"Not a Good Day to Die" by Sean Naylor

"Not a Good Day to Die" (http://www.amazon.com/Not-Good-Day-Die-Operation/dp/0425207870/ref=cm_cr-mr-title/102-9486720-4800961) is a true account of a battle that took place (Operation Anaconda) between predominantly American forces and Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in March of 2002, several months following the battle at Tora Bora, which allowed senior al-Qaeda leadership to escape into the mountains separating Afghanistan from Pakistan.

This book takes us from the planning part of the operation, where senior American leadership was expecting 100-200 Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters whom they believed would yet again attempt to flee the country, all the way through the battle itself, including its successes and monumental failures.

While the detail is significant enough to leave those who are not part of the military a little lost in jargon and leadership structures, it presents a very clear picture of the tasks under which the military was operating at the time.

If you recall, by this time, the Taliban had been overthrown and al-Qaeda leadership was thought to have fled to Pakistan months earlier. Additionally, there was significant concern that placing divisions of troops on the ground may lead to a 1980's Afghan War insurgency to develop. Finally, the Secretary of Defense was tasked with reducing the footprint of the military and emphasizing "smart" technology, like laser-guided bombs, etc.

This story looks at the decisions that were made, the inability of certain military groups to effectively work together, and the broken down chain of command due to disparate groups working together.

All in all, this is a great book thoroughly detailing a significant battle in the war on terror, and one that should be studied by military planners for generations.