Petraeus biography a military reservist scholarships

An important part of statecraft is learning from the past, and in my first podcast I ask General David Petraeus, who commanded the US-led coalition in Iraq and Afghanistan and was director of the CIA, what he learned about the Vietnam War from his PhD studies at Princeton that helped him in the war against terror.

To view the full transcript of this episode, read below:

Andrew Roberts: Ladies and gentlemen, hello. I'm Andrew Roberts, the Roger and Martha Mertz Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. And, I'd like to welcome you to my new podcast, Secrets of Statecraft. The title derives from Sir Winston Churchill's reply to a young American who asked him for some life advice as Churchill was walking through Westminster hall on the day of the Queens coronation in 1953. "Study history, study history," Churchill said, "for therein lies all the secrets of statecraft."

Andrew Roberts: I've been a historian for 30 years and have written or edited 18 books. And, in this podcast series, I'll be talking to prominent people about the role that history has played in their careers and their decision making. And also, to fellow historians about how the past influenced the people they've written about. In the course of it, I hope to eke out some of the timeless secrets of statecraft. We start the series off today with General David Petraeus. As Commander of American led coalition forces in Iraq, he was the person who executed the successful surge there in 2007, before going on to who take command in Afghanistan in 2010 and becoming CIA director in 2011. David, who taught you history? I'd be very interested to hear about whether or not there were any charismatic history teachers in your past.

David Petraeus: Well, there were, and it's a great question, Andrew, but first it is great to be with you again and a real privilege to walk point for you or with you on your new and ex

In his new book, retired Gen. David Petraeus explores the evolution of selected conflicts between World War II and the ongoing fights in Ukraine and Gaza and lays out the importance of military strategic leadership.

During a webinar hosted May 9 by the Association of the U.S. Army as part of its Noon Report series, Petraeus points out that conflict begins with political strategic leadership that must be executed with strong military strategic leadership, beginning with four tasks.

“First, you have to get the big ideas right, you have to craft the right strategy, you have to really understand the context,” Petraeus said, explaining that the context is what is present in your own forces, enemy forces, in human and physical terrain and the elements of society and neighborhoods.

Next, the strategy’s big ideas must be communicated throughout an organization and to others who have a stake in the outcome of the conflict. Once the big idea is communicated, a strategic leader must oversee its implementation.

“This is what we think of often as leadership,” he said. “The leader provides the energy, the inspiration, attracting great people, hanging on to them as long as you can, developing them, allowing those not measuring up to move on to something else. It’s the organizational architecture that you design.”

The fourth task, which is to identify how the big ideas need to be refined once they’re implemented, is informed through battlefield circulation by any means possible to get an ear to the ground across the entire battlespace.

Co-written with British historian Andrew Roberts, Petraeus said that the idea for the book,Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine, came about when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The authors sought to provide military historical context for the conflict, he said.

A just-completed second edition adds a chapter on the conflict in Gaza, he said.

In addition t

General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.) is one of the leading battlefield commanders and strategists of our time.He served over 37 years in the US military culminating his career with six consecutive commands as a general officer, five of which were in combat, including command of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and NATO/US Forces in Afghanistan.He subsequently served as Director of the CIA, following confirmation by the Senate by a vote of 94-0, during a period of significant achievements in the global war on terror

General Petraeus is now a Partner with the global investment firm KKR and Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, which he established in 2013.He also serves on corporate boards, is the Kissinger Fellow at Yale University’s Jackson School, and is the co-author, with Andrew Roberts, of Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine.

General Petraeus graduated with distinction from the US Military Academy, earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University, and has held academic appointments at 5 universities in addition to his current position at Yale. He is also Co-Chairman of the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Global Advisory Council, Senior Vice President of the Royal United Services Institute, and a member of the Trilateral Commission, Council on Foreign Relations, and Aspen Strategy Group.

His awards include four Defense Distinguished Service Medals, the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award, the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, the Combat Action Badge, the Ranger tab, and master parachutist wings.He has also been decorated by 14 foreign countries and is believed to be the only person in uniform to throw out the first pitch of a World Series game and do the coin toss for a Super Bowl.He was runner-up to Vladimir Putin for Time Person of the Year in 2007, the Daily Telegraph Man of the Year, twice a Time 100 selectee, three times a Foreign Policy top public intellectual, Prospect magazine’s Publi