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.
How to Counter Russian Occupation: Building Multinational Resistance Networks Before a Crisis
The resurgence of Russian aggression has reignited the importance of preparing for occupation and resistance, particularly for nations on NATO’s eastern flank. History shows that Russian occupation consistently involves at least three key elements: forced deportations, population control, and the systematic dismantling of leadership to suppress resistance movements. Drawing
The Necessary Evolution of U.S. Grand Strategy: Learning from the Past to Address Modern Challenges in the Era of Strategic Competition
Introduction In an era of increasing global complexity and competition, the United States faces unprecedented challenges that require a fundamental reassessment of its grand strategy. As defined by Sir Basil Liddell Hart, the role of grand strategy is, “to coordinate and direct all the resources of a nation, or band
A New Playbook for Irregular Warfare: How the United States Can Win Without Fighting
During the final stretch of the 2024 American presidential election, the Department of Justice seized 32 web domains linked to ‘Doppelganger,’ an aggressive Russian disinformation campaign to influence American voters. Meanwhile, China has continued to exploit the US sanctions regime to promote its own currency, the renminbi, as a viable
Assembling the A-Team: Creating an Interagency Office to Counter Irregular Warfare
When a new American president takes office on January 20th, they will confront a dangerous national security environment shaped by Irregular Warfare (IW) challenges. From cyber warfare and gray zone conflicts to terrorism and insurgency, these challenges demand immediate, actionable solutions. In September, the Irregular Warfare Initiative invited our readers
Corporate Transparency Act in Limbo: The National Security Risks of Anonymous Shell Companies
The cat-and-mouse game between regulators demanding greater corporate transparency and companies resisting new regulations is nothing new. Indeed, US corporate anonymity laws have long been exploited by criminals, terrorists, and kleptocrats to obfuscate their illicit financial activities and evade detection via shell companies. However, the modern era of
Ethics, Integrity, and the Toll of Modern Irregular Warfare: A Conversation with Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Dave Philipps
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 with the subject line “Project
Leverage Afghan Special Forces to Strengthen US Defense
When a new American president takes office on January 20th, they will confront a dangerous national security environment shaped by Irregular Warfare (IW) challenges. From cyber warfare and gray zone conflicts to terrorism and insurgency, these challenges demand immediate, actionable solutions. In September, the Irregular Warfare Initiative invited readers to
Irregular Warfare in 2024: Lessons Learned, Paths Forward
2024 in Review: A Glimpse Ahead The global security environment in 2024 proved as unpredictable as ever—yet, beneath the headlines, several clear themes and patterns emerged. A review of our articles published throughout the year reveals deeper insights into how irregular warfare is evolving across multiple fronts, from the
How to Challenge China's Military Deception Tactics
The United States’ pivot from counterinsurgency to peer conflict over the past decade has exposed a critical vulnerability: a diminished focus on detecting deception by operational and tactical level practitioners. Throughout history, US military strategy has adapted to specific threats. During the Cold War, the AH-64 Apache helicopter was
The Emergence of Two Distinct Jihadist Ways of War
On November 27, the jihadist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria initiated an offensive against the regime of embattled dictator Bashar al-Assad. In a matter of 11 days, HTS forces advanced more than 50 miles east and 200 miles south from its bases in the northwest Idlib
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