Signed copies of the Admiral's books
Available from The BookMark, an independent bookstore near Jacksonville, Florida.
About
Admiral James Stavridis,
USN (Ret)
Admiral James Stavridis is a retired four-star U.S. naval officer. He is currently Partner and Vice Chair of Carlyle, a global investment firm. He is also 12th Chair of Rockefeller Foundation board. Previously he served for five years as the 12th Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He led the NATO Alliance in global operations from 2009 to 2013 as 16th Supreme Allied Commander with responsibility for Afghanistan, Libya, the Balkans, Syria, counter piracy, and cyber security. He also served as Commander of U.S. Southern Command, with responsibility for all military operations in Latin America from 2006-2009. He earned more than 50 medals, including 28 from foreign nations in his 37-year military career.
Earlier in his military career he commanded the top ship in the Atlantic Fleet, winning the Battenberg Cup, as well as a squadron of destroyers and a carrier strike group – all in combat. In 2016, he was vetted for Vice President by Hillary Clinton and subsequently invited to Trump Tower to discuss a cabinet position in the Trump Administration.
Admiral Stavridis earned a PhD in international relations and has published sixteen books and thousands of articles in leading journals around the world. His books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide and have been published in 22 languages. His 2012 TED talk on global security has over one million views. Admiral Stavridis is a Bloomberg opinion columnist, was Chief International Security Analyst for NBC News for more than 8 years. In February 2025 he shifted his flag to CNN where he was named senior military analyst. He has tens of thousands of connections on the social networks.
He is proud to have been sanctioned by the Kremlin on November 11, 2022 — in recognition of his enormous contempt for Vladimir Putin’s regime.
Now available:
2084: A Novel of Future War
harrowing global conflict that pits military might
against an appetite for justice… equal parts
haunting and entertaining.”
Coming in November:
The Turning Tide
The Admirals Bookshelf:
Former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
Author of Sailing Upwind
and author of The Melting Point
Second in a 3-part series: 2054
and resonant portrait of a world faced with
a powerful technological advancement it
doesn’t fully understand.
The results are genuinely chilling.”
This is an enjoyable techno-thriller
that explores the chaotic, self-destructive
potential of human ingenuity.”
of future world history and calamity–not so far away–
crafted into a sophisticated geopolitical narrative superbly
handled by this unique partnership of retired admiral/NATO
supremo, and a prize-winning literary writer of beautiful
novels who also happens to be a decorated Marine who
served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Excellent–and a worthy sequel of their thriller 2034.”
The Restless Wave
To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision
and his unique ability to offer incisive insights based on history,
military judgement, and risk analysis made him an invaluable member of the team.
Reading "To Risk It All" takes us on a voyage into danger
and the fast decisions that extraordinary leaders had to make
under extreme pressure
– it is full of lessons for anyone who aspires to lead well.”
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, WestExec Advisors
This book gets you involved. Each of the nine stories is a catalyst for
a vigorous discussion on the demands of leadership.
If you’re like me, you’ll agree with the author sometimes and
disagree other times. Two things are clear: one, you’ll be better
prepared to lead if you dive into this book, and two, nobody is more
qualified to help us navigate these waters than ADM Jim Stavridis,
who has not only studied the charts in detail, but also and more
importantly, has sailed these heavy seas himself.”
quickly recognize those who can impart important lessons with
both intelligence and scholarship. In "To Risk It All" Admiral Jim Stavridis
powerfully displays a unique ability to blend history, leadership, and
character to reveal our Navy's story at its best. Sailing on this voyage
will be an exciting learning experience for anyone who may come to
deal with risk in their lives."
The sea stories in To Risk It All provide invaluable lessons
for anyone facing difficult decisions in life.
Readers will be admirably equipped to make tough choices after going
on this voyage with Admiral Jim Stavridis,
my great shipmate in many demanding endeavors
from Afghanistan to the Pentagon.”
US Central Command, and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan
and former Director of the CIA
convince others that your assessment is correct and get them to join you?
I’ve been struggling to find this balance my entire career as a frontline news reporter.
Admiral Stavrdis has lived it, leading hundreds of thousands of troops in wartime.
I’ve known the Admiral for years. He is a natural leader and recognizes one when
he sees one. His masterful stories of nine people under extreme pressure in the
crucible of decision is brilliant history and even better counsel to anyone making
hard decisions from the boardroom to the battlefield."
Host On Assignment with Richard Engel
distilled by one of the Navy’s wisest admirals in modern times. Adm. James Stavridis
paints nine vivid stories of men and women at sea who faced agonizing decisions under
enormous stress. Stavridis tells their stories honestly: Not all the decisions these warriors made
were correct; sometimes they came with terrible personal and profession costs. But they took
action—the essential requirement—and did what they thought was right. Stavridis weaves
each story with his own experiences as a commander, which makes his tale a personal memoir,
as well as a piece of history. “To Risk it All” is the latest in a string of great books
by Stavridis that teach us how to make tough decisions under fire. Few of us will face
dilemmas like these nine men and women—but we’ll all have better grounding as we face
our own hard choices.
The Sailor’s Bookshelf:
Fifty Books to Know the Sea
has mastered maritime history, and always conveys its
importance in a most compelling way. This collection
charts a wonderful course for all who already share
his passion for the sea and those ashore who wish
to embrace the majesty of the oceans. Get underway
and enjoy! You'll be glad you did."
Admiral Stavridis's love of the sea and love
of reading come through on every page."
to pack a seabag. The shape of the bag has changed over
centuries, but the size has remained small, restricting what
we can take to sea. Our choices, what we put in the bag,
can make all the difference in the voyage. Admiral Stavridis'
remarkable list of books and his insights offers wisdom to
novice mariners and old salts alike. Everyone should find
room in their seabags for this content."
deeply appreciates the sea as both a mariner and a naval
officer. His keen intellect, warrior spirit and diplomatic
prowess clearly qualify him as an expert judge of sea
service prose by any measure. The fifty summaries of these
classics are concise but very enlightening, and the individual
choices of books are spot on. This sailor's bookshelf will
reward any reader, whether an 'old salt' or a new Sailor
straight out of boot camp."
2034: A Novel of the Next World War
facing us and the world. Absent a strategic
method to manage our differences,
Jim Stavridis and Elliot Ackerman’s chilling
novel presents a realistic series of miscalculations
leading to the worst consequences.
A sobering, cautionary tale for our time."
we hope never happens. Drawing on their deep operational
and diplomatic backgrounds, Admiral Stavridis and
Elliot Ackerman have conjured a nightmare we
desperately need to avoid. The novel is a cautionary
tale for our times, and a reminder how quickly events
can spin out of control—even before 2034.”
vibrant characters caught in an all too plausible
future conflict, the novel left me fascinated,
moved, thrilled and, ultimately, haunted."
Sailing True North: Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character
years as Navy Combatant Commanders,
and he is a thoughtful, historically
grounded thinker and writer.His portrait
of the ‘voyage of character’ resonates
vividly in this turbulent 21st century."
distinguished admirals and a former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO,
has given us a timely and deeply revealing meditation on character as
it informs decision-making throughout naval history. A compelling
reflection on the lives of history’s most significant naval commanders,
and how their leadership choices can help us find the right course
to chart in our own lives. Great insights from a trusted and valued
colleague at NBC news, where we rely on his views not only
on security and diplomacy, but on leadership and character."
who would live a full life. Admiral Stavridis and I served
alongside each other from the halls of NATO to the hills
of Afghanistan, and he is a thinker and writer
I greatly admire. In this new volume, he takes
us to sea with some of the most complicated
Admirals in history and shows us the challenges
of character with which we all wrestle."
Former Secretary of Defense
of historical importance and the inner voyage of each
to develop the qualities of personal character that made
them heroic. While the forge in their journeys was the sea,
Stavridis draws from their lives lessons on the importance
of character for personal self-worth and professional
success applicable for all of us. As always, Jim Stavridis
takes on a topic of enormous contemporary concern —
growing indifference in our society to the importance
of character — with creativity, honesty and power."
the first rank, a gift to his nation and to his times.
And this book is itself a gift, a lively, learned, and resonant
study of the things that matter most."
offers lessons about character and leadership that
apply both at sea and on land. This study reminds us
that strong leaders are built, not born, and that before
we can inspire those around us we must first take a hard look
at ourselves."
to write about leadership and the sea. A fascinating,
highly personal look at ten very different leaders.
Sailing True North is both a wonderful read and
a probing examination of human character."
The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown"
