Close and Destroy

“The mission…is to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver, or repel the enemy's assault by fire and close combat.” - Excerpt from Marine Corps Reference Publication 3-10A.4

Windsor Kraft Strategies is a shadow empire in the murky world of private intelligence and corporatized warfare. Their "Special Mission Troops," staffed by former military operators and intelligence specialists, are able to discreetly deliver surgical force around the globe, making them a silent partner in American foreign policy. 

In the failing nation-state of Daristan, NATO’s long-running counterinsurgency campaign begins to falter when the country’s fundamentalist spiritual leader returns from exile with an army of devout fighters – and covert support from foreign agents looking to upset the balance of world power. 

A token force of international peacekeepers, propped up by the Special Mission Troops and their local guerilla units, try to hold the line as coalition governments scramble to shore up exit plans amid the shockwave of violence.

Windsor Kraft’s team must begin evacuating their clients while attempting to stall the newly energized insurgent offensive. But with the clock ticking, the country collapsing, and a hidden enemy hunting them behind the scenes, they must choose between mission accomplishment and self-preservation, or risk being abandoned behind enemy lines by the government that hired them.

Tom Marshall is a former editor at RECOIL Magazine and has been a professional writer in the firearms industry for more than a decade. Previously he worked as a private security contractor, first for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and then for a national intelligence agency. He’s a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point with a BS in Logistics & Transportation and is currently the Director of Content for Staccato. Find him on Instagram at @tom.marshall.author and learn more about the world of Windsor Kraft at @windsorkraft

Ric Prado is the NY Times Bestselling author of Black Ops, the Life of a CIA Shadow Warrior. Now retired, his 50 years of service to the U.S. includes positions such as Chief of Operations for CIA's Counterterrorist Center, USAF Pararescue (PJ) special operator and former VP at BlackWater for "Special Government Projects" supporting SOCOM.