Bridging Divides. One Story At A Time.
Thomas Brennan is a preeminent U.S. journalist shedding light on dark places in U.S. military policy. He has spoken across the Ivy League—Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Harvard—and at state colleges and universities from Atlanta and Syracuse to Berkeley, Amherst College, and the Defense Information School at Fort Meade. He has also appeared across cable news and public television on stations ranging from CBS and PBS Newshour to Fox News.
As founder of the award-winning The War Horse News, Brennan oversees the only nonprofit newsroom providing transparency for the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs. This vision was born from the decimation of independent newsrooms, and the lack of access that civilians and taxpayers have to information.
Each year the U.S. government spends nearly $1 trillion on defense and veterans affairs—more than twice what it spends on health care, education, diplomacy, and infrastructure combined. Yet when less than 5% of journalism focuses on the complex experiences of military service, we lack government accountability, and harm communities where 23M veterans and military families are deeply misunderstood by the people they serve. Brennan has inspired action, from the local level all the way to The White House.
In 2023, Brennan became the first enlisted Marine to be recognized by the Marine Corps with the Lt. Gen. John A. Lejeune Recognition for Exemplary Leadership Award, joining prior recipients George H. W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice, and Sen. John Glenn. Watch his speech. He piloted The War Horse Symposium, where senior leaders from the DOD and VA spoke candidly about changes that need to happen in military policy and spending. Dan Rather, CNN, and Fox News reported on it, exemplifying an unparalleled ability to bridge divides.
Brennan has been published in Vanity Fair, the Center for Investigative Reporting, and on the front page of The New York Times. His reporting has led to nearly-immediate changes to military and federal law, and he has been recognized with two Fourth Estate Awards, three Edward R. Murrow Awards, and the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Award. He has discussed military and national security issues across nearly all major networks, has testified before military panels, and spoken at the Defense Information School.
Brennan’s vision was born in his own near-suicide after a medical discharge as a Marine Corps sergeant. Brennan turned to writing for healing after a traumatic brain injury during service. He credits writing—and more specifically, his civilian career in journalism—with saving his life.
Whether it’s a high school classroom, the Ivy League, or a corporate retreat, Thomas adds tremendous insight and value to conversations about leadership, the news ecosystem, and bridging the military and civilian divide.
“Thomas exemplies the best of what Semper Fidelis really means. Honor, courage, and commitment.”
Previous Speaking Engagements Include
