Book Description
Lt. General Mike DeLong, deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, was second only to General Tommy Franks in the war on terror. At the center of discussions between President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and Tommy Franks, General DeLong offers the frankest and most authoritative look inside the wars-how we prepared for battle, how we fought, how we toppled two regimes-and what's happening now on these two crucial fronts.

From the Inside Flap
Only two men on earth have the insider knowledge about what really happened at the highest levels of our government and military from September 11, 2001, through the fall of Saddam Hussein's notorious dictatorship in Iraq. One of these men is Army General Tommy Franks. The other is Marine Corps General Mike "Rifle" DeLong, Franks's deputy. General DeLong was Donald Rumsfeld's "answer man" during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He assembled and held together the international coalitions for the War on Terror and the war against Saddam Hussein. And while Franks was in the field, former Marine combat pilot DeLong ran CentCom, the nerve center of both wars. In Inside CentCom, you'll learn what only insiders have known up to now: * How President Bush had a chance to take out Saddam and his sons before the war-and why he chose not to * How the idea of invading Iraq came up as early as September 11, 2001 * The likely hiding place of Saddam's weapons of mass destruction-yes, they do exist * Al-Qaeda and Saddam: why CentCom believes they are co-conspirators * Why CentCom knew in advance that the United Nations would never approve military action against Iraq-and why the war was justified * Why chaos in Iraq was greater than predicted-and the mistakes that contributed to it * The failure of Ahmad Chalabi's alleged Iraqi "freedom fighters" as American allies Inside CentCom takes you inside the center of American defense intelligence and war planning for the greater Middle East. You'll go behind the scenes on the stealth operations leading up to the Afghan and Iraq wars, and then read the after-action report from today's Iraq. This is an unmissable book about the wars we have already won-the first steps in winning the War on Terror.

From the Back Cover
"Mike 'Rifle' DeLong was the best deputy commander I could have imagined. Seasoned in Vietnam as a young helicopter pilot, he never forgot the lessons of war: loyalty, focus, commitment to mission and the troops. Rifle was 'Joint' to the core. He had the respect of all who served with him. A manager and a leader of the highest caliber, I am proud to call him a friend." -General Tommy H. Franks, former commander of CentCom "General DeLong did an outstanding job on General Tommy Franks's behalf in dealing with Secretary Rumsfeld, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers, and President Bush himself. General DeLong was also the 'go-to' guy for the sixty-plus countries that participated in the Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns. This is truly an insider's view of these history-making events." -General Joseph Hoar, USMC (retired), former commander of CentCom "General Tommy Franks and General Mike DeLong were masters at war fighting, managing the sensitive relationships in the region, and holding together the complex coalition put in place to deal with the significant threats that faced us. General DeLong was the unsung hero of these efforts. His savvy, intellect, common sense, professional competence, and honesty come through in this book, and give us a rare insight into critical events that have shaped our course at the beginning of this troubled century." -General Tony Zinni, USMC (retired), former commander of CentCom "I can't think of a finer Marine or a finer person who serves anywhere in this armed forces." -General John Abizaid, current commander of CentCom "From the point of the bayonet to the crisis of the conference room, General DeLong has spent a lifetime serving his country in war and peace, in combat and in preparation. His experience from Mogadishu to Tampa, from fighting terrorists to dealing with Washington (maybe even more terrifying for a military man) gives him a unique vantage point from which to help his fellow Americans understand the world they live in and the challenges they face." -Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House

About the Author
Lieutenant General Mike DeLong, USMC (retired), capped a distinguished thirty-six year military career as deputy commander of United States Central Command. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a much-decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, the 1991 Gulf War, and other military actions. General DeLong lives in Florida, where he is corporate vice president of Global Planning and Operations for the Shaw Group. Noah Lukeman is the author of the critically acclaimed and bestselling books The First Five Pages and The Plot Thickens, and is president of Lukeman Literary Management Ltd. He lives in New York City.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Inside CentCom is the ultimate insider's account--unhindered by political correctness or spin--about what really happened, in the war against the terror masters.