Small wars are operations undertaken under executive authority, wherein military force is combined with diplomatic pressure in the internal or external affairs of another state whose government is unstable, inadequate, or unsatisfactory for the preservation of life and of such interests as are determined by the foreign policy of our Nation.

-- Small Wars Manual, 1940

Welcome. Small Wars Journal publishes contributed work from across the spectrum of stakeholders in small wars. We look for articles from serious, authentic voices that add richness, breadth and depth to the dialog that too often occurs in cloistered venues. We do not screen articles for conformance with a house view; our only position is that small wars are wicked problems warranting consideration of myriad views before action, to inform what will no doubt be imperfect decisions with significant unintended consequences. On the continuum from paralysis by analysis, to informed action with recognition & maybe mitigation of cascading effects, to bold & ignorant decisiveness, we strive to help our readers find the middle ground.

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Dan Ward asserts that acquisitions take too long.  But no one knows if he is right.

The first part in a series of interviews of leading lights on Iraq and its environs.

Back to the basics of deterrence, diplomacy, and defense to address potential nation-state employment of unconventional weapons?

CDR Aboul-Enein reviews Martin Evans' book.

Should we focus more on creating ink spots and less on defeating the Taliban?

swj blog

Continue on for today's SWJ news and opinion roundup and links to the USNI Daily and Real Clear World.  

Mexican Cartel Tactical Note #11: MG 34 Machine Guns Recovered in Nayarit— Hezbollah Arms Transfer Concerns

BG Mark Arnold argues for personnel reforms in an essay in Armed Forces Journal.

A review of Lewis Sorley's biography on General Westmoreland.

The Center for National Policy offers a report on a new way ahead.