Major General Paul D. Eaton, US Army (Ret)
Senior Advisor
Major General Paul D. Eaton served more than 30 years in the United States Army, including combat and post-combat assignments in Iraq, Bosnia and Somalia. As a major general he was assigned to Iraq from 2003 to 2004 as Commanding General of the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team (CMATT), where he designed, manned, trained and equipped the Iraqi armed forces for the Iraqi Ministry of Defense and the security forces for the Interior Ministry. Prior to that assignment, he commanded the Army’s Infantry Center and was Chief of Infantry for the Army. Eaton has appeared on a number of news and commentary programs including Face the Nation, Hardball and all major networks. During the 2008 campaign season, he advised candidates for both congressional and presidential campaigns. He holds a bachelor’s degree from West Point and a master’s in French Political Science from Middlebury College. He is married to PJ, has two sons and a daughter, all soldiers.
To view a high resolution photo, click here.
In the News
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul Eaton Cited In Politico Morning Defense On Iran Full-Page Ad
Morning Defense: Mattis, McRaven to SASC … Walter Jones ‘hopeful more than optimistic’ on sequestration … Obama pushes diplomacy, Netanyahu derides sanctions By Austin Wright March 6, 2012 | Politico [...]QUICK HITS – – Obama will speak at the Air Force Academy’s graduation ceremony on May 23. http://bit.ly/zCeDEc – Al Qaeda in Iraq is trying [...]
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul Eaton Quoted On Military.com On Urging The President Not To Go To War With Iran
“There is a national reflex on the conservative part [of the] political spectrum to reach for the military option first and others second,” said retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, commander of the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team in Iraq from 2003 to 2004, when he developed and oversaw the training of the Iraqi military and security forces.
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul Eaton On Al Jazeera Discussing Afghanistan War With Anand Naidoo
Inside Story Americas, Al Jazeera March 3, 2012
Press Availability: Major Gen. (Ret.) Paul Eaton on the Shootings in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C. – This morning brought news of another in a string of shootings of Western trainers and military personnel by Afghan security forces and civilians. That trend has accelerated in the wake of the accidental burning of Korans by U.S. military personnel. Army Major Gen. (Ret.) Paul Eaton, currently senior advisor with the National [...]
Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton (Ret.) Quoted in Huffington Post on US Military’s Lack of Enthusiasm for Strike on Iran
Iran Nuclear Threat Brings No U.S. Enthusiasm For A Military Strike By David Wood February 15, 2012 | Huffington Post WASHINGTON — The threat of punishing U.S. military strikes underlies Washington’s campaign to halt Iran’s nuclear weapons program. But there is no enthusiasm evident within the U.S. military for a war many believe would be [...]
[Audio] Experts Discuss Whether Romney’s Foreign Policy Pitch Costs Him Credibility and Popularity
Today, senior military, security and political experts previewed Mitt Romney’s positions on foreign policy ahead of his Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) appearance. National Security Network’s Major General Paul Eaton, USA (Ret), Georgetown University and Council on Foreign Relations’ Charles Kupchan and Duke University’s Bruce Jentleson, PhD discussed how Romney’s national security priorities stack up [...]
American Security, Built to Last
Last night, President Obama bookended his State of the Union speech with national security accomplishments, notably the end of the Iraq war and the killing of Osama bin Laden. In between, the president offered a blueprint for rebuilding American strength at home, which is the wellspring of strength abroad. The speech overflowed with optimism about [...]
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul Eaton on Al Jazeera English Discussing the NDAA
Al Jazeera English, December 1, 2011
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul Eaton Cited in Politico’s Morning Defense On Detainee Provisions in NDAA
THE DETAINEE PROVISIONS HAVE GENERATED significant opposition from civil libertarians and some elements of the national security community. Retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, senior adviser at the National Security Network, makes the case against the legislation in a POLITICO op-ed here:
Matters of Injustice
By Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul D. Eaton, Politico, November 30, 2011
Maj. Gen. (ret.) Paul Eaton on Sirius XM Discussing the U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq with Mark Walsh
Left Jab, Sirius XM, November 6, 2011
Matching Resources with Interests: A Strategy to Guide the Defense Budget
THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE is charged with protecting the American people and defending our nation and our allies. Our Armed Forces are operating in a strategic environment that continues to evolve as geopolitical trends shift and the world becomes increasingly interconnected. Yet chief among the myriad of challenges we face in the 21st century is our economic security.
Major General Paul Eaton, USA (Ret.) Responds to Iraq Drawdown Announcement
Washington, D.C. – Today, President Obama announced, “The long war in Iraq will come to an end by the end of this year.” In response to this announcement, NSN’s Senior Adviser, Major General Paul Eaton, USA (Ret.), who served in Iraq as Commanding General of the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team (CMATT), issued the following [...]
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul D. Eaton on Fox News Radio on the Drawdown of U.S. Troops in Iraq
Fox News Radio, October 21, 2011
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul D. Eaton on TRNS Discussing Libya’s Future
Talk Radio News Service, October 21, 2011
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul D. Eaton on U Need 2 Know Discussing the Death of Qaddafi
U Need 2 Know, October 20, 2011
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul Eaton Discusses Libya’s Future After Qaddafi
The Talk Radio News Service, October 20, 2011
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul Eaton Quoted in Huffington Post on Diplomacy in Afghanistan
Major General Paul Eaton, who served in Iraq and now works for a think tank in Washington D.C., says the reason that progress is slow in Afghanistan is that our diplomatic efforts have been MIA. “We are not going to kill our way out of this problem,” Eaton says.
Eaton claims that since World War II, the U.S. has had a history of getting involved in wars where the outcome is uncertain and victory is indefinable. He points to Korea, which is still unresolved after the Korean War of the 1950′s. “We’ve agreed to the existence of North Korea and South Korea [but] a state of war persists”
Eaton says we need a more regional approach where we get everyone to the table who has a vested interest in the outcome of the war in Afghanistan: Iran, India, Pakistan, China, Turkey. He says Turkey is an especially key player that we should be talking to because they’re a Muslim country with a “western approach to doing business.”
Well, I asked him, why haven’t we been able to get those countries to the table?
He said “you’ll have to ask the secretary of state that question.”
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul D. Eaton and Heather Hurlburt Quoted in the Huffington Post on U.S. Equipment to be Left in Iraq
“It’s all sunk costs,” said retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, who oversaw the training of Iraqi soldiers from 2003 to 2004. “It’s money that we spent and we’re not going to recoup.”
Fear Unwarranted for Terror Suspect
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul Eaton, Politico, July 12, 2011
