Eric W. Hommel

Military leadership expert author Eric W. Hommel brings decades of experience in military service, war, leadership, stability operations, veteran advocacy, and government affairs. A veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, his career offers a firsthand perspective on the decisions leaders make during conflict and the lasting consequences those decisions can have on service members, veterans, and national policy.

Born and raised in New York City, Eric began his military career as an enlisted U.S. Navy Cold War submariner. He later served in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. His professional journey also included earning a fine arts degree, adding a creative dimension to a career shaped by military service, leadership, and public service.

As a military leadership expert author and combat veteran, Eric served under U.S. Army command as a ground battlespace commander. He later commanded the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Province. These assignments gave him direct experience with modern warfare, reconstruction, stability operations, military strategy, and leadership in challenging environments.

Eric also spent ten years attached to the Pentagon. For three of those years, he worked and traveled with members of Congress as a military Legislative Liaison. His experience connected military operations with government decision-making and gave him valuable insight into how national policy, leadership, and accountability affect those serving in conflict zones.

Following his military career, Eric became recognized for his expertise in stability operations. For more than a decade, he trained government officials preparing to deploy to war zones, sharing practical knowledge developed through years of military leadership and international experience.

Eric is the author of The Losing Game: How to Lose a War and Fail Veterans, a memoir examining America’s mission in Afghanistan. As a military leadership expert author, he explores difficult questions surrounding military strategy, accountability, responsibility, leadership failures, and how America supports veterans after war.

His work emphasizes the importance of empathy, humility, respect, and personal accountability in effective leadership. He also explores veteran support and PTSD, including emerging approaches such as Immersive Prolonged Exposure therapy.

Eric previously contributed the chapter “Hope Doesn't Live Here Anymore” to Unity of Mission, published by Air University Press in 2016.

Today, Eric continues sharing stories of military history and service through personalized Arlington National Cemetery tours with Vigilance Tours. Through his writing and speaking, military leadership expert author Eric W. Hommel encourages meaningful conversations about war, veterans, leadership, accountability, military history, and the lessons future leaders can learn from past conflicts.