Thomas E. Ricks - Washington Post Pentagon Reporter

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Military Beat: Thomas E. Ricks

About Thomas E. Ricks

Thomas Ricks has covered the U.S. military for the Washington Post since 2000. Until the end of 1999 he had the same beat at the Wall Street Journal, where he was a reporter for 17 years.

He has reported on U.S. military activities in Somalia, Haiti, Korea, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Kuwait, Turkey, Afghanistan and Iraq. He was part of a Wall Street Journal team that won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2000 for a series of articles on how the U.S. military might change to meet the new demands of the 21st century. Ricks also was part of a Washington Post team that won the 2002 Pulitzer prize for reporting about the beginning of the U.S. counteroffensive against terrorism.

His book, FIASCO: The American Military Adventure in Iraq, was published by Penguin Press in July 2006.

Born in Massachusetts in 1955, he grew up in New York and Afghanistan and graduated from Yale in 1977.

* Fiasco Excerpts: In Iraq, Military Forgot the Lessons of Vietnam.

* One Unit's Aggressive Approach to Fighting the Insurgency.

A collection of his Washington Post reporting is below:

Contact Thomas E. Ricks
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20071
pentagon@washpost.com

Discussion

Washington Post staff writer Thomas E. Ricks was online on Monday, July 24, 2006 to discuss his book and to answer reader questions.

General Affirms Anbar Analysis

The U.S. commander in western Iraq said he agrees with the findings of a pessimistic classified report recently filed by his top intelligence officer but also insisted that "tremendous progress" is being made in that part of the country.

Situation Called Dire in West Iraq: Anbar Is Lost Politically, Marine Analyst Says (Post, September 11, 2006, Page A01)

Cheney Stands by His 'Last Throes' Remark (Post, June 20, 2006, Page A13)

Rumsfeld Rebuked By Retired Generals: Ex-Iraq Commander Calls for Resignation (Post, April 13, 2006, Page A1)

Military Plays Up Role of Zarqawi: Jordanian Painted As Foreign Threat To Iraq's Stability (Post, April 10, 2006, Page A01)

Faces of the 101st: In the Battle for Baghdad, U.S. Turns War on Insurgents (Post, February 26, 2006, Page A01)

Army Historian Cites Lack of Postwar Plan: Major Calls Effort in Iraq 'Mediocre' (Post, December 25, 2004, Page A1)

Rumsfeld Gets Earful From Troops: Complaints Cite Equipment Woes, Extended Tours and Pay Delays (Post, December 9, 2004, Page A1)

Shift From Traditional War Seen at Pentagon (Post, September 3, 2004, Page A1)

Officers Question Visibility of Army in Iraq: Some in Military Urge Lower Troop Profile (Post, July 26, 2004, Page A1)

Dissension Grows In Senior Ranks On War Strategy: U.S. May Be Winning Battles in Iraq But Losing the War, Some Officers Say (Post, May 9, 2004, Page A1)

Shelling Kills 22 Prisoners In Iraq: 90 Others Are Injured; Attack Motive Unclear (Post, April 21, 2004, Page A1)

Insurgents Display New Sophistication: Campaign Leaves Bridges Heavily Damaged, Hampering Military's Push South (Post, April 14, 2004, Page A1)