Frederick W. Kagan is the Christopher DeMuth Chair and director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). In 2009, he served in Kabul, Afghanistan, as part of General Stanley McChrystal's strategic assessment team; he returned to Afghanistan in 2010, 2011, and 2012 to conduct research for Generals David Petraeus and John Allen. In July 2011, Admiral Mike Mullen, as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, awarded him the Distinguished Public Service Award. He is the author of the series of AEI reports, including Choosing Victory, which recommended and monitored the US military surge in Iraq. Previously an associate professor of military history at West Point, Kagan is a contributing editor at the Weekly Standard. Video: Fred Kagan on human nature and war.