The decisive battlespace of the twenty-first century will ever more entail the cognitive domain, wherein strategic advantage is achieved through the shaping of perception, informing judgment, influencing decisions, and governing...
[ Read More... ]Publications.
Perspectives
A library of selected publications submitted by external Irregular Warfare authors and peer-reviewed by our Academic Chairs and Fellows.
War of Position and Irregular Warfare: How Information Shapes Strategic Advantage Before Combat
Chinese information warfare strategists often describe the United Front Work Department (UFWD) as a "magic weapon" for advancing national objectives without direct coercion. In 2015, Xi Jinping described UFWD as an "important...
[ Read More... ]The Laboratory of Terror: How Pakistan Became the World’s Frontline Against Industrialized Extremism
On the morning of December 16, 2014, six heavily armed militants scaled the walls of the Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan and entered a place that should have been...
[ Read More... ]Orbital Data Centers Could Potentially Exacerbate the Risk of Escalation in Outer Space
China is engaging in tactics just short of war, unconstrained by any formal declaration of hostilities as it seeks weaknesses to exploit in the United States Farm Surveillance Program and...
[ Read More... ]Insights
A collection of Irregular Warfare content authored by the Center’s Academic Chairs and subject matter experts.
China’s Irregular Warfare Strategy and Actions in the Bahamas
Chinese investment across the Caribbean over the past two decades, has been framed as development assistance, commercial expansion, or participation in global infrastructure initiatives. Ports, resorts, highways, telecommunications networks, and...
[ Read More... ]Solving the Wrong Problem? A Practitioners’ Method for Campaigning in Irregular Warfare
Among the five of us who teach the Irregular Warfare Center’s (IWC) advanced campaigning course (IW401), we have spent a long time watching capable people lose slowly. Not only on...
[ Read More... ]Same Spelling Different Story: Comparing the Conceptualization of Irregular Warfare Across the Globe
Irregular Warfare (IW) goes by many names and definitions across the world. While some differences are only minor semantic variances reflecting the history of specific countries or the local culture...
[ Read More... ]Ignacio Zaragoza and the Irregular Logic of Resistance
The popular memory of Ignacio Zaragoza is often compressed into a single date: May 5, 1862. In much of the United States, Cinco de Mayo has become a cultural celebration...
[ Read More... ]Research Studies
In-depth, long-form peer reviewed studies on Irregular Warfare topics.
Preparing Populations for Hybrid Threats against Critical Infrastructure: The European Experience
One of the most persistent security threats the United States (U.S.) faces today is a range of hostile activities short of open armed conflict. These activities occur in what is...
[ Read More... ]Irregular Warfare Conceptualization of South and Central America
This report arises from a shared belief that irregular warfare (IW) in the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) Area of Responsibility (AOR) cannot be fully understood through institutional doctrine alone....
[ Read More... ]China’s Way of Occupation: Implications for Taiwan
This report examines the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) enduring habits and approaches to occupation to develop a PRC “way of occupation” and considers how the PRC might occupy, pacify,...
[ Read More... ]Irregular Warfare Center Research Bibliography No.2: Lebanese Hezbollah in Latin America
This subject bibliography is a selection of top resources on Lebanese Hezbollah in Latin America and includes journal articles, reports, books, sections of websites, and videotaped talks. The dates of...
[ Read More... ]Book Reviews
When Rambo Meets the Red Cross: Civil-Military Engagement in Fragile States
When Rambo Meets the Red Cross takes a critical look at the trifecta of U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF), their relationship with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and the beneficiaries of foreign...
[ Read More... ]The New Rules of War: Victory in the Age of Durable Disorder
In The New Rules of War: Victory in the Age of Durable Disorder Sean McFate takes readers on a compelling journey through the evolving landscape of modern warfare, dissecting the...
[ Read More... ]Opinion Essays
DOD’s Irregular Warfare Center: Building Partnerships by Opening Up the Tent
In the three short months since the Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) “opened its doors,” to begin addressing the implications of “struggle among state and non-state actors for legitimacy and influence...
[ Read More... ]Publication Disclaimer
The views expressed in these articles are those solely of the authors and do not reflect the policy or views of the Irregular Warfare Center, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
Publications
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The IWC will publish original and thoroughly researched commentary and analyses that span the range of security topics associated with irregular warfare.
Publication Disclaimer
Per 5 CFR § 3601.108 - the views presented are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components