Culture on the Front Line: Building Indo-Pacific Resilience through Cultural Property Protection Training
Editor’s Note: This article was submitted as part of the Irregular Warfare Initiative’s 2025 Writing Contest, in which authors were invited to explore how the United States and its partners can use irregular warfare to strengthen security cooperation, build trust, and enhance resilience among Indo-Pacific nations, particularly those
Review of “The Mad and the Brave: The Untold Story of Ukraine’s Foreign Legion” by Colin Freeman
In “The Mad and the Brave: The Untold Story of Ukraine’s Foreign Legion,” Colin Freeman offers a powerful series of snapshots from the tactical perspective of men who volunteered to fight on behalf of Ukraine as foreign fighters. Freeman, an accomplished war correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph, offers an
Media, Martyrdom, & Manipulation
On November 28, 1997, in a small village in Kosovo, three armed men interrupted the funeral of a schoolteacher to proclaim the revolution of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) against Serbian authority. Roaring applause conveyed the crowd’s understanding that the age of nonviolent reform was over, while international press
Proxy Armies and Principal–Agent Problems: A Review of Militias in Eastern Ukraine
In his newest book, Rebel Militias in Eastern Ukraine: From Leaderless Rebellion to Proxy Army, political scientist Martin Laryš explores the nexus between political extremism, violent rebellion, and proxy wars, using the Donbas War as an exemplary case. The book is an important contribution to literature on irregular warfare through
Kings, Usurpers, and Shadow Wars: Lessons on Irregular Warfare from Shakespeare
Whereof what’s past is prologue Few scholars would credit William Shakespeare as an irregular warfare (IW) expert, but one of the most-read authors in the Western canon has much to offer the practitioner. Shakespeare wrote about state failure, factional competition, assassination attempts, and manipulation of public opinion. These storylines,
Unrestricted Innovation: The Supply Chain Battlefield
Episode 139 examines how supply chains have become instruments of strategic competition and the implications for U.S. defense capabilities. Our guests discuss how China gained control over critical drone components originally invented in the United States and what this means for economic security and irregular warfare. Our guests begin
South America in Competition Conference: Bonus Episode 1
Episode 138 is a bonus episode built out of conversations held with panelists from the 2025 Irregular Warfare Initiative and Special Operations Association of America South America in Competition Conference. The South America in Competition Conference brought together over 250 researchers, practitioners, and members of industry for two days at
Small Drones, Big Limits: A Smarter Drone Strategy
Editor’s Note: this article is being republished with the permission of Small Wars Journal as part of a republishing arrangement between IWI and SWJ. The original article was published on 09.22.2025 and is available here. Introduction Recently, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum,
Policing the Pacific: How China Expands Influence Where the US Looks for Allies
Editor’s Note: This article was submitted as part of the Irregular Warfare Initiative’s 2025 Writing Contest, in which authors were invited to explore how the United States and its partners can use irregular warfare to strengthen security cooperation, build trust, and enhance resilience among Indo-Pacific nations. This article
Air & Space Director Moderates Future of Air Power Panel at RAF Museum’s Annual Conference
On 5 September, Dr Rick Newton, Irregular Warfare Initiative’s Director of its Air & Space Focus Area, recently moderated the “Future of Air Power” panel at the Royal Air Force Museum’s annual conference. The purpose of this year’s symposium was to consider new perspectives in military aviation
Bridging the gap between irregular warfare scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.
