American Covert Operations

Download or read book American Covert Operations written by J. Ransom Clark and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2015-07-14 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traces our country's long history of covert and special operations, focusing on the similarities and differences in the practice from the Revolutionary War to the present. Long before the creation of the CIA, the American government utilized special intelligence strategies with varying degrees of success. Even though critics throughout time have questioned the effectiveness and legitimacy of these tactics, presidents from George Washington to Barack Obama have employed secret operations to benefit the nation's best interest. This book follows America's history of intelligence gathering, undercover operations, and irregular warfare. Through chronologically organized chapters, the author examines secret military maneuvers, highlighting the elements common to covert and special operations across historical eras, and concluding with a chapter on national security since the attacks of September 11, 2001.