Thomas E. Ricks

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.

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Articles by Thomas E. Ricks
An atomic bomb blast in Nevada in 1951. (Wikimedia Commons)
An atomic bomb blast in Nevada in 1951. (Wikimedia Commons)

Quote of the Day 

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Thomas E. Ricks
A US Air Force (USAF) F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter aircraft flies over Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada (NV), during the joint service experimentation process dubbed Millennium Challenge 2002 (MC02). (Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II via Wikimedia Commons).
A US Air Force (USAF) F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter aircraft flies over Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada (NV), during the joint service experimentation process dubbed Millennium Challenge 2002 (MC02). (Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II via Wikimedia Commons).

A Shoutout for Two Key Things Harold Brown Did as Defense Secretary Under Carter

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Thomas E. Ricks
Edward III counting the dead after the battle of Crécy. (Wikimedia Commons)
Edward III counting the dead after the battle of Crécy. (Wikimedia Commons)

Moral Repugnance: A Response to ‘Can’t Kill Enough to Win? Think Again’

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Thomas E. Ricks
A brown bear. (Flickr)
A brown bear. (Flickr)

Military Mischief: O-5 and Above Edition

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Thomas E. Ricks
The nuclear football. (Wikimedia Commons)
The nuclear football. (Wikimedia Commons)

It Is High Time to Do Away With the President’s Nuclear ‘Football’

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Thomas E. Ricks
A military working dog on the run. (Department of Defense)
A military working dog on the run. (Department of Defense)

Don’t Mess With This Military Working Dog

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Thomas E. Ricks
Leaders hold a meeting on Afghanistan during the NATO 2014 summit in Newport, South Wales, on Sep. 4, 2014. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Leaders hold a meeting on Afghanistan during the NATO 2014 summit in Newport, South Wales, on Sep. 4, 2014. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

NATO’s Little Noticed but Important New Aggressive Stance on Cyber Weapons

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Thomas E. Ricks
German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a press conference following a so-called "Diesel Summit" with mayors of large German cities in the chancellery in Berlin on Nov. 28, in order to look at ways of improving air quality. (John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a press conference following a so-called "Diesel Summit" with mayors of large German cities in the chancellery in Berlin on Nov. 28, in order to look at ways of improving air quality. (John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images)

Edgar on Strategy (Part XI): Strategy, or slip-up? The Willkommen that was heard round the world

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Thomas E. Ricks
A mosaic depicting theatrical masks of tragedy and comedy. (Palazzo Nuovo, Hall of the Doves via Wikimedia Commons)
A mosaic depicting theatrical masks of tragedy and comedy. (Palazzo Nuovo, Hall of the Doves via Wikimedia Commons)

What’s wrong with us? We’re living in a tragedy but we don’t know how to do that

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Thomas E. Ricks
Members of the U.S. Marine Corp honor guard salute during the singing of the National Anthem. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Members of the U.S. Marine Corp honor guard salute during the singing of the National Anthem. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A Nervy Idea For the Marines, and Some Outspoken Officers, in the USMC Gazette

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Thomas E. Ricks
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Pearce sits next to a young boy during a visit to Shiek Burhan Al Asee's house during a patrol of the Riyahd village in Iraq on March 8, 2007. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway)
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Pearce sits next to a young boy during a visit to Shiek Burhan Al Asee's house during a patrol of the Riyahd village in Iraq on March 8, 2007. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway)

Quote of the day: For what purpose would you need a combat rocking chair?

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Thomas E. Ricks
Lt. Gen. Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller in 1950 during the Korean War. (Wikimedia Commons)
Lt. Gen. Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller in 1950 during the Korean War. (Wikimedia Commons)

Carl Prine on the USMC’s ‘Big Lie’ About Every Marine Being a Rifleman

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Thomas E. Ricks
Aaron Burr, the third vice president of the United States; U.S. President Donald Trump on the South Lawn of the White House Dec. 4, in Washington, D.C. (The New York Historical Society via Wikimedia Commons; Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Aaron Burr, the third vice president of the United States; U.S. President Donald Trump on the South Lawn of the White House Dec. 4, in Washington, D.C. (The New York Historical Society via Wikimedia Commons; Alex Wong/Getty Images)

We’re finding out now what might have happened if Burr had won the election of 1800 & what that means for North Korea

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Thomas E. Ricks
Secretary of Defense James Mattis takes questions from reporters. (Department of Defense)
Secretary of Defense James Mattis takes questions from reporters. (Department of Defense)

Mattis Shows How to Handle a Reporter’s Question About His Religious Beliefs

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Thomas E. Ricks
General Ulysses S. Grant at Cold Harbor (Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons)
General Ulysses S. Grant at Cold Harbor (Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons)

The reflective leader: A major lesson from the memoirs of U.S. Grant

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Thomas E. Ricks
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