When Military Leadership Is in Flux
In this CBS News conversation, Elliot discusses the latest U.S.-Iran hostilities and what leadership turnover at the Pentagon can mean for military morale and institutional stability during a conflict.
Why Did Army Secretary Dan Driscoll Resign?
Elliot Ackerman joins CBS News to discuss Army Secretary Dan Driscoll's resignation, his disagreements with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and what leadership instability means for the military.
Iran, Hormuz, and U.S. Military Strategy
Elliot Ackerman joins CBS News to discuss U.S. strikes against Iran, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, and the effects of Pentagon leadership turnover during wartime.
USS Lincoln and the Politics of War
Elliot Ackerman joins Tom Azelby on 1210 WPHT to discuss media coverage of conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, the realities of military service, and the danger of turning service...
Iran, Sanctions, and Stars and Stripes
CBS News contributor Elliot Ackerman joins Major Garrett to discuss the limits of economic sanctions against Iran and why preserving the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes matters to the...
USS Abraham Lincoln and the Iran War
Elliot Ackerman joins BBC World Service to discuss conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, the strain of extended deployments, the war with Iran, and the civil-military divide in the United...
Iran: Weaponizing the Strait of Hormuz
CBS News contributor Elliot Ackerman examines how the goals of the U.S.-Iran war have evolved as the Strait of Hormuz moves to the center of the conflict. He explains how...
Iran: An Attack Could Change the War
CBS News contributor Elliot Ackerman analyzes reports that President Trump secretly switched aircraft in Turkey because of an Iranian threat. He explains why an attack on Air Force One could...
Iran War Strategy on CBS News
CBS News contributor Elliot Ackerman analyzes the growing conflict between Israel and Iran, explaining why military force must be tied to a clear political strategy. He discusses regional escalation, Iran's...
Forged: Timeless Ways of Living
Elliot Ackerman joins Brian Williams on the Forged: Timeless Ways of Living podcast to discuss fatherhood, mentorship, masculinity, writing, military service, and the enduring habits that shape character. Their conversation...
Biological War Scenarios at 92NY
Elliot Ackerman joins Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen at The 92nd Street Y for a conversation about Biological War: A Scenario. Drawing on Jacobsen's extensive reporting and Ackerman's experience in...
Could the U.S. Run Out of Advanced Weapons?
Former CIA officer and Marine Corps veteran Elliot Ackerman joins CBS News to examine whether the United States can sustain prolonged military operations against Iran without depleting advanced weapons stockpiles....
The Green Door Podcast
Elliot Ackerman joins The Green Door Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on military service, leadership, writing, publishing, creativity, MARSOC, the CIA, and the lessons learned through multiple career transitions. The...
Former CIA Officer Breaks Down Iran
Former CIA officer and Marine Corps veteran Elliot Ackerman joins CBS News to examine indirect U.S.-Iran negotiations, the role of mediators, divisions within Iran's leadership, and the strategic importance of...
Iran: Winning the Political Fight
In this CBS News interview, Elliot Ackerman argues that Iran understands war is fought politically as well as militarily. He explains how Tehran has narrowed negotiations to a single point...
Trump Meets with NATO Leaders
Former CIA officer and Marine Corps veteran Elliot Ackerman joins CBS News to analyze President Trump's meetings with NATO leaders, including Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The discussion examines...
The Free Press Summer Reading List
The Free Press Summer Reading List 2026 brings together book recommendations from some of today’s leading writers, journalists, historians, and public intellectuals. Elliot Ackerman recommends The Adventures of Juan Planchard...
The Special Operator
In this episode of I Serve, Elliot Ackerman discusses his experiences as a U.S. Marine and CIA paramilitary officer, including combat during the Second Battle of Fallujah, leadership under fire,...
2084 on The Cipher Brief’s State Secrets Podcast
Elliot Ackerman joined Admiral James Stavridis and Suzanne Kelly on The Cipher Brief’s State Secrets Podcast to discuss 2084, artificial intelligence, climate conflict, information warfare, and the future of global...
Elliot Ackerman on CBS News: Iran and U.S. Strategy
CBS News contributor Elliot Ackerman discusses the proposed U.S. defense budget, Iran's nuclear ambitions, regime stability, and the strategic challenges facing policymakers in the Middle East.
Spy Chat with Chris Costa
Elliot Ackerman joins Chris Costa at the International Spy Museum for a discussion on intelligence, national security, terrorism, future warfare, and 2084.
Elliot Ackerman on China, Taiwan, and Future War
Television interview discussing 2084, China, Taiwan, future warfare, and the geopolitical implications of emerging technologies and climate conflict.
Deerfield Commencement Address
In his 2026 Deerfield Academy commencement address, Elliot Ackerman reflects on why he was invited to speak despite not being a Deerfield alumnus, drawing parallels between Deerfield and the United...
Dialogue: The Deerfield Podcast
The day before delivering the 2026 Deerfield Academy commencement address, Elliot Ackerman joined Dave Fraser for a wide-ranging conversation about service, leadership, mentorship, writing, and the institutions that shape who...
Elliot Ackerman Guest-Hosts Dedicated
Elliot Ackerman turns interviewer as guest host of Doug Brunt’s Dedicated, discussing The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel, Russia’s forgotten oil empire, Stalin and the Russian Revolution, and the craft...
2084 and the Future of War
Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis discuss climate conflict, future warfare, AI, drones, and the world imagined in 2084.
America’s Most Righteous War and Catch-22
In this episode of Old School with Shilo Brooks from The Free Press, Elliot Ackerman discusses Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, one of the most acclaimed anti-war novels in American literature. A...
A Man Should Know with Elliot Ackerman
Elliot Ackerman joined Megyn Kelly to discuss his A Man Should Know series for The Free Press and the question behind it: how today’s boys can become tomorrow’s good men....
'Sheepdogs' Review: A Comedy of Errors
In this review for The Wall Street Journal, Mark Yost assesses Elliot Ackerman's thriller "Sheepdogs," about two former special-operations soldiers on a heist gone wrong.
Israel-Palestine: Measuring Human Life
At 92NY, Elliot Ackerman speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright about The Human Scale, a murder mystery set in Hebron. Their conversation explores shared grief, unequal valuations of human...
Fallujah, War, and Memory
Elliot Ackerman joins Combat Story for a conversation on Fallujah, special operations, the CIA, memory, and the lasting meaning of war.
From Marine to Bestselling Novelist
In this profile for The Wall Street Journal, Elliot Ackerman discusses his path from the Marine Corps to bestselling novelist, and how both callings depend on inhabiting the minds of...
Intense Urban Combat in Fallujah
Urban Combat in Fallujah In this American Veterans Center interview, Elliot Ackerman recounts his experience leading Marines during the Second Battle of Fallujah in 2004. He describes the house-to-house fighting,...
Firing Line on Afghanistan
Elliot Ackerman joins PBS Firing Line to discuss Afghanistan, America’s withdrawal, and the long-term consequences of the war.
Escaping the Taliban
Elliot Ackerman discusses Afghanistan, the Taliban takeover, and efforts to help Afghan families escape following the U.S. withdrawal.
Ukraine’s Three-to-One Advantage
Elliot Ackerman joins Amanpour & Company to discuss Ukraine, Russia, military strategy, and the role of morale in modern war.
'2034' Review: Navigating a Disaster
In this review for The Wall Street Journal, Howard W. French assesses "2034: A Novel of the Next World War," co-written by Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis.
Places and Names: War & Purpose
In this wide-ranging Esquire interview, Elliot Ackerman explores the experiences behind Places and Names, discussing Fallujah, Iraq, Afghanistan, combat leadership, friendship, veterans, purpose after military service, and why storytelling remains...
Waiting for Eden: The End of Eden
Published by Esquire ahead of the novel's release, "The End of Eden" introduces readers to the haunting world of Waiting for Eden, where the emotional aftermath of war unfolds through...
Humanizing the Syrian Conflict
Elliot Ackerman joins PBS NewsHour to discuss Dark at the Crossing, explaining how fiction can illuminate the human stories behind the Syrian civil war. Drawing on his experiences as a...
Dark at the Crossing Interview
Following the publication of Dark at the Crossing, Elliot Ackerman speaks with Esquire about writing across cultures, understanding conflict, the Syrian civil war, ISIS, and the moral responsibility of fiction....
A Marine-Novelist Takes on the Syrian War
In this review for The Wall Street Journal, Sam Sacks assesses Elliot Ackerman's novel "Dark at the Crossing," set at the Turkish-Syrian border.
A Novelist Gets Close to the Enemy
In this profile for The Wall Street Journal, Elliot Ackerman describes how a lunch with a former al Qaeda jihadist shaped "Dark at the Crossing."
Finding Friendship After War
In this PBS NewsHour essay, Elliot Ackerman reflects on the aftermath of the Arab Spring, his reporting on the Syrian civil war, and an unlikely friendship with a former Syrian...
Fiction Chronicle: The Soldier's Story
In this Wall Street Journal Fiction Chronicle column on novels by veterans of the war on terror, critics review Elliot Ackerman's debut novel "Green on Blue."
Airstrikes and the Fight Against ISIS
In this August 2014 CNN interview with Brooke Baldwin, Elliot Ackerman explains why airstrikes are only one military tool in combating ISIS. Drawing on his experience fighting the group's predecessor...