Katie’s One-on-One with Admiral William McRaven

From Next Question with Katie Couric by iHeartPodcasts

April 23, 2026 · 59 min · Season 12 · Episode 28

About this episode

Admiral William McRaven discusses his military career, insights on leadership, and his new book.

Retired four-star Admiral and former commander of US Special Operations Command William McRaven oversaw the 2011 Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Beyond his military career, McRaven became widely known for his “Make Your Bed” commencement speech  which has been viewed more than 150 million times. Now he's out with a new book, Duty, Honor, Country, and Life , a collection of speeches and essays rooted in the West Point motto he's spent a lifetime trying to embody. Admiral McRaven speaks, at times necessarily diplomatically (as we're at war), at times candidly, about the state of the US military under the Trump administration, the war with Iran, and his growing concern that the president may not fully understand the limits of military power. He reflects on what it means to maintain integrity in an institution under pressure, why he believes the next generation of Americans gives him reason for optimism, and what he wants readers to take away from a book he says is as much for civilians as it is for soldiers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Katie Couric

Guest: William McRaven

Topics covered

military
leadership
integrity
optimism
politics
speeches

Keywords

Admiral McRaven
military power
Make Your Bed
Trump administration
integrity
speeches
optimism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: US Special Operations Command

Books & works: Duty, Honor, Country, and Life

Places: Iran, West Point