Articles
Our articles cut through the noise on irregular warfare to connect strategic theory to operational reality and translate complexity into insight for practitioners and policymakers. No time to read? Check out our podcast, "Insider: Short of War," which transforms our articles into concise, engaging audio pieces you can listen to anywhere. Available directly in most of our articles and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.
Nine Critical Lessons from Israel’s October 7 War and What They Mean for SOF
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 05.23.2025 and is available here. Early on the morning of October 7, 2023, Hamas launched one of
The Balkans Model and Conditions for Peace in Ukraine
Editor’s note: This article is part of Project Europe which focuses on European and European-adjacent security issues to deter and defend against irregular threats, develop IW knowledge, and advance the American understanding of allied, partner and competitor practices of IW. We invite you to contribute to the discussion, explore
Influence by Design: Reassessing U.S. Military Advising
The Irregular Warfare Initiative (IWI) Editorial Team is proud to present the second installment in our 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 are encouraged
Does China’s Growing Security Outreach Matter? Tracing Implications for Irregular Warfare and U.S. Security Cooperation
Editor’s Note: This article highlights key findings from a recent piece the authors published in MIT’s International Security Journal, titled “Security without Exclusivity: Hybrid Alignment in the Indo-Pacific”. The authors examine how states increasingly engage with both the United States and China for different forms of security cooperation—
Chip War and the Battle for Technological Sovereignty: A Hybrid Warfare Perspective
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 04.16.2025 and is available here. Chris Miller’s Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most
Maritime Domain Awareness or Silent War?
By James Park President Trump’srecent bilateral summits with Japan and India underscore a tacit trend: the central role of US allies in the Indo-Pacific region. In particular, evolving US-India ties have significant implications for the rest of the Quadrilateral Dialogue (QUAD) member states and other US alliance structures in
Semper Paratus and Special Forces: Why the Coast Guard Should be Part of the SOCOM Enterprise
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 03.21.2025 and is available here. “The idea of Coast Guard Special Forces is a foreign concept to
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 challenge
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 operate
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
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