IWC & the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security to host inaugural Intelligence Support to Irregular Warfare Symposium

In partnership with the Department of Defense’s Irregular Warfare Center (IWC), the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (OUSD(I&S) is scheduled to host its inaugural Intelligence Support to Irregular Warfare Symposium. This event will take place Oct. 29-31, 2024, at the U.S. Naval Institute Jack C. Taylor Conference Center in Annapolis, Maryland.

This is the first in a series of Symposiums that will look at our existing capabilities within the Intelligence Community with a focus on adversarial capabilities.

Over the course of the event, participants will hear from keynote speakers and panelists on a variety of intelligence-related topics. The first day of the event will center on China and its role as a global competitor while day two focuses on global irregular warfare challenges. Day three, Oct. 31, will hold classified discussions relating to countering U.S. adversaries.

“The Intelligence Support to Irregular Warfare Symposium was designed to fill a gap in how we, collectively, view the role of intelligence support within the new era of strategic competition,” said Anthony Gilgis, CEO Gray Zone Consulting, LLC, Principal Consultant to OUSD(I&S), Sensitive Activities & Special Programs, HUMINT & Sensitive Activities. “This Symposium represents the beginning of a partnership between the Office of the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Security and the Irregular Warfare Center to gather the brightest minds from Policy to Practitioner and from Government to Industry and Academia.”

The Center’s key areas of interest for the Intelligence Support to Irregular Warfare Symposium center on understanding intelligence support through a whole-of-government lens, irregular warfare as a strategic deterrent, technical solutions and non-traditional approaches for intelligence support in the gray zone.

Lori Leffler, IWC Deputy Director and Chief of Staff, underscored the opportunity for collaboration, “The Intelligence Support to Irregular Warfare Symposium serves as an opportunity to collaborate with stakeholders across the Defense Intelligence Enterprise. By highlighting diverse perspectives from the U.S. government, our partners and allies, we can identify and understand how to detect, develop, deter, and disrupt adversarial irregular activities.”

The IWC serves as the central mechanism for developing the Department of Defense’s (DoD) irregular warfare knowledge and advancing the Department’s understanding of irregular warfare concepts and doctrine in collaboration with key allies and partners.

The Center’s foundation is built upon three Lines of Effort:

• AMPLIFY and collaborate to build an innovative and adaptable global networked IW community of interest.
• Strategically ILLUMINATE current and future irregular threats, crises, and obstacles.
• ADDRESS current and future irregular threats to the US, allies, and partners by providing optionality to leaders.

Through these LOEs, the Irregular Warfare Center addresses current and emerging security concerns and challenges with world-class research, rigorous analysis, top-tier strategic education and training for U.S. and international partners.