Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Atkins, representing the US Air Force as a National Security Affairs Fellow in 2013–14, is known at Hoover as a funny guy. But in this interview, Atkins showed a different, more serious side. We can only suppose that the humor and gravity dichotomy are necessary qualities of an intelligence officer and man hunter.

Atkins generously took the time to sit down to share his life in the military and thus far at Hoover. This is part of a series featuring National Security Affairs Fellows from the 2013–14 academic year.

Hoover senior fellow Paul Peterson, along with coauthors Michael Henderson and Martin West, released a new book entitled Teachers versus the Public: What Americans Think about Schools and How to Fix Them. Described as “a comprehensive exploration of twenty-first-century school politics,” the book covers the teacher-public opinion gap on a range of issues, including teachers’ unions, charter schools, and school rankings. Click here for more information, to download the table of contents or first chapter, or to order your copy. A recording of Peterson discussing the book can also be found here.