Warrior Elite
Australia’s Special Forces – Z Force to the SAS; Intelligence Operations to Cyber Warfare
By Robert Macklin

RRP $35.00 in paperback
Published by Hachette
ISBN: 9780733632914

Robert Macklin started the round of promotional activities for his new book in Canberra last night, with the official launch of the title at the excellent Paperchain bookstore in Manuka – http://www.paperchainbookstore.com.au. If ever you’re in Canberra, this is a bookstore you must visit.

Peter Jennings, a well known figure in Defence circles and currently Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, has written a foreword to the book which he describes as a ‘lively study into the history and future of Australia’s Special Forces’. He says that Macklin’s book is unique because he has ‘tumbled to the reality that few people outside the office ‘national security community’ understand: the practical definition of what constitutes Australia’s Special Forces has widened to include not only the SASR and the commandos but also Australia’s intelligence agencies.’

So Warrior Elite, which begins its narrative with World War 2, is much more than an account of Special Forces operations – it includes the roles of ASIS, ASD (Australians Signals Directorate) and ASIO, so don’t let the cover fool you. This is a well researched book produced in Macklin’s highly-readable style that covers a substantial topic in considerable detail. It is not simply a book about the high octane life of a special forces operative.