One Hundred Victories
Special Ops and the Future of American Warfare
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In One Hundred Victories, acclaimed military expert Linda Robinson shows how the special operations forces are — after a decade of intensive combat operations — evolving to become the go-to force for operations worldwide. Robinson has spent much of the last two years in Afghanistan studying the evolution of special ops in their largest and longest deployment since Vietnam. She has lived in mud-walled compounds in the mountains and deserts of insurgent-dominated regions, and obtained exclusive, sustained access to special ops missions, troops, and commanders. She shows the gritty reality of the challenges they undertake, and the constant danger in which they operate. In Afghanistan, SOF have not only faced a determined foe, but also had run-ins with the CIA, found themselves unsupported by conventional forces, and been under constant shellfire from Pakistanis across the border. Incorporating on-the-ground reporting and interviews with key players inside the national defense community, Robinson shows how the special operations are becoming the future of U.S. military strategy.
"Linda Robinson's One Hundred Victories: Special Ops and the Future of American Warfare is a ground-level snapshot of American counterinsurgency in Afghanistan.... Robinson, a senior international policy analyst at RAND, gives us a close-up portrait of how these small, highly skilled groups have gone about their mission of helping Afghan villages and local leaders protect themselves from Taliban insurgents. Her treatment is rich and detailed.... The book is a worthy addition to the literature on the war."
- The New York Times Book Review
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