Gray is Here to Stay: Principles from the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance on Competing in the Gray Zone
This Irregular Warfare Initiative article was originally posted through our partner organization, the Modern War Institute at West Point. Earlier this month, the White House released its Interim National Security Strategic Guidance, the foreign policy blueprint that will inform the Biden administration’s national security strategy. Most analysis of the
Introducing the Irregular Warfare Initiative
This Irregular Warfare Initiative article was originally posted through our partner organization, the Modern War Institute at West Point. Can satire predict reality? Sometimes it definitely seems to. On May 18, 2016, the satirical Duffel Blog reported with tongue firmly in cheek that “the Pentagon’s top spokesperson said he
Flunking the New York Times Test: Making Sense of Russian “Covert” Action
This Irregular Warfare Initiative article was originally posted through our partner organization, the Modern War Institute at West Point. On October 8, 2019, the New York Times published a sensational piece on its front page, detailing the decidedly mixed operational history of Unit 29155 of Russia’s military intelligence directorate,
Nobody Puts IW In An Annex: It's Time To Embrace Irregular Warfare As A Strategic Priority
This Irregular Warfare Initiative article was originally posted through our partner organization, the Modern War Institute at West Point. Two years after the release of the National Defense Strategy, the Pentagon has issued a declassified summary of its Irregular Warfare Annex. The seven-page text details how the Department of Defense
Are Some Militaries Better at Counterinsurgency than Others?
Are the US Marines better at counterinsurgency than the US Army? How about the British Army? If so, why, and if not then what else might explain success and failure in different COIN campaigns over time? In this episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast, Kyle Atwell and Nick Lopez discuss
The Future of Irregular Warfare
In Episode 8 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast, hosts Nick Lopez and Shawna Sinnott have a conversation with best-selling authors August Cole and P.W. Singer to discuss how they see the future of irregular warfare and implications for policymakers, practitioners, and academics. The guests have conducted extensive research on
Proxy Wars, Part 2: Opportunity and Risk in the Middle East
In this episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast, Shawna Sinnott and Kyle Atwell discuss the history and context of proxy and partner warfare in the Middle East with Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Dr. Eli Berman. This is the second installment of a two-part discussion on fighting irregular warfare through proxy
Proxy Wars, Part 1: War Through Local Agents in Africa
In this episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast, Kyle Atwell and Shawna Sinnott discuss proxy and partner warfare in Africa with retired Maj. Gen. Marcus Hicks and Dr. Eli Berman. This is the first installment of a two-part discussion on fighting irregular warfare through proxy forces. Eli and Mark discuss
Inside Insurgency: Nonstate Armed Groups in Syria and Iraq
In this episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast, Kyle Atwell and Nick Lopez discuss the inner workings of nonstate armed groups in Syria and Iraq with Dr. Vera Mironova of Harvard University and Dr. Daniel Milton of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Dan and Vera describe the day-to-day
Irregular Warfare Oversight in DC
What are the mechanics and politics that determine how the US government approaches irregular conflicts? Hosts Nick Lopez and Kyle Atwell discuss irregular warfare policy formation and management with Mark Mitchell and Pete Villano in this episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast. The guests provide insiders’ perspective on how the
Bridging the gap between irregular warfare scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.
