Chinese information warfare strategists often describe the United Front Work Department (UFWD) as a “magic weapon” for advancing national objectives without direct coercion. In 2015, Xi Jinping described UFWD as an “important instrument” for achieving the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”
On the morning of December 16, 2014, six heavily armed militants scaled the walls of the Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan and entered a place that should have been immune from war. By the time Pakistani security forces ended the siege, 149 people had been killed, including 132 children.
China is engaging in tactics just short of war, unconstrained by any formal declaration of hostilities as it seeks weaknesses to exploit in the United States Farm Surveillance Program and Homeland Defense initiatives. The U.S. agricultural supply chain is under attack from global competitors seeking to degrade America’s ability to feed its populace and export products.
China is engaging in tactics just short of war, unconstrained by any formal declaration of hostilities as it seeks weaknesses to exploit in the United States Farm Surveillance Program and Homeland Defense initiatives. The U.S. agricultural supply chain is under attack from global competitors seeking to degrade America’s ability to feed its populace and export products.
China is engaging in tactics just short of war, unconstrained by any formal declaration of hostilities as it seeks weaknesses to exploit in the United States Farm Surveillance Program and Homeland Defense initiatives. The U.S. agricultural supply chain is under attack from global competitors seeking to degrade America’s ability to feed its populace and export products.
For centuries, irregular warfare has derived its power from a simple truth: populations matter. Whether a state seeks to coerce an adversary, support a resistance movement, or undermine the legitimacy of a rival government, every strategy ultimately depends on the human beings who staff armies, run factories, cultivate loyalty, and choose whom to obey.
The renewed Houthi threats against maritime traffic in the Red Sea and the resumption of missile attacks towards Israel in early June 2026, even if they were a one-off attempt since the November ceasefire, reemphasise concerns about regional security and the safety of global commerce posed by an insurgent group utilizing typical irregular warfare tactics. Yet the most important lesson emerging from these developments extends well beyond Yemen, the Red Sea, and the Middle East.
For much of the last two decades, irregular warfare in the Middle East has been viewed primarily through the lens of insurgencies, terrorism, and armed proxy conflicts. Yet Iraq’s evolving political and security landscape suggests that irregular warfare has become far more sophisticated than traditional models assume. The modern battlefield is no longer confined to remote terrain or clandestine militant cells. Increasingly, the most effective form of irregular competition operates from within the very state institutions it once sought to challenge.
In today’s world, financial systems are increasingly relying more on anti-money laundering and Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations as part of efforts to stop illicit cash flows. When those safeguards weaken, especially in conflict regions, the consequences can extend far beyond national borders.
Shortly after midnight on September 26, 1983, Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov sat at his console at the Serpukhov-15 command center outside Moscow and watched his early warning system report that the United States had launched five intercontinental ballistic missiles. The screen flashed “launch.” The siren howled. The automated alert registered at the system’s highest confidence level.
Aug 19, 2026 10:00 AM EST
Join IWC researchers Dr. Alicia Ellis and Sarah Shoer for a virtual lecture on their new article, "Agriculture as a Domain of Hybrid Warfare," now published in the current issue of PRISM.
The authors will discuss how agriculture has become a critical front in modern strategic competition, exploring the vulnerabilities in the U.S. food supply chain from cyber threats, economic coercion, and intellectual property theft. Learn about their proposed "Agriculture Security" (AgSec) framework designed to protect this vital national resource.
