Gray Work
Confessions of an American Paramilitary Spy
Published on 7. May 2015
Book
Hardback
400 pages
978-0-06-227169-3 (ISBN)
Description
The first ever, first-person story of America's private, paramilitary contractors at work around the world-from a man who performed these missions himself and has decades of stories to tell. This is a fascinating tale-and potentially the first-to describe the work of American contractors, men who run highly dangerous missions deep inside foreign countries on the brink of war. It will lift the veil and detail the ultimate danger and risk of paramilitary operations (both officially government-sanctioned and not) and show us in very intimate terms exactly what private soldiers do when the government can't act or take public responsibility. GRAY WORK combines covert military intelligence with boots-on-the-ground realism, following Jamie Smith through his CIA training and work as a spy in the State Department, to his co-founding of Blackwater following 9/11, to his decision to leave that company. As the founder and director of Blackwater Security, Smith's initial vision has undeniably shaped and transformed a decade of war.
He argues that this gray area-and its warriors who occupy the controversial space between public and private-has become an indispensable element of the modern battlefield.
He argues that this gray area-and its warriors who occupy the controversial space between public and private-has become an indispensable element of the modern battlefield.
Reviews / Votes
"Patriot, warrior, spy. Smith may be a real life Jason Bourne." -- Fred Burton, Vice President at Stratfor and coauthor of Under Fire: The Untold Story of the Attack in Benghazi "No one knows more about the grit and reality of counterterrorism than Jamie Smith, or writes better about it. His insights are indispensable to our understanding of a shadowy and dangerous world." -- Richard North Patterson, author of Loss of Innocence "Espionage, trade-craft, politics, gunfights, explosions, assassinations, and covert operations around the world. Clancy, Griffin, and Ludlum use these in their novels, but only Jamie Smith has really lived them. Page after page, you can't help thinking 'this is all real.'" -- Colonel Lee Van Arsdale, retired former Commander, Delta Force Sabre Squadron and Branch Chief, Counterterrorism Special Projects, U.S. Secretary of Defense "Smith's experience in the military and intelligence worlds, and the insights he has gleaned along the way, provide indispensable reading for anyone who wants to understand, or profit from, our dangerous times." -- James Rosen, Fox News Chief Washington Correspondent and author of The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets of Watergate "Smith takes you inside the Libyan revolution with a vivid and emotionally engaging account of the people and politics. This story shows the shaping of American foreign policy by players relatively unknown to the key decision makers... This is a hugely interesting, entertaining, and heart-stopping read." -- Colonel Rick Cantwell, retired US Army Special ForcesMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
575 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-06-227169-3 (9780062271693)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2024
1st Edition
William Morrow
from
€13.99
Available for download
Person
Jamie Smith served in the CIA before becoming the founding director of Blackwater Security. After earning a graduate degree, he went on to postgraduate studies at Boston University. In 2002, he started his own defense contracting company and has planned, led, and executed missions throughout the world from Africa to Asia and the Middle East.