Andrew Milburn retired from the Marine Corps in 2019 as the Deputy Commander of Special Operations Command Central, the headquarters responsible for all US special operations in the Middle East. As an infantry and special operations officer, he has had operational command at every rank, to include leading the Marine Raider Regiment and a multinational special operations task force given the mission of defeating the ISIS in Iraq.
Since retiring, he has written a critically acclaimed memoir, When the Tempest Gathers, and articles for a number of publications to include the Atlantic, USA Today, the Hill, War on the Rocks, the Modern War Institute, and Task and Purpose. He is on the Adjunct Faculty of the Joint Special Operations University and teaches classes on leadership, planning, ethics, command and control, mission command, risk, special operations, and irregular warfare at U.S. and British military schools. He is a co-host of the Modern War Institute’s Irregular War Podcast and Irregular War Initiative.
Education
Bachelor’s from University College London; Law degree from Westminster University
Master’s Degrees in Strategic Studies and Operational Studies
Graduate of the Marine Corps University and the School of Advanced Warfighting
Issues of Expertise
US Military, Defense & Security
Countries of Expertise
Egypt, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen
Is the Middle East next on Putin’s agenda? What the US can do to prepare
Conventional wisdom has it that the conflict in Ukraine will lead the U.S. to bolster its military presence along NATO’s boundary in Eastern Europe, with a concomitant downscaling in the Middle East. While presenting a robust front in support of NATO is of course critical, it would be a mistake to do so at the expense of the U.S. military presence in the Middle East at a time when it appears likely that Russian President Vladimir Putin has chosen the region as the venue for the next moves in his campaign to marginalize the U.S.
The new face of war: Devastating drone attacks in Ukraine have implications for the US military in the Middle East
In dramatic video coverage currently going viral on YouTube and TikTok, Ukrainian drones are seen to destroy a Russian convoy, with startling speed — and total impunity. The story of how destructive such drone attacks are proving to be was picked up by several U.S. papers, and brought to light the capability of the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone. Despite its emergence as an inanimate hero of the Ukraine conflict, the story of the TB2, and its employment by various actors over the last three years, brings with it a dire warning for the U.S. military.
