September of 1972, during the Olympics, a terrorist attack on the Olympic Village aimed at Israeli athletes was broadcast, world-wide, on television. This, certainly, was not the first use of terrorism to achieve a political goal, and it wasn’t the last, but it was the first such attack to draw the attention of the world to the crisis, and to do so "live and on TV".

The author, Leigh Neville, creates a roadmap of terror attacks and those Counter Terrorist Units that have been created and trained to stop them. With excellent, full-color illustrations of men in uniform by Adam Moore, this book provides, in clear and concise detail, the evolution of terrorist attacks from Munich, in 1972, to the current year of publication, 2017. Both attackers and defenders have evolved, changing tactics, techniques, weapons, and gear. That evolutionary process continues up to today, and will surely continue in years to follow.

The reader will do well to bookmark the "Summary of Abbreviations" page as there are a large number of abbreviations for the units, weapons, and tactics described in the book. The book is extremely informative, with concise language that matches the militaristic nature of the subject being covered. The reader is presented with a clear and comprehensive coverage of the subject. The book is a "quick" read even though it is packed with detail and useful information.

Contents:

• The Lesson of Munich
• The Changing Face of Terrorism
  • Techniques and Motivations
• Intervention
  • Tactics and Techniques
• Intervention Unit Profiles
  • Coverage of Units in 24 nations
• Bibliography includes print and online sources
• Summary of Abbreviations
• Index

Be aware that the front cover of the book received for review is different than the cover as it appears on the Osprey website. This is of no consequence other than that it might cause a little confusion on the part of a person conducting a search for the book.

This publication is highly recommended due to the amount of detail, explanation of the evolution of tactics and weapons, excellent illustrations, and thorough coverage of Counter-Terrorist Units in a large number of European nations. Thanks to Osprey for providing this publication for review by IPMS/USA.