David Kilcullen and David Galula are two of the most influential figures in the field of irregular warfare and counterinsurgency. Kilcullen is an Australian military officer and counterinsurgency expert who has served as an advisor to the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is the author of several books on the subject. Galula was
Ukraine activates its “resistance force”
Crimea attacks point to Ukraine’s newest strategy: Resistance prepares for ground offensive Ukraine is hoping that a new strategy of attacking key military targets deep inside Russian-occupied territory will undermine Moscow’s ability to withstand an eventual Ukrainian counteroffensive, Ukraine’s defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said in a Wednesday interview. Ukraine’s conventional forces lack the weapons and
Terrorism Redefined
Courtesy of Small Wars Journal, Published Sat, 07/09/2022 – 12:08pm By Kevin Chapla Walter Laqueur declared an objective definition of terrorism to be impossible. The concept had appeared too often, in too many forms, within too great a variety of contexts that attempting a definition would be futile. Laqueur, resigned to defeat in his pursuit
Conventional versus Hybrid Warfare
Small Wars Journal – Wed, 04/27/2022 Conventional Warfare versus ‘Hybrid Threats’: An Example of the Either-or Fallacy By Tarik Solmaz Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has undermined the prevailing premises in the West about the character of contemporary warfare. Over the past decade, the Western world, generally speaking, had seemed to be convinced that actions that fall
Special Operations and Ethics
Special Warfare magazine has published an issue devoted to special operations and ethics. Special Operations, and unconventional warfare in particular, present ethical and moral issues at a much greater rate and to more junior individuals than any other type of military operation, possibly any other human activity. These operations ask young men and women
New SOF Vision Statement
There is a new Special Operations Forces (SOF) Vision Statement and Strategy. United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict (SOLIC) have teamed up to publish the document. This partnership is in itself noteworthy, given the quiet angst surrounding the SOLIC’s new “Service-Secretary” role in
Oversight of Special Operations – Who’s Who
This article provides a quick introduction to the positions and personalities involved in the oversight of special operations forces and their employment. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy The Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (USD(P)) oversees the development and implementation of defense policy writ large, including policy relevant to special operations and special operations
Russian Casualties Mounting
From the Wilson Center’s Stubborn Things blog, an interesting observation on Russian casualties: More Russians were killed in Ukraine in the first three weeks of the invasion than the U.S. lost in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Russia is paying a high price for its war against Ukraine. As the war enters its second month, according to
IW Roundup — June 7, 2021
This Week in Irregular Warfare Israel fears unrest in the lead up to the formation of a new coalition Government; Pakistan makes progress in combatting terrorist financing; Tribunal investigates China’s atrocities on Uighurs can amount to Genocide; Extremist attack kills 100 in Burkina Faso; and more… Welcome to the latest installment of The Irregular Warrior’s
Buying a Stalemate: U.S. aid may still save Afghanistan
In an article on War on the Rocks, Dominic Tierney argues that an American troop withdrawal does not have to spell the end of the Afghan government. Tierney argues that continued U.S. financial aid may be enough for the Afghan government to hold off the advance of the Taliban, as happened when the Soviets withdrew