very grateful to our people and all i can say is, to be continued. thank you very much. [applause] ..

six. >> you can read how this amazing effort is organized and sign up to get involved yourself at world book night did or brian mention this because the deadline to sign up is tonight. [laughter] there is still tyra after this event. no word about our guest paula broadwell and vernon loeb and their book "all in" the education of general david patraeus."

petraeus is the most prominent military general since world war ii. although he is the subjects who and then the books paula was given unusual access to him. as paula rates, one and his most important the majors talked about the concept of stitches days for individual mystique wore a mythology. the ada is the troops need to be will to make their commanders bigger than they are. magnified them. patton had pistols, ridgway grenades and a grand cigars. petraeus stands out as the epitome of the soldier. intellectually he is famous for being the lead author on

counter insurgency warfare. on the battlefield credited with turning things around in iraq following bush's decision to surge u.s. forces facing similar actions from afghanistan. but his time is the focus of the book also it has a broader sweep paulette incorporates biographical affirmation about petraeus to make him so effective and influential a leader. in fact, in pursuit of but phd and petraeus is a case study of transformational leadership and organizational innovation. as a graduate of west point

and army reserve officer, pauley knows the army from the inside. and her book she takes readers into briefing rooms and command post and training sites and battlefields. she was granted a number of opportunities to travel with petraeus and jog with him and anybody who has tried that, and knows probably deserve a medal for a themself. he is notorious for the intensity with which he works out and the same intensity he applies to everything that he does. and paula is no athletic slacker. are runner ranked number one overall fitness of her class at west point*. also i like to know she is donating 20% of the proceeds of the book to team red,

white, and blue and organization that works with wounded veterans using physical fitness to help them find in their new normal. she was helped in the right thing of her book by a former colleague at the "washington post" vernon loeb. he had lots of experience himself covering the military world is now the post metropolitan editor. paula plans to speak 23 minutes if you have a question please remember to step up and use the microphone in the center of the room. afterwards shall be happy to stay and sign books. silence the cellphones employees who join me in welcoming paula broadwell. [applause] >> >> how many veterans to rehab in the room so i knew

i am basing? thank you for all of your service. we may have a few people part of team red, white, and blue? thank you for coming. and is very important for me to take a vantage of the national media platform. itch became eight "new york times" best-seller number six and a member 13 overall. it is very humbling but i have to give credit to vernon loeb. but i felt it was important to do something inconsequential with the media attention and asking americans to go "all in" for our wounded warriors. it is a return. how i came to write the book will bring up character's separate in the book and

they are in the room. then a like to share stories about general petraeus and his development. can ever betty hiro k.? 2006 general david petraeus was the commander at leavenworth hoping to rate the hunter insurgency field manual. he edited 30 times the first chapter. he pays attention to detail became to harvard university and wanted to speak about the merits of counterinsurgency approach to fighting the iraq war the we're losing at the time. and invited a group of veterans or young students to meet with him. i went up to him and said i am writing my thesis on negotiating with terrorists and you should read it. he was kind of to indulge me to give me his business card as the best with many.

he is very open about taking ideas and uses what is known as direct and telescoping to reach out to those in different fields to gather ideas. we kept in touch via e-mail. two years later reach our tarascan he would speak to a group of students at harvard who were trying to find ways to galvanize greater cooperation with the intelligence communities and other national security organizations. as field officers were frustrated seeing a lack of cooperation. he agreed to do a teleconference from baghdad after the surge started to see some success. he opened with a quote from the roman philosopher blocked is what happens when operation -- preparation meehan this opportunity.

it captures the feeling of power got the opportunity to write the book. fast forward the surge was instrumental and some may argue otherwise but it complemented the iraqis frustration with the insurgency in iraq and the tide was turned. we started to draw forces down. petraeus came back to send tom 2008 iowa's and trade county had galvanized organizational transformation in the army to shape a new doctrine shape the organization of the and it's going to war, and looking at this from a management perspective had is the insider affect organizational transformation in? i asked him if i could use

him as a case study. it agreed. i a agreed to e-mail which chance to go on a run and it is a test that shows why think i gained rapport with him i could keep up with him and they got down to the six minute mile pace progress did not to ascribe that interview. it was just heavy breathing. [laughter] we continue that e-mail correspondence and incorporating his thoughts and took the vantage of my classmates at west point and several other aides were in my company and were great informants.

they were loyal to him but they trusted him so i could get great access her cory note day channell his family and their exchange correspondence over four decades like could say it -- to see captain david petraeus talking about how this is how the military needs to balance heavy and light forces. or in the '80s he writes to golden the leeway to change in the army is to change the doctrine per car will do that some day. they had a small competition between the two. the big m was the big one and david petraeus was a little one. these letters they exchanged a very candid i did trace the development of his

thinking of the organization and grants of strategy and u.s. foreign policy pro lot of that ends up on the cutting room floor but maybe with my dissertation. but you could see a various clients what he was thinking then flash forward to of guinness and and how that played out. in the summer of june 2010 when general mcchrystal and the "rolling stone" article rule about i remember watching television and the the faces flash across who could potentially replace sam? friends from send, said do you think he will go? tsai said they will never send him. but he already knew his name was in that hot all the the media was not speculating.

he received a call from mcchrystal when the article broke and he said it will be bad and he is pretty sure he received bribes from the white house he would probably lose his job. admiral mullen said your name is not speculated publicly but a high probability you are selected for afghanistan. he gets into the warehouse. he is therefore regularly scheduled meeting but someone from the oval office says the president wants to see you then secretary gates and senior leaders are walking out and do not give i contact so he knew he was about to get a new job. when the announcement was made in the rose garden i thought i could frame my dissertation and a larger framework of how this plays

out so went to work to find their writing partner i found a mentor and friend and roy team coach and at vernon loeb. he is also a huge runner. running 55 marathons. the few think petraeus is good, check out my partner. off the challenge i had not written anything like this are finished my a dissertation i have attention deficit disorder to have somebody so seasoned and accomplished with the arc of the narrative to fit in all of information relating to this story. i am sure you are familiar it is like building in aircraft while in flight well getting shot out. we did not know how the war

will lead turnout or impact operations so there was a pretty high up tempo to keep up with events on the ground and reports them and meet the deadline. i showed up in afghanistan after applying for of visa. i sent him a note and he was helping me with my a dissertation here is a benign dick t.a.r.p -- doctoral student nobody will read her dissertation be he did not realize i was turning into a book after my fourth visit when i sent an e-mail from of pakistan border general petraeus rehabing a blast out here. weird getting shot act. he wrote back and he realized my point* is i was out there sharing hard chip with the troops to get the story.

he said less try to accommodate hurt a little bit more. i spent almost four months on the ground but in a three week dose at a time. to see how things are changing to get out how the war was reporting in the united states and europe then go back and. those also embedded with troops on the ground traveling around with general officers with the effort but most time spent traveling with petraeus and his circulation and then sitting in on meetings with him in the koppel to the extent that i could. that is a story we reported over the year and then sit in the biographical

digressions of every chapter and why really tried to show pulling for my dissertation was influencing his social networks by parlayed his mentors the first is general will 10 holla eight has been a wonderful source of information for this as well. then i also had keith nightingale who was a member of of the ranger regiment and he helped to start their joint operations committed the concept so their letter show how the young david petraeus thinks about special forces and special operations not many people

knew he had that background or interest of the academic. he was not in that community. and general jack galvin assigned with him several times they are the closest to day minute to -- management and leadership both had a passion for low intensity conflict. you will see how dow been influences his thinking by inviting him down to central america to panama. there are six insurgencies and petraeus flies around with golden. our peers have only known this type of four before a young david petraeus it was

quite the i opening experience to walk up two the commanders home in el salvador to be handed a machine gun and pass to defend himself. rupiah's blown away realizes this type of for fear is important to pay attention to. general jack keene keene was commissioned focusing on low intensity conflict but it to it was unconventional at the time because we were looking at large scale warfare's of that was not wellcome for the about highly upon. somebody with a huge

personality to use that. he would take abizaid to check on how things were going been able to gather in sites if richer areas spoke candidly. was called the visceral report. and everybody knows the story of him getting shot. but that is what solidified their friendship and relationship then they were together for several assignments after that. the social network was of big variable but to look and his education obviously i could relate to the west point experience with a different curriculum to get access to records and look

at what complex they wear setting lowered and elective but he never took it. but then read trace the most education and experience at princeton which is the utmost or to experience because it broadens his horizons to what was this indoctrinating. the third thing that we look negative was his experiences. his experience in haiti which is nation-building and the rule of law development

and the cat his experience in bosnia the u.s. really exposed to the intelligence community and operations command after the mission switched from hunting war criminals to hurricane terrorists. he was there with 9/11 and they stood at the counter terrorism task force he held to spearhead this and would go out with a green beret and the special ops community and especiallespeciall why like the green berets. the first time they had the same mission. this is important for his development to understand how to use that. but after the guys go win and knock on the door would go to deliver letters for

them cells to turn themselves in. that then for the brookings institute refund a transformational period. natalie working with intelligence and special ops communities but going to the multi-year road map. the comprehensive plan of interagency and all the players budget it was the first time to run in that circle to have operational command. so look at all of these experiences to show how well plays out in iraq. because i felt those experiences were pretty well covered and how all this

education plays out in afghanistan. i don't think the book paints a rosy picture and one thing he said on his way out of kabul he regretted having to leave so soon but wanted to stay through another fighting season began at recognizes the great opportunity to go to the agency because i know if you remember the threats from 9/11 the president wanted him to be in place. but when he talks about his regrets in afghanistan is he was talking about night raids in counterterrorism to early. that is the own eight area

that was making progress when he got there. there was not quite the momentum that we can see now. in some areas attacks were down 20%. and is up by 19% but he regrets having claimed counterterrorism and the night raids is where the war was headed. in the discussion of today is a extension of that. the also wishes he could focus on preventing civilian casualties. u.s. report came out today this is the fifth year in a row where civilian casualties have risen. while staff costs are decreasing civilian is on the rise. how does that translate how the campaign is working?

d want to say a few remarks? i can go into afghanistan. >> i am good. i am happy to answer questions. do we have any questions? >> we need to use the microphone. >> in your book but as you mentioned petraeus went to be chairman of joint chiefs of staff but was told there is no way he could become a joint chairman. why not to be was this good? >> a great question. he was not considered broke

in part because the sources said that washington is only big enough for one superstar and david petraeus is not it. the thought was he would not be malleable as chairman and with tough budget cuts laying ahead for the department of defense with restructuring and thinking how we fight the next war come on the horizon the thought is having him in that position hong would stymie the white house objective. on the other hand, he was interested in the cia possession and it was the best possible position for him as he is a voracious consumer of intelligence

working with 16 different agencies and as consumer of intelligence he is very interested in what he can provide. maybe it is a blessing in disguise but the bottom line he is almost too good for them to handle. i am trying to be diplomatic [laughter] >> michael hastings torpedoed mcchrystal. the pentagon makes the pyridines of old america look like bohemians. budget mcchrystal was not insubordination but frieder nation you should not be buddy buddy with the

inferior but he was a soldier's soldier. you touched on briefly is the problem of corruption and governance of all lovell's in the middle east with proper security involving the killers. the fanatic religious killers and revenge killers and the thugs and how you deal with that. it takes one jerk to create havoc and in the middle east and afghanistan are the drugs and how you deal effectively with that. of those play role. unfortunately in the military the fitness report determines who gets promoted sometimes it has less to do with ability but who likes you. >> is there one question there? [laughter] >> i am putting substance to

the makings of petraeus. >> those are all good thoughts. i will talk about the rule of law and it is one issue that brigadier-general was responsible for in iraq to galvanize in afghanistan. if you read the book retraces efforts to show how difficult it is. everyone involved says it will take a generation to change the culture to teach them our ways. but is it right? look at the competition with the taliban and sharia law and acetylene disputes whether by cutting off somebody's hands for stealing we have to start somewhere. so there was a rule of law field force going down to the district level to set up the training teams how to do

speedy justice. is totally archaic they don't have a computer system to share files. at the local level. is better but a long way to go. one positive step is the biometric system. two years ago started to scan any afghan employee so we could track them coming into the system if there is recidivism but rule of law is one of the most complex challenges we face anywhere. >> there rule of law there is not habeas corpus but habeas corpus. [laughter] just takes one jerk or a few to create havoc in any community. >> thank you for your

question. >> congratulations on the book. i cannot wait to read it. grade margins and got a lot of credit for innovative ways to build the country and building it up with the three cups of tea author. i heard he was widely read by the officers. now he is under a cloud with fund-raising but nevertheless there refused upsurge of education and elementary schools over afghanistan. does he get credit for that? did he have a role to inspire that? >> sure. it is important for young officers to have a role models to see what counter insurgency the activities can have.

i don't know he has the survey daub nis the change what we have learned from iraq those in engagements with civil society can help but how much? does it matter for national security? if women have greater rights that is wonderful does the matter for national security? that is what you have to ask at the end of the day. >> i am interested in the art form of collaborative authorship. could use a little how together you planned and executed the book? >> is an art form. i did the drywall and she did the hard work.

she would go to afghanistan and we would land report one month behind realtime. she would unleash this fire hose on me and i would start to run about the chapters rehab different story that turned out to be one year in command and also his last command. we have the blast -- blessing of the natural front story. following fact i would rule out the chapters and then became an art of passing draft back and forth by would produce a very rough draft and she would refine it by adding information i have not seen then we would go back and forth until a final overdraft emerge then an editor got involved angle

whole book was produced quite fast. published january 24 the last event is being sworn in by a joe biden september 6. about a six month lag time. about as fast as you can produce a book. 1/2 to have a good relationship and a good partner and trust. i am an editor no. i find a combination of rating and editing. >> did you both deal with the editor with the publisher? >> yes. >> that is very interesting. >> one of my favorite parts of the book petraeus is the dominant character and we had a great access toll from his point* of view but reestablished a group of

secondary characters. three were lieutenant commanders who were in the combat battalion. once thought around kandahar new-line was the rolling hills and they all intersected and at some point* during the year and the fourth secondary character a guy sitting here. >> there he is. >> he was a general's aide in bosnia? and his day during the invasion nab iraq and back in afghanistan commanding said combat battalion. petraeus has a special zero relationship with the

101st he commanded them in 2003 the first combat command. during his last command it just so happens the entire 101st was deployed together for the first time since 2003 and david was one of the three combat leaders battalion leaders that we write about. and doug was the senior civilian adviser to the commander. and also has a special relationship two petraeus as a planner of the surge in iraq 2007 some zero and then from the dominick factor -- character that

they were buried interesting tough battles and writing about them from my vantage point* and it was inspiring to me to see the dedication and from the people that they lost. >> not have they read the book get to do you cover the political attack as exemplified by fed general the trade us and can use the get your cadet experience at west point? [laughter] >> agreed do touch that

advertisement. for those who have not read the book moveon.org took out an ad on the day he testified 2007 there was a question about the veracity of the statistics he used to report progress of the average case and it was meant to wonder if the was be trained us. when a the most hurtful things he ever experienced was that. we try to show was that side of him. how lumpur tin today is to keep the mass gone to give the troops who but at the end of the day he is human and it is tough for the chips to be questioned. hindsight it is wonderful would do it again in a

heartbeat but i kept a journal why was there i can look to those three months ago and i think i did not have that great of an experience. [laughter] it pretty much socked. [laughter] but i would add especially as salomon but it is hard for everyone. but now i remember with fond memories. it was the most formative things that ever happened to me also tracie concept of to the honor country how the newest generation do that as well. i could tell a lot of stories about west point but i will stop there. >> first with ambassador richard kohlberg whom we lost and the relationship

this train petraeus and him and who was whose wing man? also how did the afghans find a general petraeus? would are his weaknesses? >> bruce from the brookings institute ran obama's afghan reduce work being closely with holbrooke and clinton and he would say petraeus was knowing he was a defacto but holbrooke needed to be the face. think of the knowledge and experience and the network he had in the region. even holbrook acknowledged that. but if the second question is the afghans.

the interesting things do juxtapose they called him king david. maybe he gave himself that name. [laughter] is very well-respected in i iraq icahn not to tell you the stories iraqis would give up their riches to thank him what he did for their country. it is genuine. the afghans are not so much. but it has a much more complex terrain area he had visited but did not have the depth of knowledge, the network the enemy of the architecture that he could were quests. he felt he had to prove

himself. a lot of people felt he talked about iraq of the time. and people with many years of experiencing gain this is not iraq but at the end of the day there were many principles we could take. it is not transferable obviously but he never came to the reporter that mcchrystal had with karzai and the afghan ministers respected him and not the same level he had with the iraqi government. the third question weaknesses? >> he is such as a drive-in individual which is a string he channels that drive and ambition but i think his ego is in line with that. not egotistical but

egocentric. he puts to the honor country above his family. i almost consider that the strength and weakness as a working mother and wife is hard to find balance but it is pretty clear that she supports him but they have a wonderful marriage and establish children of their weaknesses? of itt's him that i call him mono directional. not multifaceted. that is six dreamy -- he is -- that is a joke. he is well read and now induced by novels. he does not like to do anything besides read, work read, work, the physical training, and out to dinner with khalid. that could be a weakness but

it comes down to a place in his head that says results, aboya. his father was very tough on him. his father had very high standards and david could never please him he was always driven to do better to deliver results contest, a soccer team, he was always striven to please his father and all of us could relate to that in some sense. >> vendor stand you donate a portion of your proceeds that supports a wounded and four years and how you choose to support them? >> that would love to. thank you. it is called team red, white, and blue founded from all west point teacher from

behavioral sciences -- sciences produce service special operations community and he started this group to help one did warner's -- warriors find their new normal physical fitness. study showed doing business post to help with depression and suicidal thoughts sank give them something to belong to one day left the military they lost. you know, how would is a family but even more so if you fight together or lose limbs or people and then not to discuss it with your family because they cannot relate, wounded warriors with ptsd don't get a purple heart. i feel we're not recognizing we have an epidemic right now when the veteran community.

472,000 veterans from iraq have a debilitating levels of ptsd this is just the number coming forward. you can imagine tens of thousands more are afraid to admit it. that is a stigma. i am working with the u.s. out and making a video tomorrow to call americans to go all in. not just donating money but we embrace to ensure if you cannot run a race then maybe help online to raise awareness, posting on facebook but in whatever way they acampo come them back and try to reach out to them and for what they sacrifice for us.

>> going back to the afghanistan matter before the surge and then to afghanistan a major part of the iraq ids to buyoff local leaders is the buyoff the war lawrence river and the taliban have access limited resources did petraeus feel it could be plucked from iraq to be put to in afghanistan to be successful? >> nobody presume this success. what the search is meant to do is create time and space so local host nation could stand up and defend themselves. that abuse same anaconda?

there is not just security but rule of law and international relations to agree admission on the stated objective 1/2 to find out who has the capability and should we handle that war britain? you can imagine end the complex discussions trying to decide who does what. if way have the precipitous withdrawal he gave moller a key a picture of george washington u.s. and iraq visiting the simple as some. this is your chance to start a new beginning.

nobody knows how these lawyers will end. now rethink it is enough. >> how many questions do we get? >> we have five more minutes. >> i will limit to the cia situation. how much of obama's interest in having him go somewhere is political to get him out of the way? and then petraeus is a great consumer of intelligence but on the of a handed appears that there is a militarization of this the a going on in this the

co-author of underneath my question selected impart because of of special operations background. in order to move the process within the cia further that should be as some concern. if you could comment? >> he does not talk to manage but if you look at 0p source reporting says he has come into the agency, five months, selling more strikes and his predecessor under secretary panetta but they have been more effective. taking down al qaeda at the then we see the ops improve some of the strikes have gone down late may but it i

don't know how to read into that. i don't think obama, i will step back. petraeus suggested the cia position -- position. gates embrace it but did not talk to obama about it until january. the first time they speak of the position is march. a president was mulling it over. i never got the sense from any one of the national security council of thought is put him there too much raves agency but petraeus thinks kcal drawdown and the defense department and shies away from the boots on the ground operation and secretary gate said the next leader who decides to commit to aberration should have

their head examined. so petraeus is thinking as he goes to the agency that is the future of warfare. i would be speculating of the president had an intention to turn that into the oss but they keep up and they showed effectiveness. they have cut rule damage that is important we have to wait and see. we don't have a lot of deprivation and what they're achieving. >> my question is about the personal relationship that you highlight with karzai and general petraeus and

eikenberry. of lack of conducive worker relationship cell petraeus did meet the executive decision to do one-on-one meetings without karzai and to stress the military partnership and reflection how that comes into play in the overall picture and then to have the unity of effort because you cannot kill your way out of the insertions april but has to be a plan i believe the old government ever. but the search of civilian forces was frustrating but he found innovative ways to

work around it. but how to get it done to have local afghan police initiative how can you be innovative and augmented? he brought in forces that is a typical but there is some need to examples in his dealings and the time he brought eikenberry -- eikenberry he was a carryall to the plaintive irrational but he maintains of a good relationship with eikenberry. they were both cordial but speaking to the staff you understand there is tension. i did not write about this in a book except to say when

petraeus left the rose garden u.s. writing notes of things on his to do list. one of the first people to call after holly was his former partner crocker and he was interested in joining him. they made a lot of calls to the warehouse and around washington to have them be together right away obviously he did not get there one year later. would it have made a difference? we will never know. >> because we're at politics and prose would is a future possibility of that general petraeus time in politics? >> did you watch "the daily show"? [laughter] i was on the jon stewart "daily show" a week and a

half ago i will borrow my line but he asks the same question price said by has been says i should say he would run for office because it will sell more books. he is uninterested. as the mentor of mine and mentioning might interest he says absolutely. he has seen some of these interest these collegial friends they will stab him in the back in an instant to a advance the political agenda and he takes that personally and is not want to behave like that. also to run for office the past to yield on his principles to win the primaries. i don't think so. i think he is electable and people like he is a the use

oriented individual. and the man trashy subscribes to people can relate to that the deal of serving something greater than yourself by don't think it will have been. he will stay as long as the administration will keep him. it is funny. is like a teenager so excited about the agency recognizing the quality of people you have doug lewis brains and brawn but now you have the intellectuals one thing he thought of becoming the president of princeton he is enjoying where he is that now. figure for coming. it is very exciting. [applause] to be at the most

prestigious bookstore in washington. puce support that and keep the bookstore thriving. just another shot out to those who have served and do serve for the wounded four years. thank you for coming. . .