The Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) Hosts IW Seminar at Georgetown University

The newly established Irregular Warfare Center hosted its third IW-themed event in less than a month, the Georgetown IW Seminar, March 23, 2023, at Copley Hall on the historic campus of Georgetown University in Washington D.C.

In partnership with Georgetown University, the IWC hosted a seminar on the establishment of the Center, explored the definition of IW and examined a Ukrainian case-study with ROTC Cadets, Cadre, Military Graduate students from DoD, Veteran Students, and University Professors from Georgetown, American, George Washington, Naval War College, Joint Special Operations University, Institute of World Politics and Catholic Universities.

“The irregular warfare environment is rather complex, and the earlier Cadets can start thinking about it, visualizing it and preparing for it, I think is beneficial in the long run and that’s where events such as the one held today play a key role in the future of IW,” said Army ROTC CPT Pablo Chovil, Assistant Professor of Military Sciences, Georgetown University ROTC Program.

Attendees had the opportunity to hear from IWC leadership and network with other academics and professionals in the IW community after the seminar concluded.

“This event provided the Center an opportunity to showcase its capabilities while networking with future Army Officers, some of which will be IW SMEs,” said Dr. Dennis Walter, IWC Acting Director. “It’s my pleasure to represent and speak on behalf of the IWC at this much-needed event. The amount of knowledge, expertise, insight and prospective in the room was truly remarkable. As the Center continues to evolve, these types of networking and collaborative experiences will play a vital role in our mission.”

The event included a variety of briefs led by IWC staff, leadership and irregular warfare SMEs, a case-study exercise, panel discussion with a question and answer session, as well as networking opportunities throughout the day.

“I’m thrilled and I’m very humbled to be a part of this event,” said Chovil. “There’s so much value and I’m excited to be a part of supporting the IWC and its important mission. Many of the Cadets have come up to me and expressed their excitement on how this was one of the best events of the year. The sentiment means a lot to me, and we all appreciate the IWC’s efforts.”
The IWC recently hosted several informative and educational irregular warfare-themed events including its inaugural event, the IW Medical Resiliency Workgroup in Feb. 2022 and IWC International IW Week earlier this month.

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.