IW Weekly - 09 August 2026

This week's reporting converges on two fronts: Indo-Pacific posturing and the unsettled lessons of drone warfare. Taiwan's war games, PACOM's reconsideration of Micronesia infrastructure, Beijing's South China Sea maneuvering, and the Solomon Islands port deal all point to a contested basing and signaling contest well short of conflict.

Simultaneously, Ukraine's drone war is generating bad doctrine as fast as good tactics, even as the Marine Corps races toward mass attack-drone fielding — the autonomy debate remains the sharper thread.

Forwarded this? Subscribe here. If the Weekly is useful to you, become a Community Patron — support a 501(c)(3), join the IW WhatsApp community, gain access to IWI webinars — and help keep this work independent. Join under “Account” when logged in at irregularwarfare.org. Feedback on the format? admin@irregularwarfare.org.

Navigating the Strait of Hormuz Energy Crisis — August 4; DC

Irregular Warfare in the Homeland, IWC Symposium — August 4-6; Arlington, VA

Indo-Pacific Irregular Warfare Symposium — August 18-20; Honolulu

Introducing APEX 2026 - IPA — September 8-9; Reston, VA

NATO Annual CIMIC Foresight Conference — September 14-18; The Hague

SAVE THE DATE: 25 Years After, Lessons From America’s Post-9/11 War — September 15; DC

Modern War Conference 2026: Deterrence in the Pacific — September 24-25; West Point

SAVE THE DATE: Inaugural Narrative Strategy Symposium — September 30; DC

Global SOF in Europe Conference — October 6-8; Rome

Future of War Conference — October 26-28; Netherlands

Tactical Trauma 2026 — November 2-4; Sweden

Int’l Conference of the Society for Terrorism Research — December 9-11; Sydney, Australia

Medicine In the Mediterranean 2027 — January 29-31, 2027; Malta

Phoenix Challenge London 2027 — March 9-11, 2027; London

Have an event to highlight? Send details to mick@stratagemconsultingllc.com.

Narrative Warfare

Has the War Come Home to Russia?

Why Should We Care About if the Ocean Floor is Now a Battleground

Ex-CIA and Pentagon Chief Warns: Iran, the Homeland, and Challenges Ahead

Inside the Imperial War Museums’ Spies, Lies and Deception Exhibition

Inside China's Dual Economy

Pacific Airwaves - Missile Tests and Mutual Defense

SOF Assessment, Selection, and Qualification (part 4)

How to actually share America’s defense burden with allies

Trading DIME’s “Participation Awards” for Reinforcing Capabilities

BLUF: The US Must Lead in Gray Zone Activity

Information as the Army’s Seventh Warfighting Function

The Limits, and Power, of Nonviolent Resistance

Preserving SOF Execution in an Era of Rapid Modernization

Mobility Is the Mission: How Military Transportation Creates Decision Advantage

Blood, Burns, and Autonomous En-Route Care

A Green Beret Medic’s Hard Truths: Risk, Resilience, and Casualty Care at Scale

The Marines Are Racing to Deploy Thousands of Attack Drones

The autonomous arms race in the Russia–Ukraine war

Mexico’s Progress Against Organized Crime and Sovereign Collaboration with the U.S.

Beyond M23: Addressing the Underlying Drivers of the DRC Conflict

Countering Terrorism Financing in East Africa

Climate-Induced Migration in Yemen

After months on the Iran war’s sidelines, Yemen’s Houthis open a dangerous new front

Russia will sacrifice its civilian economy on the altar of the war effort

How Has the War Reshaped Russian Views?

PACOM Considers Moving Billions in Planned Infrastructure Out of Micronesia

Taiwan launches major war games to test command flexibility

Beijing’s Next Play for the South China Sea

Solomon port plans mark US reset of ‘anaemic’ Pacific ties

Strategic Futures of the Indo-Pacific, Volume I

Papers: “Civil Affairs: Securing the Victory in New Environments” (due September 11)

Ed - Irregular Warfare 101 (IW Basics)

Ed - Irregular Warfare 201 (IW Advanced)

Ed - Irregular Warfare 301 (IW Campaigning)

Ed - Irregular Warfare 401 (IW Campaign Design)

Ed - Irregular Warfare 110 (IW approaches for Homeland Security and Homeland Defense)

Ed - Center for Homeland and Defense Studies Self-Study Courses

The Harding Fellowship: A Leadership Opportunity for Army Professionals (due August 15)

The IW Weekly is made possible through the generous support of Stratagem Consulting. We're especially grateful to Mick Crnkovich, Founder and CEO of Stratagem, for championing thoughtful, practitioner-oriented resources in the national security space.

The following organizations support IWI's mission to advance the study of irregular warfare.