The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is leveraging rogue, unconventional espionage to target U.S. civilian companies and critical infrastructure. By straying from the international norms surrounding espionage, the PRC has gained asymmetric strategic advantage that must be countered. To do so, the United States needs to engage in international action to create a comprehensive response across the range of U.S. and foreign apparatus needed to establish a level playing field in the global arena.
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The main battle space in the conflict between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the United States is not land, sea, air, space, or even cyberspace. It is the American economy. In this Second Cold War, the principal U.S. combatants do not fire weapons, sail ships, or fly aircraft; they run businesses. Although commonly referred to as the “Second Cold War,” it remains putative and is not officially recognized by the U.S. government.
United States industry and national security supply chains are vulnerable because they are reliant on adversaries for critical materials necessary for advanced technology and high-end weapons systems. However, the Department of Defense (DoD), American industry, and African partners can implement coordinated measures to reduce these deficiencies.
Cognitive Warfare can be functionally defined as “the activities conducted in synchronization with other instruments of power, to affect attitudes and behaviors by influencing, protecting, and/or disrupting individual and group cognitions to gain an advantage.” From the point of view of technique, we can say that “Cognitive Warfare is therefore the art of deceiving the brain or making it doubt what it thinks it knows.” Deception is no less than an attack on cognitive abilities. In discussions of Cognitive Warfare, emotions are often described as limitations to cognitive abilities that must be overcome.
This one-page quick reference consolidates foundational definitions and associated terms for irregular warfare, distilling their common themes—like influence, indirect approaches, and asymmetry—and listing key activities from information operations to civil-military engagement. It’s designed as a quick reference guide for our operational partners to align on the core concepts and terminology of irregular warfare. [ Download the IW Quick Reference (PDF […]
The Department of Defense’s Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) successfully hosted its second annual Symposium on Total Defense from March 26–27, 2025, at the Sheraton Pentagon City in Arlington, Va. The two-day event brought together more than 300 attendees from across the U.S. government, military, academia, industry, and international partners from 17 nations. Participants traveled from across the globe, including Afghanistan, […]
The Department of Defense (DoD)’s Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) will host the African Conceptualization of Irregular Warfare Workshop on April 16 and 17, 2025 at the AMA Conference Center in Arlington, VA. This workshop will bring together key subject matter experts and stakeholders to examine the unique characteristics of irregular warfare (IW) across the African Continent. The Conceptualization Workshop Series […]
This study is the third in a series of volumes in which the Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) explores the commonalities and differences of the conceptualization of irregular warfare across U.S. allied and partner stakeholders in regions important for U.S. national security. This volume focuses on the African region and is based on surveys and semi-structured interviews with five defense thought leaders drawn from across the continent.
The Department of Defense (DoD)’s Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) is scheduled to host itssecond annual Symposium, focusing on Total Defense from March 26-27, 2025. This event will bring together military leaders, policymakers, academia, industry experts, and international partners to explore Total Defense as a strategic framework for national resilience and deterrence against modern threats. “The IWC Symposium serves as a […]