Jack Carr: My Journey Through America’s Long War

About this episode

Jack Carr discusses his journey from Navy SEAL sniper to bestselling novelist, exploring themes of war, terrorism, and U.S. foreign policy.

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to bestselling novelist and historian Jack Carr. A former Navy SEAL sniper, Carr talks about his phenomenal book Targeted: Beirut: The 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing and the Untold Origin Story of the War on Terror as well as his upcoming novel The Fourth Option. Jack describes: His path from childhood fascination with war to becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL sniper SEAL training: Hell Week, mental fortitude, and what separates those who quit from those who don’t Boarding Iraqi oil tankers: enforcing sanctions at sea and policing the post–Gulf War international order His experience as a sniper in Iraq and Afghanistan The 1983 Beirut barracks bombing and its role in shaping modern terrorism and U.S. foreign policy The mistakes in US counter-terrorism policy: how limited responses can shape enemy strategy over time From warfighter to writer: how Carr’s military experience informs his novels and nonfiction on the War on Terror Jack Carr's official website: https://www.officialjackcarr.com/ Find Jack on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackcarrusa/ Find Jack on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackcarrusa/ Find Jack on YouTube…

People in this episode

Host: Thomas Small

Guest: Jack Carr

Topics covered

• Navy SEAL
• war
• terrorism
• U.S. foreign policy
• military experience
• writing

Keywords

• Targeted: Beirut
• The Fourth Option
• Beirut barracks bombing
• counter-terrorism policy

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Targeted: Beirut, The Fourth Option

Books & works: this Conflicted Conversation, Targeted: Beirut: The 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing and the Untold Origin Story of the War on Terror, The Fourth Option, Conflicted is a Message Heard

Places: Iraq, Afghanistan, Beirut, U.S., US

More episodes of CONFLICTED

• Israel’s Road to Endless War · June 11, 2026 · 1h 19m
• Has Trump Lost the Middle East? · June 9, 2026 · 1h 6m
• The West Bank Is Reaching Breaking Point · June 4, 2026 · 1h 6m
• My Road to Conflicted (with Jake Warren) · June 2, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Jeremy Hunt: Democracy’s Defeat Is Not Inevitable · May 28, 2026 · 1h 12m
• The Madman Theory from Nixon to Trump · May 21, 2026 · 1h 14m