Irregular Warfare 120 (IW-120)

IW-120 Purpose:

IW-120 introduces the key domains and activities U.S. adversaries are utilizing to gain advantage without evoking national-level retaliation. IW-120 covers current trends in artificial intelligence, cyber, space, and cognitive warfare, unmanned systems, and the use of proxy forces and is the introductory course to the IWC Future Threats (FT) Certificate: The Future of Conflict, IW, and Homeland Defense, an eight-course certificate pathway addressing how these domains and activities may evolve and impact competition. After IW-120 introduces the principal threat areas detailed in the certificate pathway, subsequent courses project future developments (5-10 years) in each of the focus areas and discuss the potential impact on U.S. political and military strategy.

There is no pre-requisite to take IW-120, but students who have taken IW-101, IW-110, and IW-201, will be better prepared to assimilate information along the IWC FT Certificate pathway. Note: IW-120 is a pre-requisite to other IWC FT Certificate courses (e.g. IW-121 through IW-127).

Estimate between 90 minutes to complete IW-120, which includes an eLearning module and final exam.

Course Sections & Topics:

Section 1: The Crystal Ball

  • – Introduction to the IWC Future Threats (FT) Certificate
    – Intro to Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Section 2: Cyber Warfare

  • – Competition in the Cyber Domain

Section 3: Space Warfare

  • – Competition in the Space Domain

Section 4: Cognitive Warfare

  • – Competition in the Cognitive Realm

Section 5: Drone Warfare

  • – Unmanned Systems in Current Conflict

Section 6: Proxies in IW

  • – The Current State of Proxies in IW

Accessing the Course

IW-120 is hosted by the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) at the Naval Postgraduate School. To access IW-120, create a CHDS account using an official email address, e.g. .mil, .gov, .org, .us, .eu, or a country suffix if you are not a U.S. citizen, e.g., .fi (Finland), .lv (Latvia). Non-U.S. citizens should also send an email to chdstech@nps.edu following account registration. Include your, a) full name, b) country, c) position, and d) a justification why you wish to take the course. After confirming your account via email, log in to your CHDS account and access IW-120 from the CHDS’ Self-Study Catalogue.

REGISTER HERE