For over eighty years the SBS have sailed into the face of danger. Responsible for quick strikes, reconnaissance, and counter-terrorism, they are the world's foremost marine special forces unit. The SBS risk their lives at sea and on land, undertaking the most dangerous missions. 1981, the Arctic Ocean. Plans are underway to locate the wreck of HMS Edinburgh and the four tons of gold bullion it was carrying when it sank during World War II, The wreck has lain half a mile beneath the waves for forty years. But Mike Stewart's dangerous recovery mission also has political implications in the era of the Cold War...

First into Action tells how Duncan Falconer trained with the Royal Marines before being recruited into the SBS. The ruthless training is graphically described, as are accounts of operations in Ulster, Bosnia and the Gulf War. It is the first Special Boat Services memoir written from the inside.

The men of the SBS are the maritime equivalent of their counterparts in the SAS; they are the elite of the British Special Forces and also the most secretive. Although SAS activity has been extensively documented, the SBS has remained in the state it prefers - a shadowy silhouette, with identities protected and missions kept from public view. Formed during the Second World War, when they took part in many daring raids (one of which was filmed as The Cockleshell Heroes), they were active in the jungle campaigns in the Far East, in the Falklands, the Gulf War and Bosnia. Since this seminal book was published in 1997, John Parker has been privy to much more inside information about the SBS's original operations and he brings the book right up to date with accounts of their exploits in East Timor, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Kosovo and most recently in Iraq.

Featuring over 20,000 definitions, this dictionary has been revised to reflect changes and advances in the marine industry. It covers every aspect of the business, including shipbroking, chartering, marine insurance, ship's agency, freight forwarding, oil and gas, and air transport.

Information Organization and Databases: Foundations of Data Organization provides recent developments of information organization technologies that have become crucial not only for data mining applications and information visualization, but also for treatment of semistructured data, spatio-temporal data and multimedia data that are not necessarily stored in conventional DBMSs. Information Organization and Databases: Foundations of Data Organization presents: semistructured data addressing XML, query languages and integrity constraints, focusing on advanced technologies for organizing web data for effective retrieval; multimedia database organization emphasizing video data organization and data structures for similarity retrieval; technologies for data mining and data warehousing; index organization and efficient query processing issues; spatial data access and indexing; organizing and retrieval of WWW and hypermedia. Information Organization and Databases: Foundations of Data Organization is a resource for database practitioners, database researchers, designers and administrators of multimedia information systems, and graduate-level students in the area of information retrieval and/or databases wishing to keep abreast of advances in the information organization technologies.

This two-volume set examines modern nation-state legislative, diplomatic, military, and non-military attempts to combat terrorism within and outside state borders. The articles which comprise this comprehensive reference work address counterterrorism efforts employed by the international community prior to and following the events of September 11, 2001. Global terrorism in the 21st century threatens the foundations of secular democracies and directly challenges global security thereby raising new and critical issues that transcend national borders. This two-volume reference carefully examines threats such as Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) terrorism, agro-environmental terrorism, and energy-related terrorism, and discusses technologies and strategies—such as the use of biometrics, data mining, information systems, psychological profiling, and terrorists rehabilitation efforts—to mitigate these threats. Counterterrorism: From the Cold War to the War on Terror provides an easy-to-read discussion of some of the principal issues involved in combating contemporary terrorism. Information is presented in non-technical language, making it appealing to the general reader as well as a solid reference for undergraduate college students and researchers. Following each article are references to other articles of interest and a comprehensive index facilitates access to specific subject material. The second volume includes a compilation of significant national and international treaties, laws, conventions, and protocols that have been implemented in an attempt to counter these ongoing threats to domestic and international security.

Go inside the elite and often-covert world of today's Special Forces. Superbly trained, these special operations commandos are the world's ultimate military (and para-military) tacticians. Learn about their stealthy organization, their training, uniforms and equipment, and their specially developed weapons. Fabulously illustrated with dramatic action photos, this timely reference highlights both the need for and the rapid deployment of today's Special Forces. See them in action!