Direct Action - 03

by Jack Murphy

PIN: Personal Identification Number.

  PKM: Belt fed Russian made machine gun.

  PMC: Private Military Company.

  PT: Physical Training.

  PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

  PVS-14: Night vision monocle.

  QRF: Quick Reaction Force.

  R&R: Rest and Relaxation.

  Rangers: US Army elite airborne light infantry unit.

  Raufoss: Armor piercing explosive incendiary rounds.

  RDX: Research Development Explosives.

  RFID:Radio-frequency identification.

  RPG: Rocket Propelled Grenade.

  RPK: 7.62 light machine gun.

  RUMINT: A non-official humorous term meaning Rumor Intelligence.

  SA-7: Russian shoulder fired anti-aircraft missile.

  Samruk International: A fictional Private Military Company based out of Kazakhstan.

  SCUBA: Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

  SEAL: SEa, Air, and Land. US Navy maritime commando unit.

  SEAL Team Six: US Navy SEAL Counter-Terrorism unit. Also known as Task Force Blue, Naval Special Warfare Development Group, and more recently, TACDEVRON.

  SIGINT: Signals Intelligence.

  SIM: Subscriber Identity Module.

  SOF: Special Operations Forces.

  SOTIC: Special Operations Target Interdiction Course, now knows as the Special Forces Sniper Course.

  Special Forces: Also known as Green Berets, specialize in training indigenous forces. A separate unit from SEALs, Rangers, and Delta Force

  SPG-9: 73mm recoiless rifle.

  SSE: Sensitive Site Exploitation.

  T-72: Russian main battle tank.

  TACDEVRON: US Navy SEAL Counter-Terrorism unit. Also known as Task Force Blue, Naval Special Warfare Development Group, and more recently, TACDEVRON.

  TF Blue: See Dev Group.

  TF Green: See Delta Force.

  TORDS: Tandem Offset Resupply Delivery System.

  TTL: Tag, Track, and Locate.

  UAE: United Arab Emirates.

  VBIED: Vehicular Borne Improvised Explosive Device.

  VDO: Vehicle Drop Off.

  WMD: Weapon of Mass Destruction.

  ZPU: Russian anti-aircraft machine gun.

  Acknowledgments:

  Direct Action was by far the most exhausting of the three Deckard novels I've written thus far. Like the previous two books, I hammered it out while being a full time student, having a job, and everything else that life throws at you. However, I did it with a lot of help. Special thanks to my wife for understanding why I wrote this book.

  Again, I must thank Marc Lee for the amazing cover art that he did for this project. This is the third novel we've worked on together and we are pretty much reading each other's minds at this point. He designed the cover on his own as a side project for his own amusement. I quickly offered to buy it from him because I knew it was perfect for Direct Action. Thanks for your hard work and constant support Marc.

  I also want to thank Nate Granzow and Laura K. for the edits and proof reading. This book is ten times better because of your help. Thanks for spotting all my mental hiccups. I'd also like to thank Laura Walker for helping me with some of the technical details when it comes to computers and physical security.

  At least ten people beta read this book prior to publication and gave me their notes. Thanks so much Paul Ciolino, Emil, Fredrick, Lawrence, and all the others for your feedback. Direct Action is a stronger novel because of you. I also want to thank Kerry Patton, Brandon Webb, Charlie Jackman, and everyone else who has been a part of the SOFREP team.

  Most importantly, I have to thank those who can never be named. You took a stand against those who chose the easy wrong over the hard right. Maybe one day things will change and this mess will get cleaned up. All the soldiers who served, and died, honorably deserve nothing less.

  Until that day.

  Jack Murphy is a Army Special Operations veteran who served as a Sniper and Team Leader in 3rd Ranger Battalion and as a Senior Weapons Sergeant on a Military Free Fall team in 5th Special Forces Group.

  Murphy is the New York Times Bestselling author of REFLEXIVE FIRE, TARGET DECK, and DIRECT ACTION. He also co-authored the non-fiction work, BENGHAZI: THE DEFINITIVE REPORT which exploded the true story behind what really happened when the US consulate in Libya came under attack.

  Having left the military in 2010 after serving three combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, he is now working towards a degree in Political Science at Columbia University. He has penned numerous non-fiction articles about Weapons, Tactics, Special Operations, Terrorism, and Counter-Terrorism. He has appeared in documentaries, on national television, and on syndicated radio.

  Target Deck is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

  © 2014 Jack Murphy

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic, or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, to include, but not exclusive to audio or visual recordings of any description without permission from the copyright owner.

  Direct Action, Samruk International, and the Samruk International logo are all trademarks of Jack Murphy. All rights reserved.

  Printed in the United States of America

  http://reflexivefire.com

  First Edition