Special operating units have long been a part of the military services. Often using unconventional tactics and equipment, these units play a larger role in military operations today than ever before.

The Warrior Elite : The Forging of Seal Class 228 by Dick Couch, Cliff Hollenbeck (Photographer). There is a pod of good books on the SEALs, but this one is unique. Couch, a Vietnam-era SEAL and retired naval reserve captain, was given the most complete access possible to the demanding BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) course and has recorded his observations, those of one who has been there and done a good deal of that. His account of Hell Week, the culmination of a formidable three-phase course intended to produce men who are physically, psychologically, and technically the best in the world at what they do, may leave the average reader short of breath.

Shadow Warriors : Inside the Special Forces by Tom Clancy, Carl Stiner (Contributor). This is the third volume in Clancy's series presenting modern war from the perspective of its commanders. Here the focus is on special warfare: Rangers, SEALs, Delta Force, the Green Berets and other less familiar organizations. Stiner headed the newly created Special Operations Command during the Gulf War. His experiences and Clancy's investigations combine to describe how the perennial outsider troops became frontline insiders.

U.S. Special Forces : Airborne Rangers by Alan Landau, Rita Landau, D. M. Giangreco Duking it out toe to toe behind enemy lines; leading assaults by land, sea and air; beating back terrorist threats--America's special forces commandos do it all. The three finest special forces in the world--the U.S. Army Airborne Rangers, DELTA Force, and the U.S. Navy SEALs--are profiled in this intense, action-packed look at their bizarrely rigorous training, actual deployment, and heart-stopping, real-life operations.

America's Special Forces : Weapons, Missions, Training by David Bohrer

Cold Zero: Inside the FBI Hostage Rescue Team by Christopher Whitcomb. This close-up look at the FBI's most elite unit by a 15-year veteran including firsthand accounts of actions at Waco and Ruby Ridge is alternately funny, exciting and disturbing. With his liberal arts background and experience as a D.C. speechwriter, Whitcomb was an unusual candidate for special agent. Currently director of information management for the Bureau's Critical Incident Response Group, he recounts his 1980s epiphany, following a State of the Union address, that he wanted to help preserve American democracy; he chose the FBI as his medium. He details the tricky, competitive process of becoming an agent.

Delta Force : The Army's Elite Counterterrorist Unit by Charlie A. Beckwith, Donald Knox. The only insider's account ever written on America's most powerful weapon in the war against terrorismDelta Force

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