To dare mighty things: US defense strategy since the revolution

In his latest book, “To Dare Mighty Things: U.S. Defense Strategy Since the Revolution,” Brookings senior fellow and U.S. national security expert Michael O’Hanlon presents a comprehensive history of American defense strategy across 250 years. Tracing the nation’s evolution from continental power to global leader, O’Hanlon examines how the U.S.—insulated by geography yet consistently ambitious abroad—has achieved remarkable military and diplomatic successes and contributed to the most democratic period in human history. Yet, as historian Robert Kagan has argued, the U.S. is a more dangerous nation than most citizens appreciate, driven by deep self-confidence and activist impulses embedded in its “national DNA.” In contrast to its consistently assertive grand strategy, O’Hanlon argues there has been no single defining American “way of war” since 1775, a reality that offers important lessons for navigating contemporary security challenges.

On January 12, 2026, join the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology at Brookings for a discussion with author Michael O’Hanlon in conversation with retired U.S. Army General David Petraeus, who commanded coalition forces during the surges in both Iraq and Afghanistan and served as director of the CIA, and Robert Kagan, leading historian and Brookings senior fellow. Brookings Senior Fellow Melanie Sisson will moderate the discussion.