by Jack Carr
EFP: Explosively Formed Penetrator/Projectile. A shaped explosive charge that forms a molten projectile used to penetrate armor. Such munitions were widely used by insurgents against coalition forces in Iraq.
EMS: Emergency Medical Services. Fire, paramedic, and other emergency personnel.
EOD: Explosive Ordnance Disposal. The military’s explosives experts, who are trained to, among other things, disarm or destroy improvised explosive devices or other munitions.
Eotech: An unmagnified holographic gunsight for use on rifles and carbines, including the M4. The sight is designed for rapid target acquisition, which makes it an excellent choice for close-quarters battle. Can be fitted with a detachable 3x magnifier for use at extended ranges.
FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation.
FDA: Food and Drug Administration.
FOB: Forward Operating Base. A secured forward military position used to support tactical operations. Can vary from small and remote outposts to sprawling complexes.
Fobbit: A service member serving in a noncombat role who rarely, if ever, leaves the safety of the Forward Operating Base.
Frog Hog: SEAL groupie. Frequently sighted in and around Coronado and Virginia Beach watering holes.
Glock: An Austrian-designed, polymer-framed handgun popular with police forces, militaries, and civilians throughout the world. Glocks are made in various sizes and chambered in several different cartridges.
GPS: Global Positioning System. Satellite-based navigation system that provides a precise location anywhere on earth.
GRG: Gridded Reference Graphic. An annotated aerial map or photograph with various sectors of areas of interest separated and identified by gridlines.
Hell Week: The crucible of BUD/S training. Five days of constant physical and mental stress with little sleep.
HK416: M4 clone engineered by the German firm of Heckler & Koch to operate using a short-stroke gas pistol system instead of the M4’s direct-impingement gas system. Used by select special operations units in the U.S. and abroad. May or may not have been the weapon used to kill xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
HRT: Hostage Rescue Team. The FBI’s elite counterterrorism and hostage rescue force, based out of Quantico, VA.
HUMINT: Human intelligence. Information gleaned through traditional human-to-human methods.
HVI/HVT: High-value individual/High-value target. An individual who is important to the enemy’s capabilities and is therefore specifically sought out by a military force.
IED: Improvised explosive device. A homemade bomb, whether crude or complex, often used by insurgent forces overseas.
IR: Infrared. The part of the electromagnetic spectrum with a longer wavelength than light but a shorter wavelength than radio waves. Invisible to the naked eye but visible with night observation devices. Example: an IR laser aiming device.
ISIS: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Radical Sunni terrorist group. Also referred to as ISIL. The bad guys.
ISR: Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
JAG: Judge advocate general. Decent television series and the military’s legal department.
JSOC: Joint Special Operations Command. A component command of SOCOM, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.
Kaffir: An Arabic term used by Muslims to describe a subset of society who have read and rejected the message of the Qur’an; or, a derogatory term for a nonbeliever of Islam.
Langley: The Northern Virginia location where the Central Intelligence Agency is headquartered. Often used as shorthand for CIA.
Law of armed conflict: A segment of public international law that regulates the conduct of armed hostilities.
LAW rocket: M-72 Light Anti-armor Weapon. A disposable, tube-launched 66mm unguided rocket in use with U.S. forces since before the Vietnam War.
M-1911/1911A1: .45-caliber pistol used by U.S. forces since before World War I.
M-203: A 40mm single-shot grenade launcher that can be fit to the underside of the M4 carbine to provide an indirect fire capability.
M4: The standard assault rifle of the majority of U.S. military forces, including the U.S. Navy SEALs. The M4 is a shortened carbine variant of the M16 rifle that fires a 5.56x45mm cartridge. The M4 is a modular design that can be adapted to numerous configurations, including different barrel lengths.
MACV-SOG: Military Assistance Command, Vietnam–Special Operations Group. A joint special operations unit consisting primarily of Army special forces, Navy SEALs, and CIA personnel during the Vietnam War. Many of their missions remain highly classified to this day.
Mahdi Militia: An insurgent Shia militia, loyal to cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, that opposed U.S. forces in Iraq during the height of that conflict.
MBITR: AN/PRC-148 Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio. A handheld multiband, tactical software-defined radio, commonly used by special operations forces to communicate during operations.
MIL DOT: A reticle-based system used for range estimation and long-range shooting, based on the milliradian unit of measurement.
MK 186: An intelligent two-way radio system designed to initiate explosive devices, including claymore mines.
Mk 23: A massive .45-caliber handgun adopted by SOCOM and produced by Heckler & Koch that epitomizes wasteful bureaucratic spending.
Mk 24 MOD 0: A .45-caliber handgun made by Heckler & Koch, used by SEALs. This handgun is often equipped with a sound suppressor or “silencer.”
Mk 48 MOD 1: A belt-fed 7.62x51mm light machine gun designed for use by special operations forces. Weighing 18 pounds unloaded, the Mk-48 can fire 730 rounds per minute to an effective range of 800 meters and beyond.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service. A federal law enforcement agency whose jurisdiction includes the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Also a popular television program with at least two spin-offs.
NOD: Night observation device. Commonly referred to as “night vision goggles,” these devices amplify ambient light, allowing the user to see in low-light environments. Special operations forces often operate at night to take full advantage of such technology.
NSW: Naval Special Warfare. The Navy’s special operations force, includes SEAL teams.
OH-58D: A now-obsolete helicopter, nicknamed the “Kiowa,” used by the U.S. Army for observation, utility, armed reconnaissance, and fire support operations.
OODA Loop: Observe/Orient/Decide/Act. A decision cycle theory developed by Colonel John Boyd of the U.S. Air Force.
P226: 9mm handgun made by SIG Sauer, the standard-issue sidearm for SEALs.
P229: A compact handgun made by SIG Sauer, often used by federal law enforcement officers, chambered in 9mm as well as other cartridges.
Pakistani Taliban: An Islamic terrorist group comprised of various Sunni Islamist militant groups based in the northwestern Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan border in Pakistan.
PETN: PEntaerythritol TetraNitrate. An explosive compound used in blasting caps to initiate larger explosive charges.
PLF: Parachute landing fall. A technique taught to military parachutists to prevent injury when making contact with the earth. Round canopy parachutes used by airborne forces fall at faster velocities than other parachutes and require a specific landing sequence. More often than not ends up as feet-ass-head.
PTSD: Post-traumatic stress disorder. A mental condition that develops in association with shocking or traumatic events. Commonly associated with combat veterans.
PVS-15: Also known as the M953, a purpose-built ground operations binocular night observation device currently issued to members of U.S. Special Operations Command.
PVS-18: A night observation device that can be used as a handheld pocket scope, eye-mounted monocular, or weapon sight when mounted in conjunction with a laser or night-vision-compatible primary optic.
QRF: Quick Reaction Force, a contingency force on standby to assist operations in progress.
RHIB/RIB: Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat/Rigid
Inflatable Boat. A lightweight but high-performance boat constructed with a solid fiberglass or composite hull and flexible tubes at the gunwale (sides).
ROE: Rules of engagement. Rules or directives that determine what level of force can be applied against an enemy in a particular situation or area.
SAP: Special Access Program. Security protocols that provide highly classified information with safeguards and access restrictions that exceed those for regular classified information. Really secret stuff.
SCI: Sensitive compartmented information. Classified information concerning or derived from sensitive intelligence sources, methods, or analytical processes. Often found on private basement servers in upstate New York or bathroom closet servers in Denver.
Scouts and Raiders: A joint Army-Navy maritime commando unit created after Pearl Harbor and distinguished through actions in the North African, European, and Pacific Theaters of World War II. Direct forefathers of today’s SEALs.
SEAL: SEa Air and Land. The three environments in which SEALs operate. The U.S. Navy’s special operations force.
SERE: Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape. A military training program that includes realistic role-playing as a prisoner of war. SERE students are subjected to highly stressful procedures, sometimes including waterboarding, as part of the course curriculum.
SIGINT: Signals intelligence. Intelligence derived from electronic signals and systems used by foreign targets, such as communications systems, radars, and weapons systems.
SMU: Special Mission Unit. Elite special operations units that fall under the command of JSOC. If we told you any more, we’d have to kill you.
SOCOM: United States Special Operations Command. The Unified Combatant Command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Component Commands of the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force. Headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.
Special Reconnaissance Team: NSW teams that conduct special activities, ISR, and provide intelligence support to the SEAL Teams.
SSE: Sensitive site exploitation. A term used to describe collecting information, material, and persons from a designated location and analyzing them to answer information requirements, facilitate subsequent operations, or support criminal prosecution. Basically, grabbing everything that looks important for later use.
S-Vest: Suicide vest. An explosive-packed garment worn on the body that turns a human into a deadly area weapon. A tactic employed frequently by insurgent and terrorist groups.
SWAT: Special Weapons And Tactics. Paramilitary law enforcement teams trained and equipped to respond to special incidents. Can vary wildly in terms of capability and effectiveness. Dog owners beware.
Taliban: An Islamic fundamentalist political movement and terrorist group in Afghanistan. U.S. and coalition forces have been at war with members of the Taliban since late 2001.
TDFD: Time Delay Firing Device. An explosive initiator that allows for detonation at a determined period of time. A fancy version of a really long fuse.
TIC: Troops In Contact. A firefight involving U.S. or friendly forces.
TOC: Tactical Operations Center. A command post for military operations. A TOC usually includes a small group of personnel who guide members of an active tactical element during a mission from a secured area.
TOR Network: A computer network designed to conceal a user’s identity and location. TOR allows for anonymous communication.
TS: Top secret. Information the unauthorized disclosure of which reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to national security that the original classification authority is able to identify or describe. Can also describe an individual’s level of security clearance.
TST: Time-sensitive target. A target requiring immediate response because it is highly lucrative, a fleeting target of opportunity, or it poses (or will soon pose) a danger to friendly forces.
UAV: Unmanned aerial vehicle. A fancy acronym for drones, which have become the staple of aerial imagery for law enforcement and military surveillance activities both inside the United States and abroad. UAVs can range vastly in both size and capability.
UCMJ: Uniform Code of Military Justice. Disciplinary and criminal code that applies to members of the U.S. military.
VPN: Virtual private network. A private network that enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks using an encrypted tunnel to increase privacy and security.
WARCOM/NAVSPECWARCOM: United States Naval Special Warfare Command. The U.S. Navy’s special operations force and the maritime component of United States Special Operations Command. Headquartered in Coronado, California, WARCOM is the administrative command for subordinate NSW groups comprising eight SEAL teams, one SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) team, three Special Boat teams, and two Special Reconnaissance teams.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
NO BOOK CAN BE written in a bubble, and that is certainly the case here. There are many people to thank for helping make this novel a reality, some of whom can be named, and some of whom cannot, because they are still working in the shadows.
First and foremost, this book would still be sitting on my nightstand, or in a folder on my computer, if not for Brad Thor. To say I have no words to express how thankful I am for your advice, your counsel, and for taking a risk on me would be an understatement. Brad, thank you for making this lifelong dream come true. You gave me a piece of advice that I will never forget when we first spoke. You said, “the only difference between a published author and an unpublished author is that the published author never quit.” You would have made an exceptional Team Guy.
And, to the amazing Emily Bestler. It is never good for an author to be at a loss for words, but our every interaction has left me speechless. A better mentor, editor, publisher and friend is not to be found. Thank you for reading the manuscript and seeing its potential. What started over a long coffee in Manhattan that I never wanted to end has turned into the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Thank you for everything.
The engine of this speeding train is our agent, Alexandra Machinist. Your aggressive and energetic spirit is contagious. Thank you for making this such an incredible experience.
To the entire team at Emily Bestler Books. Thank you for your support and guidance. A special thank you to Lara Jones, for ensuring everything stayed on track, and to our publicist, David Brown, for pulling me, albeit reluctantly, into the unfamiliar world of “tweets,” “likes,” and “friends.” Nobody does it better. And, to Ann Pryor, a master of marketing, for leading the charge into that uncharted territory.
To Vince Flynn, for your leadership in blazing the path for a new generation of thriller writers. A true master of the craft, you live on and continue to influence through your remarkable work. You are missed.
To Lee Child, who welcomed me into the club of scribes and made me feel like I belonged before I even finished the novel. Thank you for your encouragement on the title and for your advice. As you can see, I took it.
To Stephen Hunter, for crafting a fictional former scout/sniper that has inspired more than a few to seek the Hog’s Tooth. Thank you for sharing your gift with the world and for your kindness to me. I eagerly await your next novel.
To David Morrell, for creating one of the most iconic characters to ever grace the page and screen, and for being one of the first to mention SEALs in a thriller back in 1984 before many people knew what they were. Thank you for connecting me with ITW and for your sage counsel.
To Brad Taylor, for mentoring me through the unique pitfalls associated with the transition from special operations to publishing. Thank you for taking the time to guide me around the land mines.
To Terry Flynn, my oldest friend, going back to the preschool playground, who was also the first person to read and review the manuscript—your initial critique made this a better book.
To Christian Sommer, for parting with his 1985 Navy SEAL edition of Gung-Ho magazine back in the sixth grade. It had quite the influence, and I
still treasure it today.
To Chris and Courtney Cox, for your example of strength and courage in the face of unimaginable adversity. Your grace and poise under pressure, becoming the very definition of resolve is a lesson to us all.
To David Lehman, who read a first copy on a well-deserved vacation in Turks and Caicos while trying to keep the pages from blowing down the beach. I’ll have it bound next time.
To Graham Hill, for your thoughtful comments and insistence that your law review skills would catch all our poor grammar.
To Dave Kilcullen, for your influence on an entire generation of warfighters. Our nation is in your debt.
To Jeff Rotherham, for reading the demolition-centric sections of the book and ensuring they were close to the way a terrorist would do it while making sure we left out enough key details to keep this out of the how-to section.
To Brent Bogart at Tradewind Technologies, for guiding me through the world of covert communications in a way even I could understand. I know it’s not perfect, but I didn’t want to give away all your secrets.
Thank you to “Goat,” for your mentorship during some interesting times in Iraq and for your service to the country.
To Justin Henderson, a man of integrity, loyalty, and wisdom beyond his years; thank you—you know what for. Someday I might even write a book about it.
To Mike Atkinson, for your continued mentorship and support, and for standing with me when it counted.
To Wayne Gregory, for everything you do for our service members. It does not go unnoticed.
To Katie Pavlich, for being there when I needed you. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.
To Jason Salata, for your patience, humor, and support.
To Lacey Biles, for your friendship and all you do for freedom.
To Biss. Thank you for inviting me to that Reds game and follow-on King Ranch trip. It changed the course of my life.
To Larry Sheakley and Lou Lauch, for bidding on that auction item, and to Ric Kayne, for inviting me to lunch on your yacht. It turned into so much more.