“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 L. Goldfein, General (Ret.), USAF, 21st Chief of Staff With a new century and a new enemy came a new kind of war: low intensity and civilian-dominated, blending austere rural and dense urban environments alike. Into this new kind of war, the American military launched two invasions against terrorist networks and military rivals, relying on airpower—close air support (CAS)—at a scale never before seen in combat. The Global War on Terror was the “CAS war.” Forward Air Controllers were on the front lines from the very first moments of the war, directing airstrikes against enemies in their safe havens, safeguarding friendly forces and civilians alike to their utmost, and achieving unprecedented success with limited resources. This volume captures the heroic accounts of the first Tactical Air Control Party (TACPs) in Afghanistan and Iraq, and how Close Air Support fundamentally reshaped the American war machine in the first five years of the War on Terror. Table of Contents Preface Introduction PART I: Retribution Afghanistan: 2001–2003 1 Into the graveyard of empires 2 Ancient roads to a New War 3 Rearranging God’s furniture 4 Know thine enemy PART II: A New World War Iraq: 2003 5 The Pivot 6 Shock and Awe 7 Chasing Saddam 8 Dragging a nation out of a war Part III: Evolving the Machine Two distinct Wars: 2004-2006 9 Building a global architecture. 10 In Iraq's shadow 11 Rebuilding in ashes 12 Digitally aided Close Air Support Afterword: Scratching the surface “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 L. 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 “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 J. Bryant, author of "Hunting the Caliphate" “… Brown’s professional expertise makes this work an interesting read, especially for military professionals and historians interested in understanding the intricacies of modern combat dynamics.” The Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation Ethan