With incredible access inside the walls of the Pentagon and to the front lines of the U.S. military's mission to fight violent extremism around the world, National Geographic's new eight-part documentary series Chain of Command offers a new perspective on what has been dubbed "the war of this generation."
Filmed over 18 months and narrated by Chris Evans (Captain America, The Avengers), the global event series paints an intimate portrait of how men and women in the U.S. military handle authority and responsibility, as well as the sacrifices they make in their personal lives.
Chain of Command delivers extraordinary insight into a line of authority and responsibility as never seen before, including a rare on-camera sit-down with Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr., the 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
From the halls of power at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., to the front lines in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Niger and South America, and to the surprising ISIS recruiting ground of Trinidad and Tobago - only 1,600 miles from the coast of Florida - see firsthand how decisions made at the Pentagon have a direct impact on our service members on the ground, fighting to protect Americans and our allies from radicalized extremists.
In a command post sheltered inside a school in Mosul, Iraq, Capt. Quincy Bahler of the 101st Airborne Division works hand in hand with Iraqi Security Forces on a range of issues.
Together, they monitor live camera feeds from U.S. combat aerial drones, deciding when to drop missiles on ISIS fighters while also figuring out ways to stop ISIS-flown camera drones from dropping bombs on U.S. and coalition forces.
Meanwhile, on the streets in Mosul, Iraqi forces undertake a civilian rescue, getting families out of the combat zone on foot and under enemy sniper fire.
In a quieter moment, at the end of his nine-month deployment, Capt. Bahler savours the simple pleasure of a well-brewed espresso as he prepares to hand over the reins to Capt. Mark Zwirgzdas of the 82nd Airborne Division and return to his wife and civilian life.
Over a thousand miles away at Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian leads a coalition of 20-plus nations with their own internal chain of command.
The commander of Air Forces Central Command, he is the first pilot ever to let a media camera inside the cockpit of his F-22 stealth fighter while on a mission.
This hands-on combat mission is in addition to his role overseeing an ultra-secure facility that tracks every plane in the sky over the Middle East, including American, Iraqi, Syrian, Russian and civilian. His direct report, Lt. Col. Gregory Wintill, keeps him appraised on the progress of enemy weapons being loaded into trucks.
They must wait for visual confirmation on the remote surveillance feed before they can act to disrupt the deadly supply chain.
To fully comprehend the threat these soldiers face alongside their comrades and allies, Chain of Command also goes deep into the mindset of what makes a radical extremist tick.
Umar Abdullah, who heads the Islamic Front in Trinidad and Tobago and previously encouraged armed resistance, reveals the emotional triggers and hooks ISIS recruiters use on a daily basis to attract fighters to their mission to establish a caliphate in the Middle East.
Touting a new civic, economic and religious reality via web-based propaganda, recruiters decry American intervention in the region as a disruptive and invasive force in the lives of Muslims.
Deterring recruits from this call to arms is something Abdullah struggles with - as does the U.S. military - despite his having formerly encouraged jihad.
| CHANNEL |
National Geographic Channel (DStv 181) |
| PREMIERE |
8 March 2018 |
| TIMESLOT |
Thursdays, 21h00 |
| REPEATS |
Fridays, 23h35
Saturdays, 20h05 |