The Marine Corps Special Operations Command engage in direct action, reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, information-gathering, and unconventional warfare. Readers are provided enthralling details, including explanations of the training that enrollees endure and special inside missions that show the skills and discipline of the members of one of the world's most exclusive defense forces.

The Marine Corps Special Operations Command engage in direct action, reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, information-gathering, and unconventional warfare. Readers are provided enthralling details, including explanations of the training that enrollees endure and special inside missions that show the skills and discipline of the members of one of the world's most exclusive defense forces.

An illustrated profile of the Marine Corps component of USSOCOM, its origins & history, training & missions, and special equipment & weapons. The United States Marine Corps has a rich tradition of special operations, from World War II’s famed Marine Raiders and Para Marines to Korea and Vietnam’s legendary Marine Force Recon companies. Indeed, when Navy underwater demolition teams, the direct predecessors to the SEALs, performed the preinvasion reconnaissance of Iwo Jima, recon Marines were part of the mission. But when US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was created in 1987 in the wake of the abortive Desert One hostage rescue mission, the Marines did not join in. Spec ops on land, sea, and air were covered by the Army, Navy, and Air Force; the Corps felt it needed to keep its top warriors with its conventional forces. In the post-9/11 world, however, the need for special operations forces dramatically increased. With the creation of the Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) in 2006, Marines officially become part of USSCOM. Initially drawn from the ranks of Force Recon companies, these highly skilled and combat-proven Leathernecks joined their spec ops brethren in taking the war to al-Qaeda and the Taliban in America’s global war on terrorism. MARSOC’s mission is to win wars before they begin, taking combat beyond the frontlines. When America needs to respond to aggression in distant lands, the call comes to send in the Marines. With the creation of MARSOC, chances are special operations Marines are already there.

Explore the lesser-known details about what makes a Green Beret tick, including the rigorous admissions requirements and top-secret missions.

First In, Last Out, is the motto of the U.S. Air Force Combat Control Team, and this elite group certainly lives by that slogan. Readers get a captivating look into this lesser-known branch of the special forces. Additionally, as-told-by accounts of clandestine missions offer a window into what it's really like to be the first ones in and the last ones out of war zones.

The Navy SEALs are among the most elite combat units in the history of the military. Readers dive into what makes them so good as they take a close look at the extreme training regimen and weaponry used. An exciting blow-by-blow account of some of the SEALs most clandestine missions, including the hunt for Osama bin Laden, will engage readers from cover-to-cover.

Even the most rigorous training would not prepare young readers for the sheer amount of intel they will uncover about six of the most secretive U.S. Special Forces. Each title covers the chronology of the special ops force and supplements the main narrative with "Force Fact" sidebars about such topics as weaponry, facilities, and popular culture references. From historical missions and controversial calls to details about equipment and selection processes, this series aims to inform! This title provides a chronological account of the American special forces unit known as Marine Special Ops, including key details about important figures, landmark missions, and controversies.