About the Book
An unprecedented, raw, first-hand look into the life of America’s private paramilitary warriors and their highly secretive work around the world. Jamie Smith, a contractor with more than two decades under his belt, has planned and executed hundreds of missions on behalf of government agencies and private industry in some of the world’s most dangerous hot spots.
They are elite warriors who run highly dangerous missions deep inside foreign countries on the brink of war. Jamie Smith knows these men well. Not only is he one of them, but he cofounded one of the most successful private contracting multinational firms in the world. For the first time, he breaks his silence, detailing the ultimate danger and risk of paramilitary operations—both officially government-sanctioned and not. Pulling back the curtain of secrecy, he reveals in very intimate terms exactly what private soldiers do when the government cannot act or take public responsibility.
Combining the thrilling narrative of a riveting international spy thriller with boots-on-the-ground realism, Gray Work follows Smith through his CIA training and career as an operative, his co-founding of and eventual exit from Blackwater, and his creation and direction of his own company. Espionage and assassinations, rescues and renditions, the turbulence of the Arab Spring, the fall of Qadhaffi, the grit and gristle are all here in covert black ops from Syria to Libya, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq and beyond.
As the founding director of Blackwater, Smith’s initial vision has undeniably shaped and transformed a decade of war. He argues that this gray area—and the warriors who occupy the controversial space between public and private—has become an integral element of modern warfare.
About the Author :
Jamie Smith served in the CIA before becoming the founding director of Blackwater Security. After earning a graduate degree, he went on to postgraduate studies at Boston University. In 2002, he started his own defense contracting company and has planned, led, and executed missions throughout the world from Africa to Asia and the Middle East.
Review :
"Patriot, warrior, spy. Smith may be a real life Jason Bourne." - Fred Burton, Vice President at Stratfor and coauthor of Under Fire: The Untold Story of the Attack in Benghazi
"Espionage, trade-craft, politics, gunfights, explosions, assassinations, and covert operations around the world. Clancy, Griffin, and Ludlum use these in their novels, but only Jamie Smith has really lived them. Page after page, you can't help thinking 'this is all real.' While you're reading this, there's a good chance he is somewhere you don't want to be, doing the things that others only write about." - Colonel Lee Van Arsdale, retired former Commander, Delta Force Sabre Squadron and Branch Chief, Counterterrorism Special Projects, U.S. Secretary of Defense
"Smith takes you inside the Libyan revolution with a vivid and emotionally engaging account of the people and politics. This story shows the shaping of American foreign policy by players relatively unknown to the key decision makers. . . . This is a hugely interesting, entertaining, and heart-stopping read." - Colonel Rick Cantwell, retired US Army Special Forces
"Espionage, trade-craft, politics, gunfights, explosions, assassinations, and covert operations around the world. Clancy, Griffin, and Ludlum use these in their novels, but only Jamie Smith has really lived them. Page after page, you can't help thinking 'this is all real.'" - Colonel Lee Van Arsdale, retired former Commander, Delta Force Sabre Squadron and Branch Chief, Counterterrorism Special Projects, U.S. Secretary of Defense
"No one knows more about the grit and reality of counterterrorism than Jamie Smith, or writes better about it. His insights are indispensable to our understanding of a shadowy and dangerous world." - Richard North Patterson, author of Loss of Innocence
"The dark corners of the earth that Jamie Smith routinely explores - the Mideast hell zones where he thrives, and into which he can't parachute fast enough - normal people would never go. Smith's experience in the military and intelligence worlds, and the insights he has gleaned along the way, provide indispensable reading for anyone who wants to understand, or profit from, our dangerous times." - James Rosen, Fox News Chief Washington Correspondent and author of The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets of Watergate
"Smith's experience in the military and intelligence worlds, and the insights he has gleaned along the way, provide indispensable reading for anyone who wants to understand, or profit from, our dangerous times." - James Rosen, Fox News Chief Washington Correspondent and author of The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets of Watergate
"Jamie Smith takes you inside the Libyan revolution with a vivid and emotionally engaging account of the people and politics. This story shows the shaping of American foreign policy by players relatively unknown to the key decision makers and the impact of key leaders like Congresswoman Myrick and Smith whose decision to get involved saved thousands of civilian lives . . . Gray Work will be studied by many, not only to understand its impact on history, but to understand the role a lone American can play in shaping democracy in nations that rule their citizens thru fear and intimidation. This is a hugely interesting, entertaining, and heart-stopping read." - Colonel Rick Cantwell, retired US Army Special Forces
