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.
Is Cognitive Warfare Dead on Arrival?
Cognitive warfare is everywhere, but it may already be doomed. It is hard to read national security literature and social media posts without coming across the term cognitive warfare. The conflict with Iran. China’s current operations. Russia’s way of war. North Korea’s nuclear strategy. Reports from NATO’
Winning the Systems War: Why the Army Should Reorganize Itself for Modern Combat
America’s decisive victory in Desert Storm may have also planted the seeds of future military defeat. Watching American forces dismantle the Iraqi military convinced Chinese military analysts that they could not compete with the United States tank for tank or plane for plane. The lesson learned was that America
Good Change Brings New Leadership, Ideas, and Opportunities to IWI’s Air and Space Power Team
Editor’s Note: As the Air and Space Power Team enters its next chapter, Dr. Kerry Chávez and Dr. Rick Newton will be stepping aside from their leadership roles and passing responsibilities to Dr. Michael Kreuzer. While this marks a leadership transition, the team’s commitment to advancing air and
Operationally Detached: Why Decentralization, Not Consolidation, Is the Future of U.S. Army Special Forces
“The country must turn to, and not away from, the American way of irregular war.” —Lieutenant General Charles T. Cleveland, The American Way of Irregular War (2020) Editor’s Note: This article is a response to “The Last A-Team: Special Forces Aren’t Special Anymore,” and “A New Vision
We’ll Go No More Enriching
The United States and Israel have struck Iran’s nuclear infrastructure twice in less than a year and have killed dozens of nuclear weapons scientists in what is the most comprehensive and deadly counterproliferation campaign in history. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Director General says the program has
A New Vision for Special Forces
Editor’s Note: This is part two of a two-part article assessing the past, present, and future of U.S. Army Special Forces. See part one here. The Green Beret's greatest legacy was never the beret. It was the audacity to imagine something that did not exist.
The Last A-Team: Special Forces Aren't Special Anymore
Editor’s Note: This is part one of a two-part article assessing the past, present, and future of U.S. Army Special Forces. The operating environment has evolved faster than the United States Army Special Forces. Green Berets did not fail at their assigned missions; they failed to sufficiently
From Coal to Code to Reactors: How Wyoming’s State and Local Decisions Shape Irregular Warfare
For much of the twentieth century, Wyoming powered the United States by extracting coal and sending it elsewhere. From the postwar boom through the early 2000s, trains left the Powder River Basin loaded with fuel that kept distant lights on, factories running, and bases operational. Wyoming’s contribution to national
Mercenaries, Private Security, and the Civilian Cost of Outsourced Coercion
While states still use military force in pursuit of national interests, private military and security companies (PMSCs) have become an increasingly common instrument, enabling states to apply pressure, manage escalation, and maintain deniability in ways that conventional deployments cannot. As resistance to foreign troop deployments grows and strategic competition shifts
Neutrality as Vulnerability: Russia’s Hybrid Playbook in Moldova
Moldova’s September elections reaffirmed its pro-EU course, but continued and increased Russian hybrid and military pressure make constitutional neutrality untenable. Russia’s continued “peacekeeping” presence within the internationally recognized Moldovan territory of Transnistria is a daily direct violation of its constitutional neutrality clause. Expressly stated in Article 11,
Bridging the gap between irregular warfare scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.