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.
Traficante de Drogas Vulnerable: Disrupt Market Motivations to Effectively Influence Drug Cartels
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.
China’s Way of Occupation: Implications for Taiwan
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.
Clash or Convergence of Equities?: Exploring Overlap Between Russia and China in Africa
The ongoing civil war in Burma (also known as Myanmar) presents a critical challenge to regional stability and an opportunity to counter the growing influence of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). While the conflict between the ruling junta and the resistance forces continues, the PRC is actively maneuvering to safeguard its economic and strategic interests. Despite claims of neutrality, Beijing’s actions reveal a clear bias toward the junta, providing crucial support while exploiting Burmese resources.
Communicative Deterrence: A Theoretical Concept for Deterrence in the Information Environment
The West is losing because the information revolution creates a “fragmented, networked enemy,” and adversaries use the asymmetric advantages of the information environment (IE) to build networks that work to create fissures in democratic societies and weaken democratic states’ political will and institutions, which can later advantage adversaries in conventional confrontations.
Raise the Cost for the PRC in Burma
The ongoing civil war in Burma (also known as Myanmar) presents a critical challenge to regional stability and an opportunity to counter the growing influence of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). While the conflict between the ruling junta and the resistance forces continues, the PRC is actively maneuvering to safeguard its economic and strategic interests. Despite claims of neutrality, Beijing’s actions reveal a clear bias toward the junta, providing crucial support while exploiting Burmese resources.
February 2026 Newsletter
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.
Build from the Shadows, Not the System – Disruptive Medicine for Denied Battlespaces: A Grounded Framework for Irregular and Clandestine Warfare
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is using illicit drug markets – particularly fentanyl and marijuana – to conduct irregular warfare (IW) against the United States. To counter this action, the United States must not only understand the nature of the threat but also enact a whole of society initiative to increase societal resiliency.
Addressing Readiness: How the MSIW Network is Enhancing Medical Preparedness and Resources
In the complex landscape of modern conflict, where the lines between the frontline and safe zones have all but vanished, the traditional approach to military medicine is undergoing a radical transformation. Leading this charge is the Medical Support to Irregular Warfare (MSIW) network, a specialized pillar of the Irregular Warfare Center’s (IWC) broader set of Functional Area Networks (FANs). As a The MSIW FAN was developed in collaboration with the office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict (ASW SO/LIC). The MSIW FAN is more than just a directory of doctors, medics, and academics, it is a strategic force multiplier designed to ensure that when the environment is most hostile, the medical care is at its most sophisticated.
Aviation Leaders and IW Experts Convene to Tackle Emerging Drone Threats in Commercial Aviation Security
In a move to harden the nation’s skies against evolving global threats, the Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) recently collaborated with American Airlines during a high-level strategic security meeting with regional airline partners and specialists, January 15, 2026. The summit shifted the focus from traditional security protocols to the complex realities of irregular warfare (IW), specifically addressing the proliferation of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and their potential to disrupt domestic aviation and transportation infrastructure.