What sets Petraeus apart is not just his ability to visualize the way to victory, but the will, the determination and the resilience to see it through. Afghanistan is now a more secure and hopeful place than a year ago, and while Dave would be the first to tell you that a lot of hard, deadly work remains, the progress has never been more real or the prospects more encouraging. David, you’ve run the race well, swifter and surer than the rest, and you now stand among the giants not just in our time but of all time, joining the likes of Grant and Pershing and Marshall and Eisenhower as one of the great battle captains of American history. You’ve expanded our view of the possible, inspiring our military on to historic achievements during some of the most trying times America has ever known. And today you depart our ranks with the sincere thanks of a grateful nation.
As you take the helm of the Central Intelligence Agency, your ability to see the next shot and around the corners will never be more important, and we are blessed that you will continue to serve and lead during these dynamic and uncertain times. T. E. Lawrence, a man who knew a thing or two about insurgencies, once said, “All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible.” David Petraeus has indeed been a dreamer of the day, dangerous to our enemies but no greater friend to those with whom he fought alongside and fought for. He’s been a dreamer with a vision and a plan to get there.
Petraeus, in his farewell address, spoke in terms of gratitude and caution. He thanked his family, his mentors and the troops for all that for which he had been lauded. He warned of cutting the military budget precipitously and beckoned decision makers to take care of the people—the cornerstone of the military. He noted the need to maintain full-spectrum operations capability, recalling once again that the military has to be ready for all contingencies, not just those with which they are the most comfortable. Implicit in his words was the question of whether the military would forget the hard-won lessons it had learned, or take the wrong lesson altogether, from the past decade of war.
He could have used the words he’d written in the concluding pages of his 1987 dissertation:
The senior military thus find themselves in a dilemma. The lessons taken from Vietnam would indicate that, in general, involvement in a counterinsurgency should be avoided. But prudent preparation for a likely contingency (and a general inclination against limiting a president’s options) lead the military to recognize that significant emphasis should be given to counterinsurgency forces, equipment, and doctrine. Military leaders are thereby in the difficult position of arguing for the creation of more forces suitable for such conflicts, while simultaneously realizing that they may advise against the use of those forces unless very specific circumstances hold.
Petraeus ended his final address in uniform by quoting his favorite passage, from Teddy Roosevelt’s 1910 “Man in the Arena” speech.
“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
The White House seemed prepared to embrace the man whom pundits had tried to pit as an adversary. Immediately following Petraeus’s ceremony, President Obama called to congratulate him on a historic career of service in the United States Army and commented on his “extraordinary contributions to our national security in Iraq and Afghanistan.” The words meant a lot to Petraeus, and so did the president’s expression of gratitude for Petraeus’s continued commitment to public service.
A week later, the irony at Petraeus’s swearing-in as CIA director was unmistakable as Vice President Biden, the White House’s leading Petraeus skeptic, administered the oath of office in the Roosevelt Room while Holly Petraeus held a tan-colored Bible Petraeus had received from his West Point roommate, Chris White, thirty-seven years earlier. Biden had opposed Petraeus’s troop surge in Afghanistan and had reportedly seen the general, during the 2009 Afghan policy review, as an inflexible commander whose response to every request had been to demand more troops; more recently, Biden himself had pushed for a more aggressive drawdown in 2011, against the military’s recommendations.
Yet those tensions seemed behind both of them now. Biden, in fact, revealed that he had been the one who had suggested to Obama in June 2010 that Petraeus assume command in Kabul. Now, as was customary for cabinet appointees, the vice president had been chosen to preside over swearing Petraeus in as director of the CIA. Petraeus, dressed in a tailored gray suit and burgundy-colored tie, placed his right hand on the Bible and repeated the oath of office after Biden.
“Duty, honor and country,” Biden said to Petraeus after reading the oath. “You’ve led and trained the 9/11 generation to become the greatest group of warriors this country has ever seen—I would argue that the world has ever seen. And not only your personal leadership but your strategic leadership has been invaluable. And now you’ve been called on to lead what I believe to be the leading intelligence agency in the world.”
Petraeus had gone through a transformation that summer. After six straight military commands leading up to the end of his career, the prospect of taking off his uniform had initially left him pensive. But he was grateful to have a demanding new job on the horizon, another opportunity to serve the nation. He hadn’t lost his will to win by leaving the military. He hadn’t forsaken his competitive nature. David Petraeus was still “all in.”
PHOTO INSERT
As a West Point cadet, Petraeus was noted for his drive and graduated in the top of his class, a star man in the class of 1974.
(Courtesy of David Petraeus)
Despite the antiwar sentiment of the time, Petraeus (right) remained dedicated to following his military heroes and set his sights on an infantry post after graduation.
(Courtesy of Robert Bassler and Steve Trauth)
Cadet Petraeus (fourth from left, front row) was assigned to Company C-1 (1970-1974).
(Courtesy of David Petraeus)
Cadet Petraeus with his father, Sixtus, a former officer on a Dutch ship, who came to the United States during World War II and later joined the U.S. Merchant Marines.
(Courtesy of David Petraeus)
Lieutenant General William Knowlton, superintendent of USMA, was an important early mentor in counterinsurgency and father to Petraeus’s wife, Hollister (“Holly”).
(PFC Alfredson, United States Military Academy Archives)
Petraeus with his parents and future father-in-law on his commissioning day.
(Courtesy of David Petraeus)
Wedding day, July 6, 1974.
(Courtesy of David Petraeus)
Lieutenant Petraeus deployed to Turkey while he was stationed in Vicenza, Italy.
(Courtesy of David Petraeus)
Major General John Galvin, an intellectual force in the post-Vietnam Army, became Petraeus’s most influential mentor. Galvin gave Petraeus the “Stampede” as a farewell token in 1982.
(Courtesy of David Petraeus)
Colonel Keith Nightingale (second from left) mentored Petraeus from their days in Vicenza, Italy. Shown here in France, where Petraeus was serving, on the fiftieth anniversary of D-Day.
(Courtesy of Joshua Treadwell )
The archetypal soldier-scholar c
ompleted his dissertation on the influence of Vietnam on military decision-making regarding the use of force at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.
(Courtesy of Patrick McGuigan)
Following his civilian counterparts, Ambassadors Karl Eikenberry and Mark Sedwill, General Petraeus arrives to take command of ISAF forces in Kabul.
(Courtesy of Joshua Treadwell)
Brigadier General Mark Martins celebrates the launch of the NATO Rule of Law Field Support Mission—part of Petraeus’s Anaconda strategy.
(Tom Jones/U.S. Navy)
Lieutenant Colonel David Flynn, who commanded 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division in the Arghandab River Valley.
(Courtesy of David Flynn)
Father and son, Second Lieutenant Stephen Petraeus, who served as a platoon leader in Wardak Province.
(Courtesy of Joshua Treadwell)
Lieutenant Colonel David G. Fivecoat, a Petraeus protégé, commanded the 3rd Battalion of the 187th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, in Paktika and Ghazni Provinces, with Major General John Campbell, commander of Regional Command East in Afghanistan, and Doug Ollivant, senior civilian adviser for the CAAT, who worked with Petraeus during the Iraq surge.
(Courtesy of Patrick McGuigan)
Petraeus with Lieutenant Colonel Flynn, who oversaw an artillery unit conducting classic counterinsurgency operations.
(Courtesy of Patrick McGuigan)
Doug Ollivant (right) visited Ghazni Province and met with local Afghans as part of his CAAT advisory mission.
(Courtesy of Douglas Ollivant)
Upon their return home, Lieutenant Colonel David Flynn’s troopers were reunited with their wounded comrades. IEDs remain the greatest cause of injuries for ISAF soldiers.
(Courtesy of David Flynn)
Major Fernando Lujan (second from left), ISAF CAAT member, with troopers in the Afghan National Security Force. Lujan’s initiative met with resistance from some but with praise from Petraeus.
(Courtesy of Fernando Lujan)
Campbell and Fivecoat touring a battlefield circulation in Ghazni Province.
(Courtesy of David Fivecoat)
Lieutenant Colonel J. B. Vowell (far right) with Major General Campbell and members of the No Slack battalion, near the entrance to the Korengal and lower Pech valleys.
(Courtesy of J. B. Vowell)
Petraeus with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, in Petraeus’s Kabul office. Mullen was a key supporter for Petraeus in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(Courtesy of Joshua Treadwell)
Petraeus with Senators McCain, Lieberman, and Graham.
(Courtesy of Joshua Treadwell)
President Obama announcing the decision to send Petraeus to Afghanistan to command ISAF in June 2010.
(© Greg Matthieson, MAI Photo News Agency)
The president announces Petraeus’s nomination to become the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
(Courtesy of Joshua Treadwell)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book is an extension of my Ph.D. dissertation research that began as an examination of Petraeus’s role in military innovation in the wake of 9/11. For two years, I had traced Petraeus’s steps from Cornwall-on-Hudson to Central Command, exploring the arc of the development of his philosophy of war. In June 2010, while Petraeus was standing in the Rose Garden with the president, I thought the time had arrived to turn the dissertation into a book, and I thought I might nest my research on his intellectual development within the bookends of his command in Afghanistan. I asked an associate, Tom Ricks, a reporter at the Washington Post and author of Fiasco and The Gamble, about approaching a publishing house. He graciously referred me to Scott Moyers, a star agent at Wylie Agency. Scott wanted me to “go big” and helped craft a vision for what a first-time author might actually achieve; he remained involved as he moved from Wylie to become the publisher at Penguin Press. Tom and Scott led me to Vernon Loeb, a former war correspondent and now the senior metro editor at the Washington Post, who became my writing partner and coach. Vernon has been an exceptional partner, helping to craft a vision for the story line and the design for how to nest my dissertation into the book. His constant enthusiasm for the project gave me energy to keep the pace. My editor at Penguin Press, Ginny Smith, became a tremendous guiding light as we developed the cast of characters and important themes. I value her judgment, enthusiasm and commitment to making this book the best it could be. I am also greatly indebted to Will Palmer, my copy editor, whose exacting attention to detail is truly unmatched. I also thank Andrew Wylie, my new agent; Ann Godoff, president of Penguin Press, for investing in an unknown writer; and the ever-patient Veronica Windholz and the rest of the team at Penguin for their expertise. Writing a story about an ongoing war seemed a daunting project; in the end it has been one of the most enriching, humbling and inspirational experiences of my life, in great part because of their encouragement and support.
Family and friends were instrumental in support of this endeavor. Most of all, I thank my husband and best friend, Dr. Scott Broadwell, who played Mr. Mom for our two little boys while I was in Afghanistan or Washington, D.C., and shielded them from any concerns about their adventure-seeking mother’s travels in a third-world country. (He also taught our boys where Afghanistan is on the globe. We imagine they’ll have to keep an eye on it in the future.) Scott showed admirable tolerance for my absence and the many late nights and early mornings at the computer; I am grateful to have such an amazing and supportive partner. I am also extremely indebted to my boys’ grandparents, especially my mother, Nadene Kranz, for the countless weeks she came to stay with my kids while I was away from home for extended periods. She and my in-laws, Sharron and Russ Broadwell, tried to make the transition nearly seamless for my boys, and that means a tremendous amount to a working mother. I’m grateful to my brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Carolynn Kranz, for generously hosting me in Washington during my frequent visits. Many girlfriends (Alica, Kathy, Suzanne, Anna, Sarah and sister-in-law Heather), working mothers themselves, provided moral (and kid) support and helped fill the mothering gap in my absence. I also would have been lost without the assistance, at the eleventh hour, of Beckie Johnson and her team of transcribers, and Lieutenant Jamie Lynn De Coster, all of whom ran beside me on the final lap.
The book would not have been possible, of course, without the cooperation of General David Petraeus. Petraeus’s willingness to indulge my endless questions and allow me to explore all corners of the war theater provided me with a once-in-a-lifetime education, and I am grateful for his candor, trust and support. His personal staff were essential in this pursuit; they all gave generously of their time and insights over the year, and I appreciate their patience with all of my requests and their toleration of my constant presence. I especially thank Colonel Mike Meese, Colonel (Promotable) Bill Hickman, Colonel Erik Gunhus, Lieutenant Commander Kimberly Brubeck, Captain Eric Prazinko, Chief Petty Officer Josh Treadwell—an extraordinary photographer who provided many images for this book, Captain Chip Walter, Chief Warrant Officer Five Charles Clayton, Command Sergeant Major Marvin Hill, Lieutenant Colonel Andy Gebara, Lieutenant Colonel Tony DeMartino, Lieutenant Colonel Aaron O’Connell, Alston Ramsey, Master Sergeant Mike Wallace, Sergeant A. J. Santi and Mary Kohler. I also thank Chief Warrant Officer Four Mark Howell, Staff Sergeant Landon Nordby and Sergeant First Class Kevin Cheeley—Petraeus’s security detachment, with whom I’d never felt so safe on a run. Special thanks to Brigadier Generals Mark Martins and H. R. McMaster, Major General Mick Nicholson and Captain Ed Zellem, for allowing me to be a participant observer in their activities in their respective pursuits. I am especially grateful to Brigadier General (Promotable) Scott Miller, who was gracious enough to allow me to hitchhike to VSO-ALP sites and sit in on key meetin
gs in Kabul and various FOBs and COPs around the country, as well as Master Sergeant Joseph Burke, Captain Geno Paluso and Commander (Promotable) Travis Schweizer and his right-hand men. Many others assisted in my effort to understand the complex environment in Afghanistan, and three of the most supportive were battalion commanders Lieutenant Colonels David Fivecoat, David Flynn and J. B. Vowell and their respective teams. I appreciate their willingness, in the midst of a war, to host my visits, arrange for meetings with Afghans when possible and respond in a timely fashion to endless inquiries for the facts. Their stories in these pages illustrate tremendous leadership; I remain humbled and inspired by their collective dedication. I thank their troopers who were willing to afford me a seat in their MRAPs or on a cot, who covered me on patrols and who overlooked their own spartan lives with a passion to serve. Other characters in the book were already friends, and they offered candid perspectives into the war; these include five of my West Point peers who served as aides to Petraeus over the years, and other friends, including Major Fernando Lujan, Major Abi Linnington, Colonel Joe Felter, Roger Carstens, Doug Ollivant, Mark Jacobson, Lieutenant Colonels Chris Riga and Bob Wilson, and especially Michael O’Hanlon, who helped me think about the big picture and was always a voice of reason and balance. Several senior officials were also gracious with their time, including Senator Lindsey Graham, Admiral Mike Mullen, Lieutenant General Bill Caldwell, Lieutenant General David Rodriguez, Major General John Campbell, UN special representative of the secretary general in Afghanistan Staffan de Mistura, Saad Mohseni, Afghan minister of the Interior Bismallah Khan and minister of Defense Abdul Rahim Wardak.
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