U.S. Special Warfare

For many centuries, the job of everyday soldiers, the “grunts,” was the same-“see the hill, take the hill.” But the combat role of today’s U.S. soldier has undergone a radical change. The recent revolution in the art of soldiering in America emphasizes a smaller, but more highly specialized and technologically equipped, armed force. Now, even everyday soldiers in America’s armed forces specialize in elite combat skills that use the very latest high-tech equipment.After basic training, many of today’s recruits continue advanced training in one of the new emerging combat specialties, such as urban, mountain and arctic warfare amphibious, underwater and small boat operations modern cavalry combat sniping military intelligence and psychological warfare search and rescue procedures, and combat engineering.In lively and entertaining prose, military historian Sam Southworth describes these emerging combat specialties-as well as the training and equipment for each-that characterize America’s fighting force today.