What People Are Saying
“Brown has taken an incredibly complex subject and made it accessible and readable, all while retaining the gravity of history and the sheer intensity of these battlefields. Airpower became a fundamental warfighting tool in the Global War on Terror, and its success depended on the community of JTACs whose experiences populate this important work. They are the unsung heroes of the post-9/11 wars America needs to meet.”
— David Goldfein, General (Ret.), USAF, 21st Chief of Staff
“In this superb new book, Ethan Brown chronicles the early days of a new digital era of close air support at the beginning of our collective war on terror. The contribution of American and allied controllers, who assisted ground forces from many nations with life-saving air support missions, is a story that deserves to be told and indeed, cherished. While the author notes that his narrative is just the beginning of a much larger and longer story, this is a compelling and comprehensive foundation for learning about this vital battlefield capability and its contribution to contemporary military operations in the past quarter century.”
— Major General Mick Ryan, Author, “White Sun War”
“One of the most important and least understood lessons of America’s longest, post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is the revolution in precision airpower that came to define—and redefine—U.S. military operations. As former Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) Ethan Brown convincingly details in dramatic fashion in Visual Friendlies, Tally Target at no point in human history has such precise and innovative close air support been applied as effectively and in such close proximity to U.S. and allied ground forces. Brown and his JTAC colleagues fought right alongside our troops and Special Forces, acting as airpower liaisons and truly serving as the “angels on their shoulders.” This timely and important book also makes tragically clear that no amount of courage and tactical innovation could compensate for the failed strategy behind the “Global War on Terror.” Recommended without reservation.”
— James Kitfield, author of “Twilight Warriors” and “In the Company of Heroes”
"A magnum opus for the history of airpower and the war on terror—and for the brotherhood of the U.S Air Force Tactical Air Control Party. Ethan Brown masterfully weaves historical perspective with the kind of vibrant and gritty accounts that can only come from the men who directly control chaos on the battlefield. Visual Friendlies, Tally Target not only chronicles the modern evolution of close air support, and the true complexities and nuances involved in the control of precision strikes when stakes are at their highest, but gives us exhilarating accounts of heroism and remarkable stories that needed told."
— Wes Bryant, author of “Hunting the Caliphate”
“Special operations forces are highly respected, but the public rarely understands what they do. That makes it hard to offer appropriate support for SOF veterans. It also means the public remains uninformed as politicians debate over military funding. Brown’s compelling narrative brings us into the viscera of what it means to be part of the TACP community—the brave individuals who live in “danger close” to keep ground forces safe with close air, artillery, and naval support fire. These stories are inspiring, and you’ll find you care about what happens to the people. Watching the evolution of TACP doctrine isn’t just fascinating, but it feels important, too, because the future of warfare remains doctrinally opaque.”