Book Review: Training for Victory: U.S. Special Forces Advisory Operations from El Salvador to Afghanistan

Authors

• Joshua O. Lehman

Files

Description

Author: Frank K. Sobchak

Reviewed by: Lieutenant Colonel Joshua O. Lehman, academy professor, United States Military Academy

What makes some US Special Forces advisory missions succeed while others fail? In Training for Victory, Frank K. Sobchak examines five decades of elite Green Beret operations—from El Salvador to Afghanistan—to uncover the critical factors behind building effective partner forces. Challenging conventional wisdom, this book reveals surprising truths about language, culture, and combat advising in America’s most complex wars.

Publication Date

4-15-2026

Disciplines

Defense and Security Studies

Recommended Citation

Joshua O. Lehman, Book Review: Training for Victory: U.S. Special Forces Advisory Operations from El Salvador to Afghanistan ( US Army War College Press, 2026),
https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/146