Covert Action: 5 (Command and Control)

Following their military defeat in the Battle of Taiwan, China opens a new front in the struggle for geopolitical supremacy.

As China's Belt and Road Initiative brings together the final pieces of a 1000-mile rail and road connection between China and Tehran, a series of terrorist attacks rock the fractious states of Central Asia. A declining Russia, an isolated India, and a rising Iran all have a stake in the region.

But who is behind the mysterious attacks?

President Serrano, in the midst of another election cycle, just wants the problem to disappear. He puts his trust in Don Riley, the newly appointed CIA Deputy Director of Operations, to deal with the situation.

Quietly.

As tensions escalate, Don leads a covert action to protect America’s interests in the region and blunt the Chinese economic juggernaut. What he discovers threatens to drag the United States into another international conflict.

Covert Action is a high-stakes military thriller from the minds of former submarine officer David Bruns and retired naval intelligence officer J.R. Olson. Packed with propulsive action and pulse-pounding intrigue, this explosive and timely thriller is a must-read for fans of Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney.

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Praise for the authors and the COMMAND AND CONTROL series:

“David Bruns and J.R. Olson deliver captivating and utterly authentic portrayals of modern day combat that compares with the best of the timeless classics by Tom Clancy, Dale Brown, and Stephen Coonts.” —Mark Greaney, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Mission Critical

“A fascinating World War Three scenario, and an action-packed story. This is going to be an amazing series!” —Andrew Watts, USA Today bestselling author of The War Planners

"With their background in the U.S. Navy, both Bruns and Olson have the right stuff to create a realistic military tale." ―Booklist

“These two guys have lived it. Now they’re writing it. Taut, tense, and totally believable, you will be dropped into the midst of a world with which few of us are familiar. A fine thriller indeed.” —Don Keith, author of Only the Brave and Final Bearing

“Command and Control is a masterpiece of a military thriller from the first page to the explosive ending…some of the best combat writing I’ve seen since Tom Clancy.” —Jason Kasper, USA Today bestselling author of The Enemies of My Country

"Bruns and Olson deliver an action packed story from the first to the very last page. Torn from tomorrow’s headlines, loaded with intrigue and mystery, a must read for any fan of military techno-thrillers." —George Wallace, author of Warshot and Operation Golden Dawn

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What readers are saying:

★★★★★ "...superbly written."
★★★★★ "...fast and nimble..."
★★★★★ "...so much more than a military thriller..."
★★★★★ "...frighteningly plausible and completely gripping..."
★★★★★ "...plot twists, nail-biting tension, and intense combat sequences."

J.R. Olson graduated from Annapolis in May of 1990 with a BS in History. He served as a naval intelligence officer, retiring in March of 2011 at the rank of commander. His assignments during his 21-year career included duty aboard aircraft carriers and large deck amphibious ships, participation in numerous operations around the world, to include Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, and service in the U.S. Navy in strategic-level Human Intelligence (HUMINT) collection operations as a CIA-trained case officer. J.R. earned an MA in National Security and Strategic Studies at the U.S. Naval War College in 2004, and in August of 2018 he completed a Master of Public Affairs degree at the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota. Today, J.R. often serves as a visiting lecturer, teaching national security courses in Carleton College's Department of Political Science, and hosts his radio show, National Security This Week, on KYMN Radio in Northfield, Minnesota.

David Bruns earned a Bachelor of Science in Honors English from the United States Naval Academy. (That's not a typo. He's probably the only English major you'll ever meet who took multiple semesters of calculus, physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, naval architecture, and weapons systems just so he could read some Shakespeare. It was totally worth it.) Following six years as a US Navy submarine officer, David spent twenty years in the high-tech private sector. A graduate of the prestigious Clarion West Writers Workshop, he is the author of over twenty novels and dozens of short stories. Today, he co-writes contemporary national security thrillers with retired naval intelligence officer, J.R. Olson.