The Department of Defense (DoD’s) Irregular Warfare Center Hosts Second Annual Symposium

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, Anguilla, Australia, Canada, Republic of Congo, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, Philippines, Senegal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sweden, and Yemen, underscoring the importance of total defense in the face of irregular threats.

“The IWC’s Total Defense Symposium shows that resilience and readiness are key to deterrence,” said Dr. Dennis Walters, IWC Director. “Our role is to build connections that turn insight into action, helping our nation’s warfighters stay ahead of threats.”

The first day of the symposium focused on national resilience in the face of asymmetric threats. Dr. Walters opened the event with welcoming remarks, followed by a keynote address from Dr. Jonathan Schroden, Director of the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA), Center for Stability and Development. Expert-led panels explored topics including whole-of-nation total defense models, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and cyber resilience. The day concluded with a case study discussion of Singapore’s Total Defense approach.

“The IWC Symposium was a great chance to connect with the community of irregular warfare practitioners and scholars, to stay at the cutting edge of debates and dialogs over lessons from ongoing conflicts and the future of IW, and to remind ourselves of the critical value that irregular approaches should and will play in deterring conflict and prevailing in conflict should deterrence fail,” said Schroden.

Brig. Gen. (R) Chris Burns, IWC Senior Advisor and Deputy Advisor for the Northern Hemisphere & Homeland Defense, served as a lead facilitator throughout the event, guiding Q&A sessions and highlighting takeaways to drive discussion.

Day two of the IWC Symposium centered on countering hybrid threats. Dr. Sean McFate, Professor at the College of International Security Affairs (CISA) at National Defense University, delivered the keynote address. “The IWC is the top forum for bringing practitioners and thinkers together of irregular warfare in a mission-focused way,” said McFate about the 2025 Symposium. “The IWC is about the irregular warfighter.”

Subsequent Day 2 panels addressed deterrence strategies, comprehensive defense frameworks, and the role of resistance forces in national defense.

Participants drew valuable insights from the two-day symposium. The discourse both during the presentations and networking sessions furthered development of irregular challenges and paths to address them. “We’re definitely seeing a broader socialization of IW with our partners and allies,” said Dr. Doowan Lee, EdgeTheory and Georgetown University Law Center (2025 Symposium Panelist.) “Key is how to shape, plan, and execute multilateral irregular operations in the competition space. IW is persistent operations that are most effective when conducted during left to bang.”

By convening participants from a variety of disciplines, the 2025 Symposium embodied the IWC’s vision of connecting instruction with operationalization. As irregular threats continue to advance, the IWC reinforces its commitment to building an adaptable global network which serves as a force multiplier for the U.S. warfighter.

“This event exemplifies what the Center was created to do—connect stakeholders across sectors and borders to improve the U.S. and allied understanding and application of irregular warfare concepts,” said Lori Leffler, IWC Deputy Director & Chief of Staff. “We’re honored to bring together this community to promote efforts to protect the homeland.”

About the IWC

The IWC prepares the warfighter to conduct irregular warfare across the spectrum of conflict by bridging instruction to operationalizing IW using next-generation techniques and concepts that enhance the lethality of the force and positions the United States and key Allies and partners to remain ahead of the threat.

The IWC operates to transform the global, strategic mindset by coupling conventional combat power with robust IW methodologies to provide options to current and emerging threats in support of the nation’s warfighters.

The IWC’s staff is composed of experienced combat veterans who understand what is necessary to fight and win. Their knowledge is enhanced by the Center’s distinguished academics who provide in-depth, timely, and relevant analytical support to accomplish the Department’s mission. The combination of warfighting experience and intellectual forethought is novel within the government and continuously provides innovative solutions to the most complex challenges.

“The Irregular Warfare Center’s success stems directly from its deliberate cultivation of an organizational culture that not only tolerates but embraces calculated risk-taking. This approach stands in stark contrast to the prevailing institutional paralysis that often characterizes military decision-making. By fostering an environment where team members understand that innovative solutions require experimentation—and that experimentation inherently involves failure—the IWC has created a space where creative problem-solving can flourish. This cultural shift represents more than just a philosophical stance; it’s a strategic imperative in an era where our adversaries are rapidly adapting their approaches to irregular warfare,” – Dr. Dennis Walters, IWC Director.

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.