Thomas E. Ricks

ricksblogcomment@gmail.com
Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com.
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Stories by Thomas E. Ricks
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly speaks during a White House briefing Oct. 19 in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

This Whole Gold Star Mess
Best Defense |
U.S. service members walk off a helicopter on the runway at Camp Bost on Sept. 11 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. (Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)

My time in the rotation helps show why our approach in Afghanistan is doomed
Best Defense |
A Bangor, ME police department dog. (Courtesy Bangor, Maine, police department)

Today’s briefing
Best Defense |
Headstones are seen at Arlington Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia on Sept. 21. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)

Waiting for that official knock on the door: A military spouse’s thoughts
Best Defense |
An Israeli soldier throws a grenade into a Hezbollah bunker during the 2006 Lebanon war. (Wikimedia Commons)

Some unhappy reasons for why we are on the verge of another war in Lebanon
Best Defense |
Load more by Thomas E. Ricks | Return to staff list

The Latest

Rational Security on The E.R.: The “Decertified” Edition

Trump deems Iran in violation of the “worst deal ever.”

Podcast |

‘Ghost Soldiers’: Too Many U.S.-Trained Afghans Are Going AWOL

Some 13 percent of Afghan military personnel training in the United States last year went AWOL.

The Cable |

Syrian Reconstruction Spells Juicy Contracts for Russian, Iranian Firms

Bombed-out cities meant death and destruction. Now they promise billions of dollars — for new construction.

The Cable |

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