James Reece, a United States Navy SEAL team commander, is on his final deployment when disaster strikes. His entire team was wiped out in a well-planned and deadly ambush that seemed orchestrated.
As he unraveled the conspiracy that brought about the deaths of his teammates, he discovered that corrupt elements in the federal government, the financial sector, the pharmaceutical industry, as well as military leaders in his own chain of command are behind the attacks.
With nothing left to live for — and everything to kill for — Reece set upon a mission of vengeance that put his enemies in the ground one-by-one using all of the tactics he learned through a decade of constant war.
The story is fiction, but Jack Carr’s “The Terminal List” examines the lessons, emotions and the frustrations experienced during 20 years as both an enlisted and officer within Naval Special 
Warfare (NSW). The book also explores the important real-world topics of individual liberty, government surveillance and deep-rooted conflicts of interest amongst those in-power.
As a lifelong reader of fiction, it had always pained Carr to read an otherwise great book troubled by unforgivable mistakes in terms of describing small arms. Carr and his co-author (G&A Contributor Keith Wood) set out to make “The Terminal List” as authentic as possible to include the descriptions of firearms, knives and explosives. (A few caveats were made to ensure certain information stayed out of the “how to” section.)
Carr writes on many of his favorite small arms used during his time in the SEAL teams, as well as others that he enjoys as a citizen. “The Terminal List serves as a good recap of what U.S. troops employ to combat terror.
M4 Carbine 5.56x45mm
The protagonist of “The Terminal List”, James Reece, does the bulk of his work with an M4 Carbine, a select-fire rifle that was was Carr’s constant companion during deployments. Unlike the HK MP5 submachineguns used for close quarters combat (CQC), the beauty of the M4 was its versatility. During urban combat operations in places like Ramadi and Najaf, Iraq, SEALs often found themselves engaged in a street fight that was followed by the need to clear small rooms afterwards. The ability to employ the M4 at hundreds of meters in addition to contact distances made it an ideal choice for this complex urban environment.
Just as Carr did when preparing for his own combat operations, “The Terminal List” main character carefully selects kit for each mission, which often means trading upper receiver groups on the modular M4. Carr’s personal favorite was the Mk 18, or what is often referred to as the Close Quarter Battle Receiver (CQBR). The Mk 18 features a 10.3-inch-barreled upper receiver assembly that is suited for use with a suppressor. Carr ran his with an EOTech holographic sight supported by a magnifier mounted in tandem, a Surefire Scout LED light and an EOTech PEQ-15 Advanced Target Pointer/Illuminator/Aiming Laser (ATPIAL) device.