About Lt. Col. Edward H. Carpenter
Military Career
For 29 years I worked in the US Military, with assignments in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Japan. I had the honor of serving as a member of the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group, as a military professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, and as the Commanding Officer of Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26.
On my final tour of duty in 2019, I was seconded to the United Nations as a peacekeeper, responsible for the protection of civilians in the world's youngest nation - and one of its most dangerous. My year in South Sudan was the setting for the best and worst days in a career that has spanned three decades, two wars, and five continents.
My New Mission: A World Without War
My career as a US Marine has given me firsthand experience of the futility of war, and the endemic dysfunction within the very institutions which are meant to prevent this most destructive of human pathologies.
While still in uniform, I had written a critique of some of the destructive mythologies about the warrior class, and after my retirement from the US Marine Corps, I decided to deploy my passion for writing to address my concern that war continues to be considered a useful tool for modern states - “a continuation of politics by other means,” as Carl von Clausewitz described it.
Now, I’ve created a non-profit NGO to which I’m donating all of my royalties from Blue Helmet - which will be used to fund activism and education aimed at creating a World Without War.
Writing, Opinion, and Analysis
My commentary on conflict and international relations has been featured in publications including the Washington Post, World Politics Review, the Journal of the United Service Institution, and the Small Wars Journal.
In addition to my non-fiction books, I’ve written several works of short fiction as well, including "Lethargica" and "Seven Lives to Repay Our Country".
I hold a Masters Degree in Creative Writing from Harvard University, a Masters Degree in Philosophy from the Univerity of Melbourne.
Personal
I was lucky enough to marry my best friend, who comes from the Land Down Under. So, while I was born in the USA, I now call Australia home. When I'm not writing, I'm trying to keep up with my wife and experience as much of the remaining natural world as possible - SCUBA diving, snowboarding, exploring in our electric minicab named ‘Henry’, and getting too close to charismatic megafauna.