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].

Articles by Thomas E. Ricks

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Some reflections on being told by the guy at the base front gate that I should ‘smile’

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Thomas E. Ricks

August 10, 2016, 10:25 AM

PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA: Henry A. Crumpton, coordinator for counterterrorism at the US Department of State, talks to journalists during a press conference in Putrajaya, 17 October 2005. Crumpton concluded a working visit to Malaysia 17 October where he met with Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar and several high-ranking police officials. AFP PHOTO/TENGKU BAHAR (Photo credit should read TENGKU BAHAR/AFP/Getty Images)

The collected thoughts of Crumpton on how to do better against terrorism

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Thomas E. Ricks

August 10, 2016, 10:22 AM

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Quote of the day: President Obama reflects on his use of military power

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Thomas E. Ricks

August 9, 2016, 10:37 AM

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Revising our armed forces (6): Successful innovation begins with the imagination

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Thomas E. Ricks

August 9, 2016, 10:35 AM

SAN DIEGO, CA - MAY 27: Donald Trump supporters listen to the Presumptive Republican presidential candidate speak at a rally in San Diego on May 27, 2016 in Fresno, California. Trump is on a western campaign trip which saw stops in North Dakota and Montana yesterday and two more in California today. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The Flames of November: What if some Trump backers turn to resistance?

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Thomas E. Ricks

August 8, 2016, 11:03 AM

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Are bilateral exercises some of the most important activities of a peacetime military?

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Thomas E. Ricks

August 8, 2016, 10:21 AM

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Everything you might (or might not) always have wanted to know about Tom Ricks, including what he thinks of you

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Thomas E. Ricks

August 8, 2016, 10:19 AM

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When I was an advisor in Iraq in 2012, I was implementing a fairy tale policy while Iraq was drifting toward civil war

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Thomas E. Ricks

August 5, 2016, 9:05 AM

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Mulling Kansas 1856 and America 2016

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Thomas E. Ricks

August 5, 2016, 9:00 AM

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A World War II Marine looks back and wonders: Where’s the America of sharing?

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Thomas E. Ricks

August 4, 2016, 9:40 AM

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Thoughts as I watch my Army walk away from counterinsurgency once again

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Thomas E. Ricks

August 4, 2016, 9:38 AM

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Up from the comments: A reader explains how senior officers fit into grand strategy

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Thomas E. Ricks

August 3, 2016, 5:00 PM

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On the ‘2-pump chump’: A response from an Army officer stationed in Baghdad

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Thomas E. Ricks

August 3, 2016, 10:30 AM

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A great book revisited: Rosen’s ‘Winning the Next War,’ about military innovation

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Thomas E. Ricks

August 3, 2016, 10:27 AM

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America wages war-by-bureaucracy — and it is killing our chances to win

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Thomas E. Ricks

August 2, 2016, 10:25 AM

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