Solving for the Missing Element of Maritime Campaigning
Editor’s note: This article is part of Project Maritime, which explores modern challenges and opportunities in the maritime dimension at the intersection of irregular warfare and strategic competition. We warmly invite your participation and engagement as we embark on this project. Please send submissions to submissions@irregularwarfare.org with
Determining the True Extent of Terrorism’s Existential Threat
The apocalyptic cult Aum Shinrikyo sought to ignite a cataclysmic war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Asahara Shoko, the cult’s leader, believed Aum would incite the apocalypse, and he would emerge from the wreckage of humanity as a new Jesus Christ. This belief motivated Aum’s
A Backdoor Call to Arms: Foreign Fighters in National Defense
If you believe that activating irregulars, militias, and mercenaries to augment the security arm of the state is a dreadful policy idea, you are having a good year. The spectacle of the late Yevgeni Prigozhin and his quasi-rogue Wagner Group fighting externally and then threatening internally, is a chilling
Sneaky War: How to Win the World Without Fighting
China. Russia. Iran. Everywhere you look, there’s talk of war. Some call it the “Thucydides Trap,” while others worry bellicose hotheads will drag us into World War III. People are nervous. Concern over China’s growing belligerence is the one issue that still unites Democrats and Republicans, as hearings
SOF Can Help Win the Competition for Influence in South America
The United States faces growing challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in South America, and US Special Operations Forces (SOF) are often at the center of this competition. The National Security Strategy states, “Recognizing the direct link between the region’s prosperity and security and that of
Three Proposals to Raise the Profile of Irregular Warfare (Book Review)
Those who want to see US performance improve in execution of population influence campaigns would do well to read The American Way of Irregular War: An Analytic Memoir by retired General Charles Cleveland, with research and cowriting from Daniel Egel. According to the authors, these Population-Centric Conflicts, or PCCs,
Who's Watching the Watchmen? Congressional Oversight of Irregular Warfare
Episode 86 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast examines U.S. Congressional oversight of irregular warfare activities. Our guests begin by highlighting the difficulties associated with conducting congressional oversight of irregular warfare. They then unpack the complexities of the AUMF, the separation of Title 10 and Title 50 concerns, and the
How to Think about Proxy Wars in the Twenty-first Century
The recently published Routledge Handbook of Proxy Wars invites a reconsideration of the transformation of proxy wars, from ostensible Cold War relic to reality of war and warfare in the twenty-first century. As one of the editors of the handbook, I offer some reflections on the thinking behind the
Hindsight and Foresight: A 20-Year Retrospective on IW and COIN
In what ways do irregular warfare and counterinsurgency overlap? Is China engaged in irregular warfare against its adversaries? What are some of the failures of the wars and conflicts of the last 20 years and why did they occur? What do IW practitioners need to do to avoid the mistakes
For More Effective Irregular Warfare, Bring Back the MAVNI Recruitment Program
With an annual budget in excess of $300 million and an immersive, full-time approach to instruction, the Defense Language Institute is rightly regarded as one of the nation's premier foreign language instruction programs in rigor and throughput. But how effective is that world-class language training when
Bridging the gap between irregular warfare scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.
