About the Headmaster

Dr. John Nagl is the Ninth Headmaster of The Haverford School. He was previously the inaugural Minerva Research Professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and also taught at West Point and Georgetown University. Dr. Nagl was a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Military Academy Class of 1988 who earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He was one of 20 Heads of School chosen as a Klingenstein Fellow at the Teacher's College of Columbia University in 2016. Dr. Nagl is also a Visiting Professor in the War Studies Department at Kings College of London, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia.

Dr. Nagl was previously the President of the Center for a New American Security in Washington, D.C. He served on the Defense Policy Board and the Reserve Forces Policy Board and testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Dr. Nagl served in the Army for 20 years, leading a tank platoon in Operation Desert Storm and serving as the operations officer of a tank battalion task force in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was the Alumnus of the Year of Creighton Preparatory High School in 2012.

Dr. Nagl is the author of Knife Fights: A Memoir of Modern War, and Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife. He was on the writing team that produced the Counterinsurgency Field Manual. He has also been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post andThe Wall Street Journal. Dr. Nagl was profiled in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times Magazine and has appeared on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

News, articles, and media featuring Ninth Headmaster John Nagl

Two Sides of the COIN: A review of ‘Knife Fights: A Memoir of Modern War in Theory and Practice’

Mar 18, 2016

By Aaron MacLean, FreeBeacon.com
Shortly after 1st Lt. John Nagl led the tankers of Red Platoon, Alpha Company, First Battalion, 32nd Armor to their share of a crushing victory over the hopelessly outmatched Iraqi army in Operation Desert Storm, the leadership of the U.S. defense establishment allowed itself a moment of self-congratulation. More>
March 16: Dr. John A. Nagl kicks off SVA Speaker Series at St. Joseph's University

Mar 8, 2016

Dr. John A. Nagl, ninth Headmaster of The Haverford School, will discuss his experience as a military leader in the times of counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. More>
Klingenstein Center Fellowship: Q&A with Headmaster John Nagl

Feb 29, 2016

Headmaster John Nagl was awarded a fellowship to the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership’s 2016 Heads of Schools program at Teachers College, Columbia University. This distinguished honor, established in 1991, is granted to 20 heads of schools annually. In this blog post, Dr. Nagl shares his experiences as a Klingenstein Fellow.
Headmaster John Nagl awarded Klingenstein Center fellowship

Jan 25, 2016

Headmaster John Nagl has been awarded a fellowship to the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership’s 2016 Heads of Schools program at Teachers College, Columbia University. This distinguished honor, established in 1991, is granted to 20 heads of schools annually.
Headmaster John Nagl honored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense

Jan 20, 2016

Arnold Punaro, Chairman of the Department of Defense Reserve Forces Policy Board, presented Headmaster John Nagl with the Office of the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Public Service Award and an Office of the Secretary of Defense Certificate of Appreciation.
The Mask You Live In: exploring America's narrow definition of masculinity

By Ninth Headmaster John Nagl

Jan 15, 2016

On the evening of Jan. 14, Upper School Counselor Janet Heed and I had the privilege of being on a panel of educators who led a discussion of The Mask You Live In at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. The film, which Janet teaches to boys taking her Social Psychology course, is an unflinching evaluation of the way we socialize and educate boys. It argues convincingly that our society requires boys to wear a mask that hides their fears, their pain, their suffering - their deepest selves - from everyone they meet.
Nov. 4: Headmaster John Nagl discusses his book "Knife Fights" at Radnor Memorial Library

Oct 27, 2015

Dr. John A. Nagl, who attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, was an Army officer for 20 years. He will discuss his book Knife Fights on Nov. 4 at Radnor Memorial Library. Nagl, the ninth headmaster of The Haverford School, served as the second president of the Center for a New American Security in Washington, D.C., and has taught at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy, and Georgetown University. Books will be available for purchase. The event is co-sponsored by the Radnor Historical Society.
Headmaster John Nagl on This Week with George Stephanopoulos

Oct 26, 2015

Headmaster John Nagl debated American military strategy in Afghanistan and Iraq on ABC News' This Week with George Stephanopoulos and guests. Watch >
Top Military Thinkers Critique Obama's ISIS Strategy

Jun 14, 2015

Headmaster John Nagl joined ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos to discuss strategy around the intensifying battle against ISIS in the Iraq region with Lt. Col. Doug Ollivant. Watch >
Headmaster John Nagl speaks at Annapolis Book Festival

Apr 25, 2015

Ninth Headmaster John Nagl discussed terrorism with U.S. Naval Academy Professor Stephen Wrage and New York Times correspondent James Risen at the 2015 Annapolis Book Festival. Watch >