Drone Warrior: An Elite Soldier's Inside Account of the Hunt for America's Most Dangerous Enemies - Hardcover

Velicovich, Brett; Stewart, Christopher S

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062693913 ISBN 13: 9780062693914

Publisher: Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins US, 2017

Synopsis

"A must read for anyone who wants to understand the new American way of war." - General Michael V. Hayden, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency A former special operations member takes us inside America's covert drone war in this headline-making, never-before-told account for fans of Zero Dark Thirty and Lone Survivor, told by a Pulitzer Prize-winning Wall Street Journal writer and filled with eye-opening and sure to be controversial details. For nearly a decade Brett Velicovich was at the center of America's new warfare: using unmanned aerial vehicles-drones-to take down the world's deadliest terrorists across the globe. One of an elite handful in the entire military with the authority to select targets and issue death orders, he worked in concert with the full human and technological network of American intelligence-assets, analysts, spies, informants-and the military's elite operatives, to stalk, capture, and eliminate high value targets in al-Qaeda and ISIS. In this remarkable book, co-written with journalist Christopher S. Stewart, Velicovich offers unprecedented perspective on the remarkably complex nature of drone operations and the rigorous and wrenching decisions behind them. In intimate gripping detail, he shares insider, action-packed stories of the most coordinated, advanced, and secret missions that neutralized terrorists, preserved the lives of US and international warriors across the globe, and saved countless innocents in the hottest conflict zones today. Drone Warrior also chronicles the US military's evolution in the past decade and the technology driving it. Velicovich considers the future it foretells, and speaks candidly on the physical and psychological toll it exacts, including the impact on his own life. He reminds us that while these machines can kill, they can also be used productively to improve and preserve life, including protecting endangered species, work he is engaged in today. Joining warfare classics such as American Sniper, Lone Survivor, and No Easy Day, Drone Warrior is the definitive account of our nation's capacity and capability for war in the modern age.

About this title

About the Authors

Brett Velicovich has over ten years of experience conducting counterterrorism and intelligence operations globally. As an intelligence analyst within the U.S. military’s elite, his work was directly responsible for countless missions leading to the successful capture and kill of terrorist leaders. Serving five combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, he also worked in Somalia and received numerous combat medals for his service, including the Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge. Regarded as a world-renowned drone expert, he left the service and earned an MBA from Duke University and helped start an initiative that looks to employ unmanned aerial vehicles in support of wildlife conservation in East Africa. He lives in Virginia.

Christopher S. Stewart is an investigative reporter at the Wall Street Journal, where he shared a 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting. His work has appeared in GQ, Harper’s, New York Times Magazine, New York, The Paris Review, Wired, and other publications, and he also served as deputy editor at the New York Observer and is a former contributing editor at Condé Nast Portfolio. Stewart is the author of Hunting the Tiger and Jungleland. He lives with his family in New York.

From the Back Cover

GO INSIDE AMERICA&;S SECRET DRONE WAR IN THIS HEADLINE-MAKING, NEVER-BEFORE-TOLD ACCOUNT FROM A FORMER DELTA FORCE INTELLIGENCE SOLDIER AND A PULITZER PRIZE&;WINNING WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER

For nearly a decade, Brett Velicovich was at the center of America&;s new generation of warfare: an arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles&;drones&;taking down the world&;s deadliest terrorists across the globe. One of the few elite members in the entire military with the authority to select targets and issue death orders, he and his small intelligence team worked in concert with the full human and technological network of America&;s intelligence assets&;analysts, spies, informants, and the military&;s most elite and secretive operatives&;to stalk, capture, and eliminate high-value targets in Al Qaeda and ISIS. 

Now this decorated veteran, with journalist Christopher S. Stewart, tells his story in a remarkable book packed with more classified drone operations cleared for public release than any other account ever published, according to the U.S. government. Drone Warrior offers an unprecedented view into the remarkably complex nature of drone missions and the rigorous and wrenching on-the-ground decisions behind them. 

With intimate, gripping precision, he shares stories of the most coordinated, advanced, and secret missions that neutralized terrorists, preserved the lives of U.S. and international warriors across the globe, and saved countless innocents in the hottest conflict zones today, including the Middle East and Africa. Velicovich chronicles killing the first leaders of ISIS; tracking down the group&;s current leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi; and killing and capturing all but six of the twenty most wanted terrorists across Iraq in only three months. He also tells a heartbreaking story of saving an abducted Iraqi woman and using drones to find a group of the missing schoolgirls abducted by Nigeria&;s Boko Haram.

Drone Warrior also chronicles the U.S. military&;s evolution in the past decade and the technology driving it. Velicovich considers the future it foretells, and speaks candidly on the physical and psychological toll it exacts, including the impact his missions had on his own life. He reminds us that while these machines can kill, they can also be used to preserve life, including protecting endangered species and supporting humanitarian operations&;work he is engaged in today.

Joining warfare classics such as American Sniper, Lone Survivor, and No Easy Day, Drone Warrior is the definitive account of our nation&;s capacity and capability for war in the modern age.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins US
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062693913
• ISBN 13: 9780062693914
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336