Migration is the most destabilizing force in the world today, vastly exceeding the impact of nuclear weapons, war, poverty, oppressive governments, natural disasters and all the other causes of instability that news outlets focus on. In fact, the main destabilizing impact of the other factors is the migration they cause.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has endured almost 3,000 Iranian missile and drone strikes since February 28, 2026. This volume of kinetic activity exceeds that of any other nation in the theater, including Israel.
The combined U.S. Operation Epic Fury and Israeli Operation Roaring Lion (OEF/ORL) is the largest conventional air and naval operation in a generation, but it is also an irregular warfare (IW) showcase. The current (mid-April 2026) ceasefire provides an opportunity to take stock of what has happened so far in the IW space.
Since mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash in 2023, the Kremlin has assumed more direct control over his Wagner Group and its operations in Africa. As Russia becomes more assertive with its strategic approach to Africa, African nations hosting Russian private military companies (PMCs) may find themselves facing a dire security threat.
Welcome to the monthly newsletter for the IWC. This newsletter is designed to keep our community up-to-date on the latest news and events happening within the organization. Please click here download a PDF version of the IWC Spotlight Newsletter.
Since mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash in 2023, the Kremlin has assumed more direct control over his Wagner Group and its operations in Africa. As Russia becomes more assertive with its strategic approach to Africa, African nations hosting Russian private military companies (PMCs) may find themselves facing a dire security threat.
The logic seems compelling to argue that fuel shortages are in China’s future – consider three facts. First, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) imports more oil than any other nation on earth, about 11 million barrels per day (mbpd). Second, a large percentage of the world’s exported oil, more than 14 million barrels per day (mbpd), passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Welcome to the monthly newsletter for the IWC. This newsletter is designed to keep our community up-to-date on the latest news and events happening within the organization. Please click here download a PDF version of the IWC Spotlight Newsletter.
Implementing new controls over the cognitive conditions of illicit markets for weapons, drugs, contraband and people would address underlying enablers of a vexing border security challenge.
This report examines the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) enduring habits and approaches to occupation to develop a PRC “way of occupation” and considers how the PRC might occupy, pacify, and integrate Taiwan after seizing the island—an area largely neglected in wargames and policy analyses that end with invasion.
August 4-6, 2026
IW Symposium: Irregular Warfare in the Homeland:
Adapting for a Secure Future
The Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) is hosting a 2.5-day symposium on the Defense of the Homeland. This symposium embodies the NDS's call for a clear-eyed realism that leverages all elements of national power.
