Visual Friendlies, Tally Target: How Close Air Support in the War on Terror Changed the Way America Made War: Volume II: Surges
Explores the evolving role of forward air controllers and close air support from 2006 to 2013, focusing on the surges in Iraq and Afghanistan and highlighting the strategic challenges and tactical successes of coalition forces.

Visual Friendlies, Tally Target: Surges continues the story of the role of forward air controllers (JTACs) and Close Air Support (CAS), picking up in 2006 and continuing through 2013. This volume covers the evolution of Joint Fires through the colloquial "second phase" of the War on Terror—the "surges" of Iraq in 2007 and Afghanistan in 2010–2011. The narrative is supported by the individual accounts of US Air Force, Army, Marine close air support specialists, as well as UK, Canadian, Danish and German coalition forward air controllers. Vol. II recounts the evolution of air power during the rising counterinsurgencies, as well as the psychology and mental makeup of these exclusive tribes. Notable accounts include the recovery mission of EXTORTION17, the first withdrawal from Iraq, previously unreported missions against insurgent strongholds, and multiple instances where the situational awareness and decision-making of forward air controllers prevented civilian casualties and fratricide.

The story carries with it a continuation of the strategic lessons learned from America’s longest war: where tactical successes and innovation failed to achieve a strategic outcome amidst ambiguous grand strategy, flawed policy and a failure to understand the new battlefields of the 21st century, as recounted by the men whose air power tribes went into the breach again and again. Volume II concludes as the "War on Terror" nominally ended in 2013, as the final phase of the post-9/11 wars transitioned to the "Train, Advise, and Assist" missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
1146305401
Visual Friendlies, Tally Target: How Close Air Support in the War on Terror Changed the Way America Made War: Volume II: Surges
Explores the evolving role of forward air controllers and close air support from 2006 to 2013, focusing on the surges in Iraq and Afghanistan and highlighting the strategic challenges and tactical successes of coalition forces.

Visual Friendlies, Tally Target: Surges continues the story of the role of forward air controllers (JTACs) and Close Air Support (CAS), picking up in 2006 and continuing through 2013. This volume covers the evolution of Joint Fires through the colloquial "second phase" of the War on Terror—the "surges" of Iraq in 2007 and Afghanistan in 2010–2011. The narrative is supported by the individual accounts of US Air Force, Army, Marine close air support specialists, as well as UK, Canadian, Danish and German coalition forward air controllers. Vol. II recounts the evolution of air power during the rising counterinsurgencies, as well as the psychology and mental makeup of these exclusive tribes. Notable accounts include the recovery mission of EXTORTION17, the first withdrawal from Iraq, previously unreported missions against insurgent strongholds, and multiple instances where the situational awareness and decision-making of forward air controllers prevented civilian casualties and fratricide.

The story carries with it a continuation of the strategic lessons learned from America’s longest war: where tactical successes and innovation failed to achieve a strategic outcome amidst ambiguous grand strategy, flawed policy and a failure to understand the new battlefields of the 21st century, as recounted by the men whose air power tribes went into the breach again and again. Volume II concludes as the "War on Terror" nominally ended in 2013, as the final phase of the post-9/11 wars transitioned to the "Train, Advise, and Assist" missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Visual Friendlies, Tally Target: How Close Air Support in the War on Terror Changed the Way America Made War: Volume II: Surges

Visual Friendlies, Tally Target: How Close Air Support in the War on Terror Changed the Way America Made War: Volume II: Surges

by Ethan Brown
Visual Friendlies, Tally Target: How Close Air Support in the War on Terror Changed the Way America Made War: Volume II: Surges

Visual Friendlies, Tally Target: How Close Air Support in the War on Terror Changed the Way America Made War: Volume II: Surges

by Ethan Brown

Hardcover

$37.95 
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Overview

Explores the evolving role of forward air controllers and close air support from 2006 to 2013, focusing on the surges in Iraq and Afghanistan and highlighting the strategic challenges and tactical successes of coalition forces.

Visual Friendlies, Tally Target: Surges continues the story of the role of forward air controllers (JTACs) and Close Air Support (CAS), picking up in 2006 and continuing through 2013. This volume covers the evolution of Joint Fires through the colloquial "second phase" of the War on Terror—the "surges" of Iraq in 2007 and Afghanistan in 2010–2011. The narrative is supported by the individual accounts of US Air Force, Army, Marine close air support specialists, as well as UK, Canadian, Danish and German coalition forward air controllers. Vol. II recounts the evolution of air power during the rising counterinsurgencies, as well as the psychology and mental makeup of these exclusive tribes. Notable accounts include the recovery mission of EXTORTION17, the first withdrawal from Iraq, previously unreported missions against insurgent strongholds, and multiple instances where the situational awareness and decision-making of forward air controllers prevented civilian casualties and fratricide.

The story carries with it a continuation of the strategic lessons learned from America’s longest war: where tactical successes and innovation failed to achieve a strategic outcome amidst ambiguous grand strategy, flawed policy and a failure to understand the new battlefields of the 21st century, as recounted by the men whose air power tribes went into the breach again and again. Volume II concludes as the "War on Terror" nominally ended in 2013, as the final phase of the post-9/11 wars transitioned to the "Train, Advise, and Assist" missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781636244679
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Publication date: 01/15/2026
Pages: 352
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

About The Author
Ethan Brown is an Air Force veteran, who served 11 years as a Tactical Air Control Party specialist. After leaving the service in 2020, he works as a policy analyst for a think tank in Washington D.C. and contributor to a variety of national security publications. His work has been featured in Diplomatic Courier, Modern War Institute, Task & Purpose and War on the Rocks.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction Doing more with more, over and over again

PART I: “Stability”
Iraq in 2007 and Afghanistan in 2011
Chapter One: The Good War and the Bad War
Chapter Two: PENDING CHAPTER HEADING
Chapter Three: Coalition of war
Chapter Four: Urban canyons
Chapter Five: Shoulder to Shoulder
Chapter Six: National Caveats
Chapter Seven: Rise of the manhunt
Chapter Eight: Innovators
Chapter Nine: HEADLINE PENDING
Chapter Ten: Breaking the network

PART II: “Necessity”
How to end a war
Chapter Eleven: Strategic Operators
Chapter Twelve: Joint in all things
Chapter Thirteen: Casualties
Chapter Fourteen: Few among ‘The Few’
Chapter Fifteen: One war ‘ends’
Chapter Sixteen: The lull
Chapter Seventeen: There and back again
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