The Daily Beast called it a "book of great consequence...The Operators seems destined to join the pantheon of Global War on Terror (GWOT) literature".[1] Conversely, in The Wall Street Journal, reviewer Mark Moyar slammed the book, stating: "In contrast to many of the other correspondents covering Afghanistan, Mr. Hastings has not invested the effort required to comprehend the war's complexities."[2] However, Mark Moyar is a consultant for the U.S. military, who's worked for General Petraeus and worked for General Caldwell.[3] The book became a New York Times bestseller.[4]