The following books provide insight into Special Warfare training, life as a SWCC operator and a view inside the minds of warriors. Each book was recommended by a member of the SWCC teams. These books are invaluable in helping you understand the regional and cultural sensitivities with which Navy SWCC are immersed.

 

Books appear in no particular order. They're listing represents a collection of books over time. As recommended to the Naval Special Warfare Recruiting Directorate for inclusion in the "Inspired Reading" list. No endorsement is implied.

 

 

NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE TRAINING: INSIDE THE MINDS OF WARRIORS

 

Making of SWCC

Brown Water Black Berets by Thomas J. Cutler

 

The Brown Water Navy by Col. Victor Croizat ( USMC retired )

 

U.S. Small Combatants by Norman Friedman

Making of SEALs

Warrior Elite by Dick Couch

 

The Finishing School by Dick Couch

Warrior mindset

Lone Survivor by Marcus Lutrell

 

Sheriff of Ramadi by Dick Couch

 

Brave Men-Dark Waters by Orr Kelly

 

Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden

 

Point Man by Chief James Watson and Kevin Dockery

 

Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare: Theory and Practice by William H. McRaven

Regional and cultural sensitivities

Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

 

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

 

The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror by Bernard Lewis

 

Islam: A Concise Introduction by Huston Smith

 

Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times by Margaret Nydell

Theory of war

War of the Flea: The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare by Robert Taber

 

Modern Irregular Warfare: In Defense Policy and as a Military Phenomenon by Von der Heydte

 

Case Study in Insurgency and Revolutionary Warfare by Special Operations Research Office

 

Guerrilla by Charles W. Thayer

 

Undergrounds in Insurgent, Revolutionary and Resistance Warfare by Special Operations Research Office

 

Human Factors Considerations of Undergrounds in Insurgencies by Special Operations Research Office

 

Guerrilla Warfare by Ernesto Guevara

 

Seven Pillars of Wisdom; a Triumph by T.E. Lawrence

 

On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-Tung

 

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

 

Strategy by Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart

 

On War by Carl von Clausewitz

 

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

 

On Revolution by Hanna Arendt

 

When Men Revolt and Why by James Chowning Davies

Guerilla warfare

Guerrilla: Colonel von Lettow-Vorbeck and Germany's East African Empire by Edwin P. Hoyt

 

We Remained: Three Years Behind the Enemy Lines in the Philippines by Russell Volkmann

 

Secret Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines with the Elite Warriors of SOG by John Plaster

 

The Jedburghs: The Secret History of the Allied Special Forces, France 1944 by     Will Irwin

 

War in the Shadows: The Guerrilla in History by Robert Asprey

Escape and evasion

Five years to Freedom by James N. Rowe

 

Code-Name Bright Light: The Untold Story of U.S. POW Rescue Efforts During the Vietnam War by George J. Veith

 

The Escape Factory: The Story of MIS-X by Lloyd R. Shoemaker

 

The Escaping Club by A. J. Evans

 

Saturday at M.I.9: A History of Underground Escape Lines in North-West Europe in 1940-45 by a Leading Organiser at M.I.9 by Airey Neave

 

From Colditz in Code by J. M. Green

 

The Wooden Horse by Eric Ernest Williams

Psychological

Cease Resistance: It's Good for You; A History of U.S. Army Combat Psychological Operations by Stanley Sandler

 

The Art and Science of Psychological Operations: Case Studies of Military

Application. Volume One and Two by the American Institutes for Research

 

Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes by Jacques Ellul

 

You Can't Fight Tanks with Bayonets: Psychological Warfare Against the Japanese Army in the Southwest Pacific by Allison B. Gilmore

Special operations forces from other branches of service

U.S. Army Special Warfare: Its Origins: Psychological and Unconventional Warfare, 1941-1952 by Alfred H. Paddock Jr.

 

From OSS to Green Beret: The Birth of Special Forces by Aaron Bank

 

Operation White Star by Richard O. Sutton

 

SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam by John L. Plaster

 

Tanks in the Wire: The First Use of Enemy Armor in Vietnam by David B. Stockwell

 

Green Berets at War: U.S. Army Special Forces in Southeast Asia, 1956-1975 by Shelby L. Stanton

 

Secret War against Hanoi: Kennedy's and Johnson's Use of Spies, Saboteurs, and Covert Warriors in North Vietnam by Richard H. Schultz

 

Mobile Guerrilla Force: With the Special Forces in War Zone D by James C. Donahue

 

Chosen Soldier by Dick Couch

 

U.S. Special Operations Forces Reference Manual by USSOCOM