In Strange Company

An American Soldier with Multinational Forces in the Middle East and Iraq

by Col. Roland J. Tiso Jr., US Army (Ret)

Foreword by Gen. Anthony C. Zinni USMC (Ret)

Imprint: Casemate

432 Pages, 6 x 9 in, 15-30 illustrations

Hardcover
9781636243948
January 2024
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$37.95

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Praise

“Colonel Tiso’s experience with operational planning and combat service with multinational forces in Iraq provides an exceptional background for this riveting, exciting, and most interesting book that superbly captures the challenges of Coalition Warfare.” — Lieutenant General (Retired) Joseph W. Kinzer, USA

The decision to not deploy reoriented, trained Iraqi divisions and other allied forces in numbers significant enough to adequately stabilize the situation in Iraq in 2003–04 resulted in significant shortages of manpower and equipment that eventually led to a less-than-satisfactory ending to the campaign, and significantly challenged the entire Coalition effort in the first year of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The roles and missions assumed by allies were vitally important in the under-resourced effort to bring order to the chaos of Iraq but would remain relatively unheralded throughout most of the campaign.

Colonel Tiso’s account of this time offers unique insights into the challenges of planning the Iraqi campaign and the intricacies and challenges of multinational service through the lens of his assignments as a war planner at U.S. Central Command, Senior Military Adviser of the Arab Peninsula Shield Force and the Polish-led Multinational Division (Central-South), and Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (C-3) of the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team tasked to develop the New Iraqi Army. His observations cast significant light on the missions these units undertook and the challenges they confronted.

His firsthand account of operational planning for war in Iraq captures the concerns of the military planners and senior commanders to liberate and stabilize the country, enabling the reader to better understand the challenges of operational war planning, coalition warfare, the difficulty of stabilizing Iraq after the fall of Baghdad, the development of the New Iraqi Army, and ultimately a deeper understanding of America’s “long war” in Iraq.

“Colonel Tiso has written a fascinating memoir with all the elements of a military travelogue while embedding plenty of professional guidance for readers. His book serves as an excellent primer for any U.S. military personnel considering being an adviser, staff in a multinational unit, or a foreign area officer.” ~Army History Magazine

“Colonel Tiso has written a superb accounting of the operational planning for the war in Iraq and its multinational aspects. It will be very informative and interesting to Soldier and private citizen alike. His personal insights will prove immensely valuable to our Soldiers and statesmen who will undoubtedly engage in Coalition Warfare in the future.” ~Lieutenant General (Retired) James W. Crysel, USA

“Colonel Tiso, a courageous, thoughtful, and highly decorated career officer, discusses the Iraq War and its international implications from his most valuable perspective as an operational planner and combatant. The personalities involved, the crises, the politics, the disappointments, and the successes are all very well described. For an insider's view on what it is to be a senior officer devoted to his mission and men, one could do no better than to consult Colonel Tiso's engaging book. Both deeply human and inspiring, it speaks the man and his times." ~Reverend Father R. Paul Martin, Economos, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer

“Colonel Tiso’s long service throughout the world included an extraordinary tour of duty as the Senior US Military Adviser to the Polish-led Multinational Division (Central South) working with contingents of more than twenty armies throughout southern Iraq. It was difficult, demanding duty that required constant interface between the multinational contingents and US forces. Colonel Tiso’s actions were critical to the Division’s success, particularly the Ukrainian contingent (many of whose officers serve as leaders in the Russian-Ukrainian War). He has written the definitive history of this little-known aspect of the Iraq campaign.” ~Colonel (Retired) Martin R. Stanton, USA , Author: “Somalia on $5 a Day” and “Road to Baghdad”

“Outstanding! Colonel Tiso’s experience with operational planning and combat service with multinational forces in Iraq provides an exceptional background for this riveting, exciting, and most interesting book that superbly captures the challenges of Coalition Warfare.” ~Lieutenant General (Retired) Joseph W. Kinzer, USA