Russia's Vast Cyber Web Enables Deniability And Obscurity—But Not Without Risks
Justin Sherman Describing every cyber operation coming from within Russia as a “Russian cyberattack” obscures the large, complex, and often opaque web of different cyber actors in Russia—each with varied relationships with the state. As I describe in a new Atlantic Council report, there are cybercriminals operating at the
The Great Equalizer: Irregular Warfare In The City
Kyle Atwell and Benjamin Jebb Episode 64 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast explores the interplay between urban spaces and irregular warfare. Our guests begin by examining how demographic and economic shifts are increasing the importance of urban centers around the globe. They then explore the realities of urban combat and
Kin Killing: When And Why Governments Target Family Members
by Emil Souleimanov, David S. Siroky and Peter Krause Sometimes, when it comes to civil war and insurgencies, it’s all in the family. Consider the example of Bashar al-Assad, in Syria. Assad appointed family members to prominent military positions to ensure institutional loyalty, while nearly one-quarter of the Western
Redefining Irregular Warfare: Legitimacy, Coercion, And Power
by David H. Ucko and Thomas A. Marks The Department of Defense is working on a new definition of irregular warfare, and the stakes are surprisingly high. The danger lies not just in forgetting whatever was learned from twenty years of engagement with substate actors through counterinsurgency and counterterrorism. Rather,
After Mali: Learning From The French Experience Of Irregular Warfare In The Sahel
Laura Jones and Kyle Atwell Episode 63 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast explores the French experience with irregular warfare in the Sahel since 2013. Our guests begin by explaining why the French were involved in combat operations in the Sahel region of Africa and how their forces were organized against
How To Improve Your Pickup Aviation Advising Game
This Irregular Warfare Initiative article was originally posted through our partner organization, the Modern War Institute at West Point. The United States failed in its attempts to build air forces in Iraq and Afghanistan for numerous reasons. Chief among these was policymakers’ excessive ambition: they failed to consider what the
Hiding In The Noise: Preparing The Irregular Warfare Community For The Age Of AI
by Matthew Moellering According to the 2020 Irregular Warfare Annex to the National Defense Strategy, the United States is underprepared to counter irregular warfare; the dawn of the AI age compounds this problem. As AI continues to transform human society by fundamentally changing how people experience reality, US adversaries are
Hiding In The Noise: Preparing The Irregular Warfare Community For The Age Of AI
This Irregular Warfare Initiative article was originally posted through our partner organization, the Modern War Institute at West Point. According to the 2020 Irregular Warfare Annex to the National Defense Strategy, the United States is underprepared to counter irregular warfare; the dawn of the AI age compounds this problem. As
Time, Space, And Material: Metrics For Assessing Irregular Warfare
Benjamin Jebb and Laura Jones Episode 62 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast explores the diverse concepts that undergird irregular warfare (IW) as a whole. These theoretical structures offer innovative ways to conceptualize and envision the wide array of unconventional activities that comprise IW. Our guests begin by addressing the various
The Pentagon's Reckoning With Civilian Casualties Is A Good Start—But It's Only A Start
by Paul Lushenko On August 25, the US Department of Defense announced sweeping changes to help minimize civilian casualties in war. The “Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan,” or CHMR-AP, followed the botched drone strike in Afghanistan in August 2021, which killed ten civilians. Following this tragedy, a flurry
Bridging the gap between irregular warfare scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.
