Spy Chat with Chris Costa | Special Guest: Elliot Ackerman

A discussion of the latest intelligence, national security, and terrorism issues in the news. Spy Museum Executive Director Chris Costa leads the briefing. Costa, a former intelligence officer of 34 years with 25 of those in active duty in hot spots such as Panama, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, is also a past Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism on the National Security Council. He will be joined by Elliot Ackerman, a decorated former military officer and award-winning author. Ackerman is a Marine and CIA veteran who served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart. He has drawn on his military experiences in writing both fiction and nonfiction. His newest book 2084: A Novel of Future War is the last in a trilogy that he has co-authored with Admiral James Stavridis imagining the fierce conflicts ahead. Ackerman is the author of the memoirs The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan and Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and Returning as well as the novels Sheepdogs, Halcyon, Red Dress in Black and White, Waiting for Eden, Dark at the Crossing, and Green on Blue. He is a best-selling author and his books have been nominated for the National Book Award, the Andrew Carnegie Medal in both fiction and nonfiction, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He is a columnist at The Free Press and CBS News contributor. This recording is from our May 13, 2026, Spy Chat event at the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. Spy Museum's upcoming programs: https://www.spymuseum.org/calendar/ Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IntlSpyMuseum Twitter: https://twitter.com/intlspymuseum​​​​​​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spymuseum SpyCast: https://www.spymuseum.org/podcast/ The Spy Museum does not endorse, approve, or support the opinions stated by guest speakers. Statements made by speakers do not represent the position or opinion of the International Spy Museum. The Internatio