William mcraven s book spec ops stands alone in the realm of military books as the only basic textbook for special forces operations. Vice admiral william mcraven, in his book specops describes six key elements that make such missions successful. Special operations command in 2011 when a team of navy seals killed the alqaida leader in pakistan, the ap notes. From 2015 to 2018, he was the chancellor of the university of texas system mcraven previously served from june, 2008, to august 2011 as commander of joint special. All but two of these are already codified in the nine principles of war. Retired admiral mcraven has no regrets over criticizing trump. Special operations command who recently announced he will step down this year as chancellor of the university of texas system, kicked off the airman heritage. Military hero mcraven chosen to give mit commencement. Special operations forces work behind enemy lines on extraordinary missions that require great courage and skill. This is an inspiring and powerful 20minute commencement speech by naval admiral william h. Fifteen years before that operation mcraven wrote spec ops.
The other two, speed and repetition, are especially critical for achieving success in the challenging and unforgiving circumstances of special operations. Prevent the enemy from gaining an advantage through foreknowledge. Mcraven helped to devise the strategy for how to bring down osama bin laden, and commanded the courageous u. Bill mcraven, commander of a team of seals, the navys elite special operations force, is an expert on the subject of special operations. Mcraven explains the importance of the six principles and provides historical examples for each. This thesis develops a theory that explains why special operations succeed. Navy admiral who directed the raid that killed osama bin laden, has been chosen to give the 2020 commencement speech. Special operations command commanders reading list for 2014. University of texas at austin 2014 commencement address. Special operations command, at the universitywide commencement at the university of texas at austin on may 17, 2014.
Principles and considerations page 5 there is a need for a theory of special operations to guide the application of sf to strategic ends beyond the ad hoc, immediate, and creative mind of the military planner implementing strategy. Special ops and the future of american warfare, by linda. Character and leadership are inseparable qualities, former. Jcsp 40 pcemi 40 exercise solo flight exercice solo flight. William harry mcraven born november 6, 1955 is a retired united states navy fourstar admiral who last served as the ninth commander of the united states special operations command from august 8, 2011, to august 28, 2014. Hes also the kind of leader who took the time to reply to a 6yearold boy who sent him a letter asking if a navy seal is quieter than a ninja. My life in special operations says all quiet on the western front is the one book that best captures the nature of a soldier. Mcravens relative superiority six principles navy reads. Case studies in special operations warfare, theory and practice presidio press. Navy admiral, follows his selfhelp guide, make your bed, in which he shared principles for success learned during his more than 30 years as a navy seal, with this collection of fascinating stories from his time as commander of the special operations forces. Admiral mcravens theory of special operations applied to. William mcraven s spec ops case studies in special operations warfare. In spec ops, mcraven outlines the principles of successful special operations simplicity, security, repetition, surprise, speed and purpose. William mcraven, which highlighted six common principles he identified as essential for success with special operations.
For each of the case studies, he provides political and military context, a meticulous reconstruction of the mission itself and an analysis of the operation in relation to. In his thirtyseven years as a navy seal, he commanded at every level. This thesis presents eight historical cases and demonstrates how certain principles of special. Mcraven helped to devise the strategy for how to bring down. Admiral mcravens theory of special operations applied to startups. Mcraven provides six principles of special operations. Our republic is under attack from the president opinion our republic is under attack from the president if president trump doesnt demonstrate the leadership that america needs, then it is time for a new person in the oval office. Case studies in special operations warfare theory and practice new edition by mcraven, admiral william h.
Special operations, mcraven retains the ramrod bearing and the reserve of a career officer with more than 37 years in uniform. Navy admiral and former chancellor of the university of texas system, has been selected to deliver mits 2020 commencement address. Mcraven theory of special operations, page 16 mcraven s thesis went on to analyze eight historical cases where a failure to adhere to one or more of these principles were missing in the. Theory and practice 9780891416005 by mcraven, william h. I will consider here the main principles from mcravens theory of special operations, and consider how they apply to startups striving to gain. Examples of how each principal was used in a real mission are given as well as how the failure to implement any one or more of the principles resulted in failure.
In spec ops, a wellorganized and deeply researched study, mcraven analyzes eight classic special operations. Opinion our republic is under attack from the president. These principles are simplicity, security, repetition, speed, purpose and. In this wellorganized and deeply researched study, mcraven pinpoints six essential principles of spec ops success. He is now chancellor of the university of texas system. Most examples are from wwii, two from vietnam, one the israeli raid to rescue hostages from entebbe, uganda. The book is a collection of case studies of special operations conducted by various internation militaries from the german attack on ebem emael in 1940 to the israeli raid on entebbe in 1976. He achieved a pinnacle as a special operations warrior as commander of the united states special operations command in august 8, 2011. His theory of special operations, based on the six principles, can achieve relative superiority in combat. In a may edition exclusive to am, admiral william h.
Special operations command, texas exes life member, and distinguished alumnus. Special operations command, gave a commencement address last week that. I was struck by a recent article on the retirement of adm. In the books first half, mcraven describes his early life. Recently, mcraven gave a speech at west point about the top lessons of his 36year military career. Limiting the number of objectives, good intel, and innovation technologically security. Mcraven, a retired navy admiral, is a former commander of the united states special operations command and former chancellor of the university of texas system. Special operations command in 2011 when a team of navy seals killed the alqaida leader. Navy retired served with great distinction in the navy. As a fourstar admiral, his final assignment was as commander of all u. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read spec ops. In spec ops, mcraven outlines the principles of successful special operations simplicity, security, repetition, surprise, speed and purpose and unpacks eight famous missions, including the 1976 israeli rescue of hostages from ugandas entebbe airport.
1386 933 1500 65 603 123 330 880 815 480 936 20 903 773 304 580 98 740 69 248 1482 70 1099 738 478 1435 1407 785 251 1401 432 107 1233 260 1180