Irregular Warfare 201 (IW-201)

IW-201 Purpose:

IW-201 expands upon IW 101 to: 1) compare and contrast different IW definitions and conceptualizations, 2) discuss IW missions, operations and activities and 3) provides vignettes of IW in practice: China’s IW strategy in the South China Sea; the Russian IW campaign to seize Crimea in 2014; Iranian use of proxies as an asymmetric strategy.

 

Note: While IW-101 is not a prerequisite to enroll in IW-201, completion of IW-101 is highly encouraged.

Course Sections & Topics:

Section 1: Introduction

  • – Introduction to Irregular Warfare 201

Section 2: The Character of Irregular Warfare

  • – Definitions and Conceptualizations of IW

Section 3: Irregular Warfare Operations and Activities

  • – 13 mini modules covering IW operations like Counterterrorism, Security Cooperation, Civil-Military Operations, Military Information Support Operations, Counter Threat Networks, and Operations in the Information Environment.

Section 4: Irregular Warfare Vignettes

  • – China’s Irregular Warfare Strategy & Tactics in the South China Sea
  • – Russian Annexation of Crimea
  • – Iranian Proxy Groups

Section 5: Course Summary

Accessing the Course

Option 1: This course is hosted by the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) at the Naval Postgraduate School. To access the course, 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). After confirming your account via email, log in to your CHDS account and access the course from the CHDS’ Self-Study Catalog.

REGISTER HERE

Option 2: This course is also available on the Defense Security Cooperation University’s (DSCU) virtual classroom called MyDSCU. An account is required and registration can be completed at this link. From the myDSCU homepage (once logged in), type IW-201 in the search bar at the top right. 

For detailed instructions on accessing the course on the DSCU’s learning platform, download the IWC eLearning QRC_2025.

REGISTER HERE

Individuals without a CAC and Foreign Nationals

Only applicable for Option 2. Since this category of user has neither SSN nor DoD ID (EDIPI), the user will be identified by a Foreign Identification Number (FIN) to prevent duplicate accounts. Within myDSCU, students will be identified only by their student number (DAUID).

For instructions on accessing the course without a CAC, you can download the Individuals without a CAC instructions.