Stephen D. Cook

Stephen D. Cook is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel with 25 years of service. A decorated combat veteran, he is the author of field manuals like Choose the Heavier Ruck and the techno-thriller In the Shadows of the Sky. He is based in St. Augustine, Florida.

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (June 12, 2019) B-52 out of EDW carries ARRW IMV asset for its first captive carry flight over Edwards Air Force Base. (U.S. Air Force photo by Christopher Okula)

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

A Green Beret Veteran Argues That Bombing Alone Will Never Force Iran to Surrender, and the Historical Record Backs Him

Retired Special Forces Lt. Col. Stephen Cook argues the campaign against Iran fits a long historical pattern: from Pantelleria to Kosovo to Desert Storm,...

Stephen D. CookAugust 1, 2026

Carl Gustaf Rocket Like Used in Ukraine Creative Commons Image

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

A Green Beret Argues America Just Quantified Its Own Limit in Iran: Six to Eight Thousand Troops, No More

Retired Special Forces Lt. Col. Stephen Cook argues the Afghanistan withdrawal broadcast a boundary on American will that adversaries keep testing — and that...

Stephen D. CookJuly 27, 2026

U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, 18th Field Artillery Brigade, fire a M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during their Table 15 qualification on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, March 30, 2026. Table 15 is a mandatory U.S. Army training and certification exercise for field artillery batteries that tests their ability to integrate artillery fires into a realistic tactical scenario. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Austin Robertson)

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

America Has Already Killed Iran’s Supreme Leader — a Decorated Special Forces Veteran Says Stopping There Is ‘Strategic Incoherence’

Retired Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel Stephen D. Cook argues that five months of airpower and blockade cannot permanently end Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Invoking the...

Stephen D. CookJuly 19, 2026

National Security Journal

Stephen D. Cook

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

A Green Beret Veteran Argues That Bombing Alone Will Never Force Iran to Surrender, and the Historical Record Backs Him

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

A Green Beret Argues America Just Quantified Its Own Limit in Iran: Six to Eight Thousand Troops, No More

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

America Has Already Killed Iran’s Supreme Leader — a Decorated Special Forces Veteran Says Stopping There Is ‘Strategic Incoherence’

Recent Posts

Recent Posts

Recent Comments