, Killer Elite, by Michael Smith is not only a highly interesting expose of an elite American covert military unit, but also provides a thought provoking illustration of how US Foreign Policy objectives are increasingly being met by small teams of operators in the back alleys of the world. The unit is commonly known as the "Activity" and occasional snippets concerning its various missions and techniques have periodically emerged in the mainstream media for the past few decades. Its mission is to support the better-known and more overt Special Operations Forces such as DELTA and the SEALS in conducting their missions. They do this by providing actionable intelligence that they gather via various means such as the handling of agents or through eavesdropping of communication networks. The book further describes how the unit is now evolving into more expanded missions that are similar to the traditional clandestine agent handling performed by the CIA.
The books' beginning reads similar to Steven Emerson's classic, Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era, but springs forward into more current and less known operations. I was surprised at the level of research and the author's contacts with both the US and British Special Operations and Intelligence Communities. It sheds a great deal of light and is an excellent read for anyone interested in Special Operations or Human Intelligence gathering. For those interested in this field, Fishers of Men by Rob Lewis is also an excellent book.
 Inside the World of U.S. Special Ops April 7, 2007
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
As a writer on intelligence matters, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the worldwide activities of the U.S. military's Special Operations Forces, as seen through the spectrum of the U.S. Army's secretive clandestine intelligence unit formerly known as the "Intelligence Support Activity." Not only is Mr. Smith's book very readible, but it is also very informative and thought provoking about the vitally important role played by the U.S. military in trying to combat the growing number of terrorist and insurgent threats around the world.
Regardless of where you come down on the political spectrum about U.S. foreign and military policy, this serious book is important because it reminds us that U.S. Special Operations Forces have played an important, albeit secretive role in virtually all significant counterterrorist and counterinsurgency operations since the end of World War II, and that their role in the war on terrorism is becoming increasingly important.
Mr. Smith has a well-deserved reputation for being a top-flight military affairs reporter in England, and this book further confirms his standing as one of the best in the field.
Killer Elite February 9, 2007
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
The US Army Intelligence Support Activity was created after the failed attempt to rescue the hostages at the US embassy in Iran. Its purpose was to provide intelligence in a timely and accurate manner to special operations units like Delta and SEAL Team Six. The ISA placed teams in Beiruit, South America, Iraq, and Southeast Asia. Then amid publicity, they were disbanded. Kept in existence operating under code names in the 90s, they appeared in books like Black Hawk Down and Killing Pablo as units doing electronic surveillance. After 9/11, ISA became part of Special Operations Command, and served as a basis for the British Special Reconaissance Regiment. The post 9/11 operations are covered as well.
This is a compelling read about a little known unit. Those in the know may have heard of the "Secret Army of Northern Virginia," now they can read all about them. I was lucky enough to get ahold of a pre-publication copy of the St. Martin's Press edition last year, that is what I am using as the basis for this review.
GREAT FACTUAL READ March 20, 2007
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Mr. Smith has tackled a difficult, at best, topic to research and write about. I am recommending the book to everyone in Chapter 85, Special Forces Association at our next meeting. As a former Special Forces soldier and graduate of the Army's COTA Course I can relate to many of the operational unit developments Smith covers in, ' Killer Elite ". Having had the pleasure to serve with and /or meet some of the 'characters' mentioned I can attest to the accuracy of the information provided. Mr. Smith, you can be sure I'll be reading your other works.
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