Drawing lessons from Germany's confrontation with far-right extremism in the Bundeswehr, Elliot Ackerman argues that America's military should study its full history, including its darkest chapters, rather than erase them....
Elliot Ackerman argues that while Confederate statues in public spaces may be removed, military cemeteries and historic battlefields should remain places of remembrance. Reflecting on Arlington National Cemetery, Gettysburg, and...
Following the killing of George Floyd, Elliot Ackerman draws on military history, Vietnam, My Lai, and his own combat experience to argue that meaningful police reform depends not only on...
As COVID-19 spread through veterans' homes across America, Elliot Ackerman reflects on military service, the nation's covenant with veterans, and the responsibility to care for those who once "loaned" their...
Drawing on his experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, Elliot Ackerman explores the parallels between war and the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that while national trauma inevitably brings grief, it can also...
Drawing on his experiences as a Marine officer during the Battle of Falluja, Elliot Ackerman argues that true wartime leadership demands honesty, courage, and faith in those being led. Writing...
Elliot Ackerman argues that America must rethink how it discusses war, military service, and national security. Writing during the 2020 presidential campaign, he explores congressional war powers, the burdens of...
In this opinion essay for The New York Times, Elliot Ackerman examines President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria and the consequences for Kurdish allies. Drawing...
In this New York Times opinion essay, Elliot Ackerman revisits the Second Battle of Fallujah through the lens of his Silver Star citation and deeply personal recollections. Juxtaposing official military...
In this New York Times opinion essay, Elliot Ackerman argues that battlefield valor cannot excuse violations of the laws of armed conflict. Drawing on his own service in Iraq and...
In this New York Times opinion essay, Elliot Ackerman explores what truly makes Arlington National Cemetery sacred. Through memories of friends lost in Iraq and Afghanistan, he argues that Arlington's...
Following the Marines United scandal, Elliot Ackerman explores how online abuse, leadership failures, and institutional culture combined to produce one of the most significant ethical crises in the modern U.S....
In this original Esquire essay, Elliot Ackerman returns to Iraq twelve years after the Second Battle of Fallujah to confront the places, memories, and losses that never left him. Blending...
Following the assassination of Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov in Ankara, Elliot Ackerman explores the intersection of terrorism, Turkish-Russian relations, the Syrian civil war, and the dangers of geopolitical escalation in...
In this essay for The New Republic, Elliot Ackerman reviews Elizabeth Samet’s No Man’s Land and expands the book’s argument into a broader reflection on military education, leadership, and creativity....