What It Means When the Mercenaries Appear
In this essay for The Washington Post, Elliot Ackerman traces the long history of private armies, from Rome to Russia's Wagner Group.
Essays
The Washington Post
A Memorial to the War on Terror
In this essay for The Washington Post, Elliot Ackerman describes the planned Global War on Terrorism Memorial on the National Mall.
'The Secret Gate' Review: Kabul's Moral Maze
In this review for The Washington Post, Elliot Ackerman assesses Mitchell Zuckoff's "The Secret Gate," set during the Kabul evacuation.
Vonnegut, PTSD, and 'Slaughterhouse-Five'
In this review for The Washington Post, Elliot Ackerman assesses Tom Roston's "The Writer's Crusade," on Kurt Vonnegut and "Slaughterhouse-Five."
We Abandoned Afghans on the Battlefield
In this essay for The Washington Post, Elliot Ackerman argues that America, not its Afghan allies, was the first to leave the battlefield.
The Next World War Won't Look Like the Last
In this essay for The Washington Post, James Stavridis and Elliot Ackerman argue the next world war will be fought unlike any before it.
Missions and Mythmaking From a Navy SEAL
In this review for The Washington Post, Elliot Ackerman assesses Adm. William McRaven's memoir "Sea Stories," weighing its truth against its mythmaking.
What We Owe Afghanistan
In this essay for The Washington Post, Elliot Ackerman argues that both America and Afghanistan carry unmet obligations to each other as peace talks with the Taliban falter.
Delusions of a Soldier, and an Army
In this review for The Washington Post, Elliot Ackerman assesses "American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan," by Matt Farwell and Michael Ames.
Troops Coming Home Rarely Means Victory
In this essay for The Washington Post, Elliot Ackerman argues that troop withdrawals, like Trump's from Syria and Afghanistan, more often signal a war lost than won.
Two Unfinished Wars, Thrill and Horror
In this review for The Washington Post, Elliot Ackerman assesses C.J. Chivers's "The Fighters: Americans in Combat in Afghanistan and Iraq."
NATO's Flaws Won't Yield to Bullying
In this essay for The Washington Post, Elliot Ackerman argues that NATO's real flaws, drawn from his own combat experience, won't be solved by Trump's public shaming of allies.