Alex Marquardt is a senior national security correspondent for CNN, based in Washington, D.C., where he covers the Pentagon, the Department of Defense, intelligence community, and U.S. military operations around the world. He frequently reports from conflict zones and has embedded with U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, and Ukraine. Marquardt joined CNN in September 2016 from ABC News, where he served as a correspondent and producer embedded with U.S. special operations forces. Prior roles include producer for NBC News in London and Kabul, and early career work with GlobalPost and the World Affairs Journal. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a bachelor's degree in history in 2008. His journalism has earned recognition, including a 2019 Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of U.S. operations in Syria and awards from the Overseas Press Club. He has contributed to CNN programs such as 'The Lead with Jake Tapper', including the November 2021 segment on Afghans facing a black market which named Zachary Young, and provides analysis on national security matters across the network.