IW-101 offers an introduction to the fundamental aspects of Irregular Warfare and it consolidates key concepts from U.S. policy, doctrine, and academia in about 90 minutes. This course has three sections which include 1) strategic competition, forms of warfare and definition and nature of IW, 2) describing IW operations and activities, and 3) discussing the global practitioners of IW and trends.
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). 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 the course from the CHDS’ Self-Study Catalog.
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-101 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.
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.
The Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) invites unclassified paper submissions on the topic of Operations in the Information Environment (OIE) in Support of Homeland Defense.
