The Irregular Warfare Center Collaborates with the West Virginia National Guard to host Ridge Runner DV Day Event

The newly established Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) collaborated with the West Virgina National Guard (WVNG) to host Ridge Runner IWX (23-01) Distinguished Visitor Day on June 7, 2023, at Camp Dawson, Kingwood, West Virgina, to provide allies and partners with an opportunity to learn more about the Ridge Runner exercise and the Center’s essential partnership with the WVNG.

“Having this partnership with the IWC, our allies and partners allows us to bring together a variety of components, including internationals, to learn and train together in the same environment multilaterally,” said Maj. Gen. Bill Crane, Adjutant General for the State of West Virginia. “Having the IWC fall under the DOD construct allows them to bring in partners/experts from all areas and I feel is critically important because it diversifies the entire organization and brings them to the forefront.”

“For Maj. Gen. Crane and I, success is the collaboration through both organizations and the ability to provide the necessary resources and funding needed to execute,” said Dr. Dennis Walters, IWC Director. “From a tactical standpoint, articulating the lessons learned and identifying the pieces missing in IW campaign development will help us continue to build and improve in the future.”

Ridge Runner Irregular Warfare Exercise is jointly supported through the IWC and provides a validation venue for deploying Special Forces elements. RR IWX offers a dynamic and realistic platform to conduct irregular warfare training, develop interoperability between coalition special operations and conventional forces, enable training on mission essential tasks, and assess readiness while enhancing strategic irregular warfare capabilities. RR IWX (23-01) includes about 300 special operations troops and support staff and is scheduled to run through June 16.

“In partnering with the IWC we are looking for a bridge to bring forward lessons learned and a strategic education piece to tie into the practical application piece of the exercise and Ridge Runner program,” said Jason Smith, Deputy Director, WVNG Ridge Runner Program. “By having that strong academic piece upfront to educate gives us the ability to inform our participants and prepare them for real-world scenarios.”

Attendees included the Texas-based 5/19th Special Forces Group, 92nd Civil Affairs, 6th PSYOPS, and the USMC training alongside special operations forces from the United Kingdom, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Observers from Canada, Romania, Georgia, Moldova, Qatar, Hungary, Germany, Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Australia, and the United Kingdom Special Air Service.

The Ridge Runner exercise takes place in the fictional country of Applia (West Virginia), which has been broken up similarly to the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Now, due to economic and energy concerns, “bad actors” are trying to reunify the country. Soldiers, most of whom are not in uniform, must work with local officials and residents to maintain independence. Military officials have land agreements to operate on 500,000 acres, role players, and some help from local officials.

“Ridge Runner is a vehicle to educate and train National Guard special operations forces in conjunction with active components, allies and partners, to be able to validate a process to better send ready soldiers forward to complete objectives,” said Smith.

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 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.