China's Irregular Approach To War: The Myth Of A Purely Conventional Future Fight
This Irregular Warfare Initiative article was originally posted through our partner organization, the Modern War Institute at West Point. Since early March, up to 220 boats from China’s maritime militia have been moored near Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea. The Philippine government has asked the Chinese government
ARMED OVERWATCH: AIRPOWER IN IRREGULAR WARFARE—PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
Aviation has played an important role in irregular warfare, from its use by the British against rebellious tribesmen in Iraq and Transjordan in the interwar period to the era of the unblinking eye and precision strike in Afghanistan. Our guests discuss this evolution in the use of airpower to support
American Vulnerabilities In An Age Of Great Power Competition: The Case For Understanding Domestic Extremism Through An Irregular Warfare Lens
This Irregular Warfare Initiative article was originally posted through our partner organization, the Modern War Institute at West Point. In the United States, we often analyze distant armed conflicts and counterterrorism efforts as if watching from a remote observation tower. We keep an eye on expeditionary initiatives abroad, dissecting and
Learning To Fly: How The US Military Can Fix The Problems Plaguing Aviation Advising Missions
This Irregular Warfare Initiative article was originally posted through our partner organization, the Modern War Institute at West Point. In 2017, Afghan Mi-17 helicopters flown by crews from the elite Afghan 777 Special Mission Wing saved the day. Shortly after notification of an ISIS-Khorasan attack on a hospital
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
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
Bridging the gap between irregular warfare scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.
