“A richly detailed account of a vital, yet underappreciated, part of the special ops campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, as seen from the operator’s-eye view. Ethan Brown weaves together gritty, first-person combat narratives and painstaking big-picture historical analysis into a satisfying whole.”—Sean Naylor, New York Times bestselling author of “Not a Good Day to Die” and “Relentless Strike”

“Ethan Brown has captured something incredible in his series as he exposes the force multiplier effect a JTAC can have when paired with a SOF element or an infantry unit that is going through hell on the ground.  e style in which he combines the explanation and development of doctrine with real world stories from the ground about soldiers in combat situations makes for something unique and fascinating to read.”—Will Yeske, combat veteran and author of “Damn the Valley”

“Ethan Brown’s trilogy, Visual Friendlies, Tally Target, will stand alongside the Afghanistan Papers as the essential analysis of America’s failures in the Global War on Terror. Volume I, Invasions, detailed the ‘good news’: why and how America’s air-to-ground operational concept worked so well. This volume, Surges, however, illustrates—in ‘nails on chalkboard’ detail—the how, when, and why of the ‘what’ that had worked so well in Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 and how it morphed into the frustrating and self-defeating ‘non-strategy’ that caused so much frustration and unnecessary loss of life as the wars dragged on. If reading this reminds you of what went wrong in Vietnam you are not mistaken—more’s the pity: ‘Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.’”—Dr. Steve Call, author of “Danger Close” and “Selling Airpower”

“In his three-part book series, Visual Friendlies, Tally Target, Ethan Brown succeeds masterfully in weaving together detailed and immersive portrayals of the ever-changing combat experience of U.S. and allied forward air controllers during the Global War on Terror. Volume II reveals a tight-knit community that spans militaries from many nations and the key role it played in coordinating allied operations. As a former JTAC, Brown offers rare, insider access to a world few civilians ever see or even know exists, bringing this hidden community to life with a level of authority and vividness that stays with the reader long after the final page.”—Peter Sparding, author of “No Better Friend: The United States and Germany Since 1945”