Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to David Petraeus. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
David, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?
I realized at an early age that life is a competitive endeavor, and that you don’t get a trophy just for showing up. Rather you earn recognition by being the best – but that you should strive to be the best team player while also working hard to be the best possible individually as well. Beyond that, I recognized that, particularly on the battlefield, that our men and women in uniform don’t want a leader who is satisfied with the “gentleman’s B, too cool for school, or proud to be average. They want a leader who is committed and passionate about being the best that he or she can be, as that provides them the best chance of coming home alive.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I was an officer in the U.S. Army for over 37 years, culminating my career with 6 consecutive commands as a general officer, 5 of which were in combat, including Command of the Surge in Iraq, U.S. Central Command, and US/NATO Forces in Afghanistan I then served as the Director of the CIA, following Senate confirmation by a vote of 94 to 0, during a time of significant achievements in the Global War on Terror.
After leaving government, I established in mid-2013 the KKR Global Institute, which I have now Chaired for nearly 12 years, and was made a Partner at KKR in 2014. (KKR is one of the world’s largest and most respected investment firms, managing approximately $650B as of early 2025). I am also on the boards of directors of two KKR companies, OneStream and Optiv, and the strategic advisor for two others, Semperis and Advanced Navigation, in addition to being a personal venture capitalist with investments in more than 30 startups and a speaker with the Washington Speakers Bureau..
I graduated with distinction from the U.S. Military Academy in 1974, was the top graduate of my Ranger School and Command and General Staff College classes, earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University in International Relations and Economics, and have held academic appointments at six universities. I am currently the Kissinger Fellow at Yale, Co-Chairman of the Global Advisory Council of the Woodrow Wilson Center, Sr Vice President of RUSI, and a member of the Trilateral Commission, the Aspen Strategy Group, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Board of the Atlantic Council. I have also co-authored with Andrew Roberts the “NY Times” bestselling book, “Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Gaza.”
I have received numerous awards and decorations including four Defense Distinguished Service Medals, the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, two NATO Meritorious Service Medals, the Combat Action Badge, the Ranger tab, and master parachutist wings. I have also been decorated by 14 foreign countries and sanctioned by Russia for my support of Ukraine.
Over the past 20 years, I have been named one of America’s 25 Best Leaders by U.S. News and World Report, runner-up for Time magazine’s Person of the Year, the Daily Telegraph man of the year, a Time 100 selectee (twice), Princeton University’s Madison Medalist, and one of Foreign Policy magazine’s top 100 public intellectuals in three different years. I am also believed to be the only individual who, while in uniform, threw out the first pitch of a World Series game and did the coin toss for a Super Bowl.
I have been very fortunate throughout my life, but the harder I’ve worked the luckier I’ve been. Indeed, I agree with the Roman philosopher who observed that luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
During my command of the Surge in Iraq, which I describe below as the toughest experience of my life and also the most significant, I read “Grant Takes Command,” a book given to me by the Command Historian at the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas before deploying. It ended up in a rucksack and made its way the to table by my bunk at our headquarters in Baghdad.
I read a few pages each night before falling asleep, with the book usually ending up on the floor. Reading about Grant was hugely instructive and inspirational to me. His example on the battlefields of the Civil War was exceptional. He could envision a battle and a strategic campaign in his mind and then write clear, concise orders to his subordinates to convey his intent in time and space. He was modest in his dress, wearing the uniform of a private soldier with his stars on his shoulders. He was an exceptional horseman and calm and courageous in combat. And he also demonstrated sheer determination even in the face of possible defeat and chaos on a battlefield
Following the bloody first day at Shiloh, for example, after his forces were nearly driven into the Tennessee River, General Sherman, his most trusted Lieutenant, came out of the dark. “We’ve had the devil’s own day today, haven’t we,” he observed to Grant. In response, Grant took a soggy cigar out of his mouth and said, “Yep, lick ’em tomorrow though.” And they did.
And that example, of the man who truly saved the Union, was hugely instructive to me during an exceedingly difficult endeavor in Iraq.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I was privileged to command the Surge in Iraq from early February 2007 through July 2008. What our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines — and our coalition forces and Iraqi partners — did was extraordinary, a truly historic achievement.
Iraq was in the throes of a vicious and violent Sunni-Shia civil war at the outset of the Surge. There were 53 civilians killed every 24 hours in Baghdad alone, and violence was spiraling out of control. 18 months later, violence was down by nearly 90% and the Iraqis, with our help, had a new opportunity to build the post-Saddam Hussein Iraq and reduce violence even more as we conducted an orderly drawdown of our forces, And the Iraqis and our forces did just that, with violence being reduced even further over the subsequent 3-1/2 years until the withdrawal of our final combat forces (after which, tragically, the Iraqi Prime Minister took highly sectarian actions that tragically reignited sectarian tensions, prompted major Sunni demonstrations, and allowed the Islamic State to reconstitute itself).
Nothing during the Surge was easy. In fact, Ambassador Ryan Crocker, my great diplomatic partner and friend, and I frequently used to note that Iraq was “all hard all the time… but hard was not hopeless.” But it was hard. And command of the Surge was the most grinding experience of my life. My team and I were right at the edge of our physical endurance, with no opportunity to sleep in on weekends or take days off. In fact, we continued to conduct tough physical fitness workouts throughout the Surge, which helped us sleep better at night and maintain our physical capacity and resilience.
I had warned the Senate Armed Services Committee members during my confirmation hearing that the situation would get much harder before it got easier. And that proved to be the case, as Al Qaeda, the Sunni insurgents, and the Iranian-supported Shia militia fought us tenaciously. The early months of the Surge were the toughest of my life. ButI was very fortunate to have a great team around me, and incredible men and women in uniform who turned big ideas at my level into concrete actions and steady progress at their levels.
The ultimate success of the Surge validated the confidence that President Bush and a resolute group of members of Congress had in us. But the road to that historic outcome was, again, all hard all the time.
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