I write about U.S. national security, with a particular focus on U.S. military affairs and counterterrorism issues overseas. I have written extensively on security matters in the Middle East, South Asia, Africa and Europe.
I have been a reporter at The New York Times for 40 years — starting as a news assistant and working my way up to cover the U.S. military, counterterrorism and other national security issues for more than three decades. I have covered every conflict involving the U.S. military since the 1991 Persian Gulf war, and reported extensively from Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa and the Middle East. I have shared four Pulitzer Prizes. I got my start reporting on local education at the Tri-City Herald in Kennewick, Wash.
I am the co-author of “Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda.” I earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Williams College, studied in Madrid for a year and was a journalism fellow at Stanford University. I was born in Minneapolis and reared in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Keeping my sources protected is a top priority for me, especially during sensitive or high-risk stories. I strive to be accurate and fair in my coverage, no matter what the subject. And, like all Times journalists, I follow the standards in our Ethical Journalism Handbook.
I don’t back away from difficult stories, and will give subjects a chance to comment and express their side of a story.
I do not participate in politics, nor do I make political donations. I am always careful to identify myself as a reporter for The Times in news-related conversations.
Email: erschm@nytimes.com
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A muted response to Ukraine’s “victory plan” and steep challenges on the battlefield leave Kyiv searching for a Plan B.
By Kim Barker, Eric Schmitt, Steven Erlanger and Anton Troianovski
Several thousand North Korean soldiers have arrived in Russia’s western Kursk region, where they are expected to support Moscow’s efforts to dislodge invading Ukrainian forces.
By Constant Méheut
Experts inside and outside the Biden administration fear that Iran may conclude it has only one defense left: racing for an atomic weapon.
By David E. Sanger, Eric Schmitt, Ronen Bergman and Farnaz Fassihi
Thousands of soldiers from an elite unit of the Korean People’s Army began arriving on Wednesday and are expected to try to help expel Ukrainian forces from Russian territory.
By Michael Schwirtz, Julian E. Barnes and Eric Schmitt
By Patrick Kingsley, Ronen Bergman and Farnaz Fassihi
Plus, American Airlines cracks down on “gate lice.”
By Tracy Mumford, Eric Schmitt, Ian Stewart and Jessica Metzger
The Israeli military struck targets in the port city of Tyre on Wednesday, the latest phase of a bombardment campaign against the militant group Hezbollah.
By Euan Ward, Michael Crowley, Aaron Boxerman and Thomas Fuller
This was featured in live coverage.
By Aaron Boxerman and Eric Schmitt
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III called the situation “very, very serious,” though he said that what the soldiers were doing in Russia was “left to be seen.”
By Eric Schmitt, David E. Sanger and Anatoly Kurmanaev
North Korea’s supply of munitions has already been critical to the Russian war effort. Now, its troops appear to be poised to join the fight in Ukraine.
By Choe Sang-Hun
The move, confirmed by a Pentagon official, is in line with a U.S. policy change aimed at shoring up Ukraine’s ability to fight the war against Russia with its own weapons.
By Kim Barker, Maria Varenikova and Eric Schmitt
Israel and Hezbollah say they will keep up attacks in an escalating conflict that has devastated Gaza, is causing misery in Lebanon and could draw Iran deeper into the fighting.
By Euan Ward, Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Thomas Fuller
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system was in place, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said on Monday. The deployment comes as Israel prepares for retaliatory attacks against Iran.
By Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Eric Schmitt
The trip by the U.S. defense secretary comes as Russian forces steadily gain territory in eastern Ukraine.
By Eric Schmitt
Peace talks were nowhere in sight and, despite Yahya Sinwar’s death, the violence seemed only to increase, as Israel struck northern Gaza and Hezbollah fired dozens of projectiles.
By Aaron Boxerman, Liam Stack and Alan Rappeport
Lloyd J. Austin lamented that civilian casualties during Israel’s war in Lebanon were “far too high.”
By Eric Schmitt
American commandos and intelligence officers began helping Israel soon after the Oct. 7 attacks last year.
By Julian E. Barnes, Eric Schmitt and Helene Cooper
This was featured in live coverage.
By Aaron Boxerman, Aryn Baker and Eric Schmitt
This was featured in live coverage.
By John Ismay and Eric Schmitt
Pentagon officials discuss whether the flow of assistance could be hurting the military’s ability to respond to a new conflict.
By Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt
The findings of a review of the attempted assassination of Donald J. Trump in July are stark but familiar, underscoring the challenge of overhauling the agency.
By Eileen Sullivan
The demand from Israel’s closest ally came amid reports that the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip has grown still worse in recent weeks.
By Michael Crowley, Patrick Kingsley, Ronen Bergman and Michael Levenson
The warning was conveyed in a letter sent Sunday to two top Israeli officials that included the possibility of a cutoff of U.S. military aid, officials said.
By Michael Crowley and David E. Sanger
Moscow’s forces have been recapturing some villages and land taken in a Ukrainian incursion into Russia. The advances could undermine Kyiv’s hopes of pushing Russia to the negotiating table.
By Constant Méheut
The Pentagon announced it would send the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery and its crew as Israel considered retaliatory attacks against Iran.
By Helene Cooper
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, on Thursday, the Pentagon said.
By Eric Schmitt
Susie Wiles, a top Trump campaign adviser, was in contact with the White House chief of staff and the head of the Secret Service seeking military assets and other steps.
By Kate Kelly, Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan and Eileen Sullivan
More than 600,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded since the war began in 2022.
By Eric Schmitt
The conversation carried the weight of the worst relationship between the United States and Israel in years.
By David E. Sanger and Eric Schmitt
In an attack of its own, Hezbollah fired 180 “projectiles” into Israel, according to the Israeli military, which said most were intercepted.
By Adam Rasgon, Natan Odenheimer, Ronen Bergman and Thomas Fuller
Yoav Gallant and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III were expected to discuss Israel’s response to the Iranian missile assault on Israel last week.
By Eric Schmitt
This was featured in live coverage.
By Ronen Bergman, Farnaz Fassihi, Alissa J. Rubin and Euan Ward
For 22 years, Israeli forces have planned for this moment. But it seems unlikely that they will strike Iran’s nuclear facilities in the next round of retaliation, or that they would be successful without American help.
By David E. Sanger, Eric Schmitt and Ronen Bergman
Military officials discuss whether sending more force to the Middle East is helping to prevent a much wider war, or emboldening Israel.
By Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt
Israel seems ready to respond in a much more forceful and public way with Iran after Tehran launched its second massive missile attack on Israel this year, analysts and officials say.
By Patrick Kingsley, Eric Schmitt and Ronen Bergman
The 180 missiles fired at Israel on Tuesday evening sharply escalated the conflict between the two countries and threatened to engulf the Middle East in all-out war.
By Patrick Kingsley, Aaron Boxerman, Ronen Bergman, Eric Schmitt and Farnaz Fassihi
The Lebanese militia is seeking more weapons from Iran, the officials said. It has yet to fire large barrages at Israel, and its top ranks have been crippled by Israeli strikes.
By Edward Wong, Julian E. Barnes and Eric Schmitt
This was featured in live coverage.
By Patrick Kingsley, Ronen Bergman and Eric Schmitt
A Times analysis of video from the Israeli military shows that at least eight planes it said were used in the attack on Hassan Nasrallah were armed with bunker-buster bombs.
By Aric Toler and Riley Mellen
The United States has 2,500 troops in Iraq who served as a bulwark against attacks by a resurgent Islamic State.
By Alissa J. Rubin, Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt