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By all means available : memoirs of a life in intelligence, special operations, and strategy / Michael G. Vickers.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2023Copyright date: ©2023Edition: First editionDescription: 559 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 25 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781101947708
  • 1101947705
Subject(s): Genre/Form:
Contents:
Part I: Preparation -- Green Beret ; Special forces Operator and Commander ; Going to war with CIA ; Counterterrorism operations, Operational Certification ; Part II: War with the Red Army -- The Great Commission ; Developing a war-winning strategy ; Critical decisions: March 1985 to January 1986 ; Driving the Soviets out ; "We won" ; Building new intellectual capital ; Part III: War with Al-Qa'ida -- No sanctuary ; Disrupt, dismantle, defeat ; The war beyond the core ; HVT1 ; Neptune's spear ; Af-Pak ; Surge, drawdown, transition, defeat ; Iraq: hidden surge to ISIS ; Part IV: Fighting on multiple fronts -- Counter proliferation ; Counter narco-insurgency ; The battle for the Middle East ; Crisis and change in defense intelligence ; The return of great power competition ; Winning the New Cold War ; Part V: Reflections -- Intelligence, special operations, and strategy ; The long goodbye.
Summary: "A vivid narrative of a life in intelligence and special operations, from the Cold War to the war on terror. In 1984, Michael Vickers took charge of the CIA's secret campaign against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Inheriting a strategy aimed at imposing costs on Russia, Vickers transformed the campaign into an all-out effort to help the Afghans win their war. More than any other American, he was responsible for the outcome in Afghanistan that led to the end of the Cold War. In By All Means Available, Vickers recounts his remarkable career, from his days as a Green Beret to his vision for victory in Afghanistan to his role in waging America's war on terror at the highest levels in government. In captivating detail, he depicts his years in Special Forces, revealing how those experiences directly influenced his approach to shaping policy, and offers a deeply informed analysis of the greatest challenges facing America today. This is a riveting and illuminating insider's account of the military and intelligence worlds at every level"-- Provided by publisher.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library Biography VICKERS, M. V637 Available 33111011294606
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A vivid insider's account of a life in intelligence, special operations, and strategy from the Cold War to the war with al-Qa'ida * "[An] illuminating and richly detailed memoir." -- The New York Times Book Review

"Deeply insightful...A sweeping and breathtaking journey that gives the reader unprecedented access to the courage, sacrifice, and bravado of our nation's finest warriors, in their finest hours." --Admiral William H. McRaven, author of Wisdom of the Bullfrog and #1 New York Times bestseller, Make Your Bed

In 1984, Michael Vickers took charge of the CIA's secret war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. After inheriting a strategy aimed at imposing costs on the Soviets for their invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, Vickers transformed the covert campaign into an all-out effort to help the Afghan resistance win their war. More than any other American, he was responsible for the outcome in Afghanistan that led to the end of the Cold War.

In By All Means Available, Vickers recounts his remarkable career, from his days as a Green Beret to his vision for victory in Afghanistan to his role in waging America's war with al-Qa'ida at the highest levels of government. In captivating detail, he depicts his years in the Special Forces--including his training to parachute behind enemy lines with a backpack nuclear weapon in the event of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe--and reveals how those experiences directly influenced his approach to shaping policy. Vickers has played a significant role in most of the military and intelligence operations of the past four decades, and he offers a deeply informed analysis of the greatest challenges facing America today, and in the decades ahead.

Riveting and illuminating, this is a rare and important insider's account of the modern military and intelligence worlds at every level.

"This is a Borzoi book." -- title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"A vivid narrative of a life in intelligence and special operations, from the Cold War to the war on terror. In 1984, Michael Vickers took charge of the CIA's secret campaign against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Inheriting a strategy aimed at imposing costs on Russia, Vickers transformed the campaign into an all-out effort to help the Afghans win their war. More than any other American, he was responsible for the outcome in Afghanistan that led to the end of the Cold War. In By All Means Available, Vickers recounts his remarkable career, from his days as a Green Beret to his vision for victory in Afghanistan to his role in waging America's war on terror at the highest levels in government. In captivating detail, he depicts his years in Special Forces, revealing how those experiences directly influenced his approach to shaping policy, and offers a deeply informed analysis of the greatest challenges facing America today. This is a riveting and illuminating insider's account of the military and intelligence worlds at every level"-- Provided by publisher.

Part I: Preparation -- Green Beret ; Special forces Operator and Commander ; Going to war with CIA ; Counterterrorism operations, Operational Certification ; Part II: War with the Red Army -- The Great Commission ; Developing a war-winning strategy ; Critical decisions: March 1985 to January 1986 ; Driving the Soviets out ; "We won" ; Building new intellectual capital ; Part III: War with Al-Qa'ida -- No sanctuary ; Disrupt, dismantle, defeat ; The war beyond the core ; HVT1 ; Neptune's spear ; Af-Pak ; Surge, drawdown, transition, defeat ; Iraq: hidden surge to ISIS ; Part IV: Fighting on multiple fronts -- Counter proliferation ; Counter narco-insurgency ; The battle for the Middle East ; Crisis and change in defense intelligence ; The return of great power competition ; Winning the New Cold War ; Part V: Reflections -- Intelligence, special operations, and strategy ; The long goodbye.

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