Winning Without Fighting: Resilience as National Security Imperative
The Irregular Warfare Initiative (IWI) Editorial Team is proud to launch a new series featuring leading thinkers in the irregular warfare community critically engaging with recent IW-related publications. Curated by IWI editors Barbara Elias and Lewis Fraser, this series goes beyond traditional book reviews. Contributors have been encouraged to
Streamlining US Army Security Cooperation: Why Coordination is Key to Global Influence
Coordination can mean the difference between success and failure in any military operation. Operation Eagle Claw, the ill-fated 1980 hostage rescue mission in Iran, famously exposed the dangers of disjointed efforts between military services—leading to major reforms in how US special operations forces and the larger joint force
Crouching Panda, Hidden Dragon: Contesting Chinese Subversion in the Middle East and Central Asia
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 03.28.2025 and is available here. Abstract The People’s Republic of China (PRC) presents itself as a
The Inheritance: America's Military After Two Decades of War
Episode 127 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast explores the lasting impact of the Global War on Terrorism and what the United States has inherited—militarily, politically, and socially—after twenty years of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our guests begin by examining how the U.S. military has historically navigated
Hostile Influencing and Finland’s Vulnerabilities
In 2024, Finland experienced a sharp increase in GPS disturbances. Affected flights forced airports to switch to other navigation systems, preventing some flights from landing. Over 2,800 incidents reportedly affected flights that year compared to just 200 the year prior. The sudden increase raised suspicions of deliberate interference by
Do Total Defense Strategies Increase State Resiliency?
Total defense encompasses a government’s strategy and related policies which combine and extend the concepts of military and civilian defense. The concept entails developing a high level of readiness for the state and its society to secure a nation in case of war or to prepare the population for
Covert Action in Irregular Wars: Unraveling the Case of Timber Sycamore in Syria (2012-2017)
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 03.04.2025 and is available here. Abstract The Central Intelligence Agency ran a covert operation in Syria from
Waterborne Assault: A Constant in Both Irregular and Conventional War
Western militaries have a knowledge gap with major force design implications. Despite several excellent histories of individual waterborne operations in irregular warfare, there appears to be no comprehensive study of these cases. Absent holistic analysis, the frequency, scale, and impact of activities like amphibious and riverine assault in irregular wars
Covert Action in Irregular Wars
In this article, originally published by Small Wars Journal, Irregular Warfare Initiative’s Jonathan W. Hackett writes about the Central Intelligence Agency covert operation 'Timber Sycamore' that ran in Syria from 2012 to 2017. This qualitative case study employs content analysis and descriptive inference to analyze declassified documents,
Plausible Deniability: Proxy Actors and the Hybrid Threat Ecosystem
Episode 126 examines the evolution of proxy warfare and hybrid threats in the current security environment. Our guests explore how states increasingly delegate conflict to non-state actors and leverage hybrid approaches to achieve strategic objectives below the threshold of conventional war. Our guests begin by exploring the conceptual foundations
Bridging the gap between irregular warfare scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.
