With five decades reporting from conflict zones, David Wood brings unparalleled depth to military ethics and postwar societal impacts. His current work focuses on:
"The most underreported war story isn't on the battlefield - it's in the decades of quiet struggle that follow."
Achievements: 2012 Pulitzer Prize, 2017 Dayton Peace Prize, 35+ embedded deployments
David Wood's 50-year journalism career defies easy categorization. A self-described "birthright Quaker" who registered as a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, Wood paradoxically became one of America's most respected chroniclers of modern warfare. His journey began at Temple University's School of Media and Communication, where he developed the investigative rigor that would later define his Pulitzer Prize-winning work.
Wood's 2013 analysis sparked national debate about military compensation, combining Pentagon budget documents with firsthand accounts from military families. The piece revealed that personnel costs had grown 40% faster than equipment spending since 2001, contextualized through interviews with enlisted personnel facing housing allowance reductions. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel later cited this reporting during congressional testimony on force structure reforms.
"The true cost of war isn't measured in ammunition expended, but in the lifetime care required when young warriors return home fundamentally changed."
Wood's 2025 analysis blended economic data with human stories from Beirut's markets, examining how post-civil war recovery efforts intersect with regional geopolitics. He documented how Hezbollah's influence impacts World Bank loan conditions, using previously unpublished IMF conditionality documents obtained through Lebanese central bank sources.
This 2024 investigative piece exposed procedural failures in Australia's Northern Territory infrastructure projects, showcasing Wood's ability to pivot from war reporting to forensic institutional analysis. Through FOIA requests and whistleblower interviews, he revealed how $2.3 million in contracts bypassed standard oversight processes.
Wood prioritizes systemic solutions over individual hero narratives. Successful pitches might include: - Veteran transition programs reducing moral injury rates - Cross-cultural analysis of international disarmament initiatives - Ethical frameworks for autonomous weapons systems
Rationale: His Dayton Prize-winning book emphasizes institutional accountability, making policy-focused angles more compelling than personal stories alone.
Wood's recent work examines how conflict reshapes societies decades later. Relevant angles: - Longitudinal studies of Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam - Educational outcomes for children of peacekeeping forces - Archaeological preservation in former war zones
While other defense reporters focus on hypersonic weapons or AI targeting systems, Wood consistently returns to human consequences. Pitches about drone warfare should emphasize civilian impact assessments rather than technical specifications.
Lebanon's new government has promised to reform the economy, which is still reeling from years of financial crisis and a recent war with Israel
Darwin Council civic centre agreement 'invalid' due to failures of ethics and governance: Federal Court application
Defense Budget Faces Cuts To Personnel After Decade Of War
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