Thomas E. Ricks

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 [email protected].
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Articles by Thomas E. Ricks
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sherman_sea_1868

What the railroad and Civil War might tell us about our military leadership today

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Thomas E. Ricks
13inmortaronrailcarnearpetersburg
13inmortaronrailcarnearpetersburg

What might the railroad and Civil War tell us about our networked nation today?

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Thomas E. Ricks
plunger_ss2_renamed_a1-_port_bow_moored_beside_the_shark_ss8_1902_-_nara_-_512925
plunger_ss2_renamed_a1-_port_bow_moored_beside_the_shark_ss8_1902_-_nara_-_512925

An old salt picks his 4 favorite American admirals — and explains why (IV): Nimitz

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Thomas E. Ricks
1915_aerial_torpedo
1915_aerial_torpedo

An old salt picks his 4 favorite American admirals—and explains why (III): Fiske

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Thomas E. Ricks
admiral_mitscher_and_arliegh_burke
admiral_mitscher_and_arliegh_burke

An old salt picks his four favorite American admirals — and explains why (II): Burke

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Thomas E. Ricks
uss_yorktown_cv-5_is_hit_by_a_torpedo_on_4_june_1942
uss_yorktown_cv-5_is_hit_by_a_torpedo_on_4_june_1942

An old salt picks his 4 favorite American admirals—and explains why (Part I)

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Thomas E. Ricks
meade-headquarters_gettysburg
meade-headquarters_gettysburg

Why Gen. Meade was right to stop after Gettysburg and not pursue Gen. Lee

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Thomas E. Ricks
1024px-gettysburg_campaign_retreat
1024px-gettysburg_campaign_retreat

Meade’s missed opportunity to end the Civil War after the battle of Gettysburg

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Thomas E. Ricks
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30647130686_6790caf151_o

The scariest article I have read in some time: Nuclear war is becoming thinkable, especially on the Korean peninsula

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Thomas E. Ricks
160517-M-NI439-099 TRAINING AREA 1, JORDAN (May 17, 2016) – U.S. Marine Cpl. X Cerrato, an infantryman with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, shifts his fires in response to a friendly smoke signal during an integrated company assault with the Jordanian Armed Forces as part of a simulated integrated company assault during Exercise Eager Lion 2016. Exercise Eager Lion 2016 is a U.S. bilateral, scenario based exercise with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, designed to exchange military expertise and improve interoperability among partner nations. During the sixth iteration of the exercise, both joint and combined military responses to conventional and unconventional threats will be explored. Participating troops will also train across their respective mission sets including border security, inter-ministerial command and control, cyber defense and battlespace management. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Paris Capers/ RELEASED)
160517-M-NI439-099 TRAINING AREA 1, JORDAN (May 17, 2016) – U.S. Marine Cpl. X Cerrato, an infantryman with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, shifts his fires in response to a friendly smoke signal during an integrated company assault with the Jordanian Armed Forces as part of a simulated integrated company assault during Exercise Eager Lion 2016. Exercise Eager Lion 2016 is a U.S. bilateral, scenario based exercise with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, designed to exchange military expertise and improve interoperability among partner nations. During the sixth iteration of the exercise, both joint and combined military responses to conventional and unconventional threats will be explored. Participating troops will also train across their respective mission sets including border security, inter-ministerial command and control, cyber defense and battlespace management. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Paris Capers/ RELEASED)

The falsity of ‘owning the battlespace’

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Thomas E. Ricks
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51uixaphggl

Book excerpt: Defense Secretary Mattis discusses his favorite books, and why

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Thomas E. Ricks
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1024px-inscribed_bamboo-slips_of_art_of_war1

Quote of the day: Gen. Mattis’ reading list, and why he looks more to the East

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Thomas E. Ricks

The Canadian military’s chief chaplain explains why he visited a mosque

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Thomas E. Ricks
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16938691_10154468195543107_2553504843813845283_n

D.J. Skelton’s wild night of adventures

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Thomas E. Ricks
dunkirk_film_poster
dunkirk_film_poster

‘Dunkirk’: Hey, ‘Hunter,’ it’s actually a compelling war film ahead of its time

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Thomas E. Ricks
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