Thank you to our brothers and sisters in arms who are always there, at the pointy tip of the spear, keeping us safe, often from the shadows.
And more than anything we thank our families, who continue to put up with our devotion to this crazy business of storytelling. None of it happens without the support of our amazing wives and children. We love you.
GLOSSARY
AFSOC—Air Force Special Operations Command
AQ—Al Qaeda
BDU—Battle Dress Uniform
BUD/S—Basic Underwater Demolition School
BZ—Bravo Zulu (military accolade)
CASEVAC—Casualty Evacuation
CENTCOM—Central Command
CIA—Central Intelligence Agency
CO—Commanding Officer
CONUS—Continental United States
CSO—Chief Staff Officer
DNI—Director of National Intelligence
DoD—Department of Defense
Eighteen Delta—Special Forces medical technician and first responder
Ember—American black-ops OGA unit led by Kelso Jarvis
EMP—Electromagnetic pulse
EXFIL—Exfiltrate
FARP—Forward Area Refueling/Rearming Point
FOB—Forward Operating Base
HUMINT—Human Intelligence
HVT—High Value Target
IAEA—International Atomic Energy Agency
IC—Intelligence Community
IDF—Israeli Defense Forces
INFIL—Infiltrate
IRGC—Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. A branch of the Iranian Armed Forces
IS—Islamic State
ISIS—Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham
JCS—Joint Chiefs of Staff
JO—Junior Officer
JSOC—Joint Special Operations Command
JSOTF—Joint Special Operations Task Force
KIA—Killed in Action
MARSOC—Marine Corps Special Operations Command
MEDEVAC—Medical Evacuation
MOIS—Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, aka VAJA / VEVAK
Mossad—Israeli Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations
NCO—Noncommissioned Officer
NOC—Non-official Cover
NSA—National Security Administration
NVGs—Night Vision Goggles
OGA—Other Government Agency
OPSEC—Operational Security
OSTP—Office of Science and Technology Policy
OTC—Officer in Tactical Command
PJ—Parajumper/Air Force Rescue
QRF—Quick Reaction Force
RPG—Rocket Propelled Grenade
SAD—Special Activities Division
SAPI—Small Arms Protective Insert
SCIF—Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility
SEAL—Sea, Air, and Land Teams, Naval Special Warfare
SECDEF—Secretary of Defense
SIGINT—Signals Intelligence
SITREP—Situation Report
SOAR—Special Operations Aviation Regiment
SOCOM—Special Operations Command
SOG—Special Operations Group
SOPMOD—Special Operations Modification
SQT—Seal Qualification Training
SSGN—Nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine
TAD—Temporary Additional Duty
TOC—Tactical Operations Center
UAV—Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
UN—United Nations
UNO—University of Nebraska Omaha
USN—US Navy
VEVAK—Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, analogue of the CIA
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Photo © 2012 Jennifer Hensley
Photo © 2015 Wendy Wilson
Brian Andrews is a US Navy veteran who served as an officer on a 688-class fast-attack submarine in the Pacific. He is a Park Leadership Fellow and holds a master’s degree in business from Cornell University. He is the author of the Think Tank series of thrillers (The Infiltration Game, The Calypso Directive). Born and raised in the Midwest, Andrews lives in Tornado Alley with his wife and three daughters.
Jeffrey Wilson has worked as an actor, firefighter, paramedic, jet pilot, and diving instructor, as well as a vascular and trauma surgeon. He served in the US Navy for fourteen years and made multiple deployments as a combat surgeon. He is the author of three award-winning supernatural thrillers: The Traiteur’s Ring, The Donors, and Fade to Black. He and his wife, Wendy, live in Southwest Florida with their four children.
Andrews and Wilson also coauthor the Nick Foley Thriller series (Beijing Red, Hong Kong Black) under the pen name Alex Ryan.