James Stavridis

Admiral Stavridis (Ret.) was the 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and is Vice Chair, Global Affairs at The Carlyle Group and Chair of the Board of the Rockefeller Foundation. He is the co-author of 2034: A Novel of the Next World War. His new nonfiction book is To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision

Recent Articles

America Is Lost in a Dark Forest, But There's a Path Out

We must find practical ways to think through our major challenges or face dire consequences, writes Admiral James Stavridis

By James Stavridis

What the West Should Do If Putin Uses a Nuclear Weapon

There is a growing threat of Putin using a nuclear weapon in Ukraine. Admiral James Stavridis on how the West should respond if he does

By James Stavridis

How Ukraine Turned the Tide Against Russia

Ukraine's counter-offensive against Russians is proving spectacularly successful. Admiral James Stavridis explains why

By James Stavridis

The Ukraine War is Becoming Putin's Vietnam

As the war in Ukraine drags into its fourth month with no end in sight, a number of observers are beginning to ask, “Will the West grow tired of supporting Ukraine?” Some commentators have opined...

By James Stavridis

9 Lessons for Making High Risk Decisions

Risk and decision-making under pressure are an inherent part of all our lives. Today we are watching two international figures representing their nations who are locked in mortal combat—Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. Both “risking...

By James Stavridis

Finland and Sweden Joining NATO Is the Latest Example of Putin Miscalculating the Ukraine War

That distant boom you heard last week was Vladimir Putin’s head exploding as he heard the news of a formal request from both Finland and Sweden to join NATO. These are two highly capable and...

By James Stavridis

What the U.S. Military Needs to Learn from the Ukraine War

As the brutal fighting continues in the Ukraine War, it seems likely to fundamentally upend the way we wage war in the 21st-century. From new tactics to equipment, the Russian invasion of Ukraine may presage...

By James Stavridis

Ukraine Needs More Military Aid from NATO—And Fast

As the Russian ground advance in Ukraine begins to gain a bit more momentum and encircle Kyiv, the West must consider its options. Despite the heroic efforts of the Ukrainians, facilitated by a deluge of...

By James Stavridis

How the West Can Stop Putin

Just before I became Supreme Allied Commander at NATO in 2009, Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Georgia, a small, democratic, former Soviet Republic in the Caucuses. He used a trumped up “incident” and crushed his...

By James Stavridis

A Former Supreme Commander of NATO on What Putin's Up to in the Ukraine

For the past several months, Ukraine and its western partners have been watching Russia methodically build up a powerful force of over 100,000 soldiers on their shared border. While he claims not to intend an...

By James Stavridis

The U.S. Risks Catastrophe if It Doesn't Clarify Its Taiwan Strategy

At a recent CNN town hall, President Biden strongly and directly promised to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion, saying bluntly “Yes, we have a commitment to do that,” when asked about the situation. But...

By James Stavridis

How the 20-Year War in Afghanistan Has Changed the U.S. Military

The end was going to be painful. During the course of several administrations, the American public has grown tired of the war in Afghanistan and simply wanted it to end. The Biden administration decided to...

By James Stavridis

Why the Suez Canal Blockage Should Worry Us About the Future

I’ve sailed through the Suez Canal many times—as a junior officer, a captain of a destroyer, a commodore in command of a group of destroyers, and as a strike group commander on the nuclear aircraft...

By James Stavridis

How We Could Sleepwalk Into a War With China

China and the United States today are on a collision course. No less an authority than Henry Kissinger said just over a year ago that the U.S. and China are in the “foot hills of...

By James Stavridis and Elliot Ackerman

U.S. Military Needs to Fight Its Own Extremists

The storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6 was notable for a variety of reasons, but what stood out for me as a retired senior officer of the armed forces was the obvious influence...

By James Stavridis

The Defense Secretaries Warning to America

The ten living American secretaries of defense collectively signed an extraordinary letter over the weekend, stating in the strongest possible terms that the U.S. election is over, the time for protests is past, and that...

By James Stavridis

Here’s How We Could End War in Afghanistan

From 2009 to 2013, as Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, I was the strategic commander for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. We had over 50 nations in the coalition, including the 28 NATO members, and...

By James Stavridis

Trump's Pentagon Firings Hurt National Security

Over the past few days, President Trump has fired four of the top officials in the Pentagon – the Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (essentially the COO), the Undersecretary...

By James Stavridis

Here's Why Trump Has Lost Support with the Military

President Trump staged a dramatic return to the White House on October 5th with a helicopter arrival, ascension of the executive mansion stairway, and flag-framed salute to Marine One. His effusive praise of the Walter...

By James Stavridis

What Police Can Learn From the Military About the Effectiveness of Soft Power

Amid all the long-needed national debate following the murder of George Floyd, one element is emerging as particularly polarizing: the discussion over “defunding the police.” The phrase has come to mean a wide variety of...

By James Stavridis
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