On September 28, Elliot Ackerman, non-resident senior fellow at Forward Defense, published a piece in the Atlantic entitled “Hezbollah’s Long War Is With America Too.” Ackerman speaks on his experience as a US Marine Corps officer participating in the evacuation of American citizens during the Second Lebanon War. He explains how his experience informs his understanding of the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah as well as the broader conflict between the United States and its adversaries in Iran, Russia, and China. He writes that “our leaders have proved reluctant to call enemies ‘enemies’ and friends ‘friends.’ If America wishes to remain at peace, or at least not find itself in an active war, we must speak clearly in defense of our friends.”

Forward Defense leads the Atlantic Council’s US and global defense programming, developing actionable recommendations for the United States and its allies and partners to compete, innovate, and navigate the rapidly evolving character of warfare. Through its work on US defense policy and force design, the military applications of advanced technology, space security, strategic deterrence, and defense industrial revitalization, it informs the strategies, policies, and capabilities that the United States will need to deter, and, if necessary, prevail in major-power conflict.

Related Experts: Elliot Ackerman