Maritime

Exploring modern challenges at the intersection of irregular warfare and strategic competition in the maritime dimension, from malign activity to domain awareness.

Q&A with Former Israeli Shin Bet Director and Command-in-Chief of the Israeli Navy – Ami Ayalon on Iran, Gaza, and Posturing the Israeli Navy for the Future
Articles Maritime Christopher Booth Walker Mills

Q&A with Former Israeli Shin Bet Director and Command-in-Chief of the Israeli Navy – Ami Ayalon on Iran, Gaza, and Posturing the Israeli Navy for the Future

✉️ Email header below is auto-generated from this post’s author tag. It only appears in the newsletter — please don’t edit or delete it. “The essence of victory is not to kill your enemy; it is to change your political reality.” — Ami Ayalon Editor’s Note: This article is

Christopher BoothWalker Mills
Multiple authors
Q & A: Karl Marlantes on Vietnam, Leadership, and the Lessons America Still Hasn’t Learned
Articles Maritime Christopher Booth Walker Mills

Q & A: Karl Marlantes on Vietnam, Leadership, and the Lessons America Still Hasn’t Learned

✉️ Email header below is auto-generated from this post’s author tag. It only appears in the newsletter — please don’t edit or delete it. Editor’s Note: This article is presented in a question-and-answer format, with the Irregular Warfare Initiative interviewing Karl Marlantes. This piece has been

Christopher BoothWalker Mills
Multiple authors
Russian Maritime Sabotage: From Subcomponent of Special Operations to Evolving Form of Irregular Warfare
Articles Maritime Sidharth Kaushal Edward Black

Russian Maritime Sabotage: From Subcomponent of Special Operations to Evolving Form of Irregular Warfare

Russian sabotage is a matter of growing concern in Europe, with the risk of maritime sabotage taking particular prominence. And yet, the offence of ‘sabotage’ was only introduced in the UK in 2023, under the UK’s National Security Act. Sabotage is a key component of irregular warfare, whether conducted

Sidharth KaushalEdward Black
Multiple authors
IWI Fellow on CIMSEC’s Sea Control Podcast: Outsourcing Security at Sea
Articles Maritime The Irregular Warfare Initiative

IWI Fellow on CIMSEC’s Sea Control Podcast: Outsourcing Security at Sea

Irregular Warfare Initiative Fellow Pieter Zhao was featured on the Sea Control podcast from the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC), discussing his article “Outsourcing Security at Sea—The Return of Private Maritime-Security Companies and Their Role in Twenty-First-Century Maritime Security.” The episode examines the expanding role

The Irregular Warfare Initiative
The Irregular Warfare Initiative
Pirates or Proxies? The Uskoks of Senj and Their Lessons for Irregular Warfare
Articles Europe Maritime Robert Redding

Pirates or Proxies? The Uskoks of Senj and Their Lessons for Irregular Warfare

The Uskoks were Christian refugees who transformed into maritime raiders operating on behalf of the Habsburg Empire, though often only loosely controlled by it. While they certainly were pirates in the classic sense, they were also strategic actors in an early modern proxy conflict between the Habsburgs and the Ottoman

Robert Redding
Robert Redding
Gray Zone Clarity: Building Irregular Maritime Intelligence through Civilian-Linked Networks
Articles Maritime Erika Lafrennie

Gray Zone Clarity: Building Irregular Maritime Intelligence through Civilian-Linked Networks

Editor’s Note: This article was submitted as part of the Irregular Warfare Initiative’s 2025 Writing Contest, in which authors were invited to explore how the United States and its partners can use irregular warfare to strengthen security cooperation, build trust, and enhance resilience among Indo-Pacific nations. This

Erika Lafrennie
Erika Lafrennie
Holiday Reading and Charitable Giving Guide from the IWI Maritime Program
Articles Maritime Christopher Booth Walker Mills

Holiday Reading and Charitable Giving Guide from the IWI Maritime Program

For the upcoming Holiday Season – and just in time for Black Friday - the staff of IWI's Maritime Program, along with select authors and experts - are providing the following reading recommendations as gift ideas. Our team is highlighting texts that they find to hold valuable insights on maritime themes,

Christopher BoothWalker Mills
Multiple authors
Resistance is Victory: Taiwan’s 2025 National Defense Report and Resisting Cognitive Coercion
Articles Maritime Brian Kerg

Resistance is Victory: Taiwan’s 2025 National Defense Report and Resisting Cognitive Coercion

In October 2025, Taiwan published its latest National Defense Report. This document, released every two years by the Ministry of National Defense (MND), periodically informs the people of Taiwan, “what it has done, what it is doing, [and] what it prepares to do” in their defense. It is an expansive

Brian Kerg
Brian Kerg
Tainted Catch: The Role of the Distant Water Fishing Fleet in China’s Campaign to Defeat the West
Articles Maritime Dr. Ian Ralby

Tainted Catch: The Role of the Distant Water Fishing Fleet in China’s Campaign to Defeat the West

Editor’s note: This article is part of IWI's Maritime Program, which explores modern challenges and opportunities in the maritime dimension at the intersection of irregular warfare and strategic competition. As the death tolls mount in kinetic conflicts around the world – in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and elsewhere – the

Dr. Ian Ralby
Dr. Ian Ralby
Irregular Solutions for Irregular Threats: Maritime Lessons from Dutch Counterpiracy Operations in Colonial Indonesia
Articles Maritime Pieter W.G. Zhao

Irregular Solutions for Irregular Threats: Maritime Lessons from Dutch Counterpiracy Operations in Colonial Indonesia

Editor’s note: This article is part of IWI's Maritime Program, which explores modern challenges and opportunities in the maritime dimension at the intersection of irregular warfare and strategic competition. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @proj_maritime. With the de facto closure of the vital Red Sea

Pieter W.G. Zhao
Pieter W.G. Zhao
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Bridging the gap between irregular warfare scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.

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Exploring modern challenges and opportunities in the maritime dimension at the intersection of irregular warfare and strategic competition. With a focus on current events and their underlying geographical and historical patterns, recent changes to policy & doctrine, and emerging technologies, we aim to contextualize underlying drivers of conflict in the maritime dimension and inspire dialogue toward integrated statecraft approaches.

Our program is aligned around the following areas:

  • Irregular Warfare in Maritime Environments | Riverine, Littoral, Subsea & Seabed
  • Malign Maritime Activity | Illegal, Dangerous, and Destabilizing, including:
    • Russia’s use of its illicit oil-smuggling Shadow Fleet
    • Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing 
    • 21st Century Piracy
  • Historical Case Studies | Lessons to be learned for modern practitioners from past campaigns, strategies, and novel solutions from military, intelligence, and other irregular warfare actors
  • Maritime Domain Awareness | Emerging technology and novel approaches

Check out our Project Maritime Look Book.

Meet the Team

Christopher D. Booth Christopher D. Booth Co-Director, Maritime
Walker Mills Walker Mills Co-Director, Maritime

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