“The number one priority for us, is to protect the homeland and the American people from attack,” narrates Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as the loading ramp of an aircraft raises to reveal a flightline in an unremarkable and indeterminate location.
After a pause, Dunford adds “and also to protect our allies from attack against violent extremists,” as we see a lone U.S. Army infantryman manning a position along a berm hedged with C-wire as gunfire echoes in the distance. It’s probably Afghanistan, but maybe Iraq — it’s unclear, and that seems to be the underlying message of the two-minute trailer for National Geographic’s upcoming documentary series.
Chain of Command is an eight-episode upcoming docuseries set up as a top-to-bottom tour of the Global War On Terror, stretching from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Latin America to Africa and Washington, and touching every level of the military apparatus.
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The trailer, which airs Nov. 7 during Nat Geo’s premiere of The Long Road Home, was provided exclusively to Task & Purpose and begins with the top brass — Dunford intones that “the most important thing is to surround yourself with good people and to take advantage of the talent that we have in the U.S. military” — before closing on rank-and-file Marines and soldiers training and patrolling alongside U.S.-partner forces.
“This series is the next evolution of that relationship, and we are honored to showcase the intricacies of combat and the heroism and dedication of our troops on the ground,” Tim Pastore, National Geographic’s president of original programming, said in a statement. Nat Geo previously worked with the Defense Department on films such as Restrepo and Inside Combat Rescue.
“I am so inspired by the servicemen and women I have met and the places I have been while working on this project,” Scott Boggins, Chain of Command’s executive producer and showrunner, said in a statement. “I think viewers around the world are going to be just as fascinated to see the extreme pressure and sacrifice of members of the armed forces from the top down.”
Watch the exclusive trailer for Chain of Command — with a series premiere slated for 2018 —below.