John West

I started writing this book in 2006 when I was serving as a Guerrilla Warfare instructor at Fort Bragg, NC. I had previously completed three tours in Iraq as a Special Forces officer commanding an SFOD-A specializing in Urban Warfare. I had the pleasure of serving with some very talented and dedicated professionals. While serving as an instructor, I wanted to learn more about my craft and thought the best way to do that was by writing a book. The process forced me to learn far more than what I had personally experienced. I later went on to serve three tours in Afghanistan, as well, but I never encountered the level of Urban Warfare as I had in Iraq. My goal was to pass on to the reader what I had learned from my own professional life and what I had studied. This book is specifically about understanding modern urban guerrilla warfare through the discipline of sniping. I could have very well written about IED or VBIED teams to achieve the same goal. This book is not meant to teach one how to accurately shoot a high-end rifle at long distances as there are a score of books out there on how to do just that. While I have attended a SWAT sniper course, I am not a sniper and never served in that capacity in the military. I spent the majority of my career as an officer which quickly evolves into mid-level management. At different times in my career I had the opportunity to tactically "manage" snipers and sniper teams. Having said that, this work is about Unconventional Warfare tactics and methodology as it has been executed over time and space. I think (and hope) it's worth the time to read it if you are interested in such a topic. Thank you.