WEBINAR 1/28/25: The Interaction of Irregular Warfare and Technology
Professor of Practice Dr. David Kilcullen, Ph.D. of Arizona State University is hosting a webinar on The Interaction of Irregular Warfare and Technology. Sign up here or scan the QR code above.
About Professor Kilcullen:
Dr. David Kilcullen, Ph.D. is Professor of Practice in the Center on the Future of War and the School of Politics and Global Studies, a Senior Fellow at New America and an author, strategist and counterinsurgency expert. He served 25 years as an army officer, diplomat and policy advisor for the Australian and United States governments, in command and operational missions (including peacekeeping, counterinsurgency and foreign internal defense) across the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Europe. In the United States he was Chief Strategist in the State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau, and served in Iraq as Senior Counterinsurgency Advisor to General David Petraeus, before becoming Special Advisor for Counterinsurgency to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He is the author of a number of influential books including, The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One and Counterinsurgency, Out of the Mountains and, Blood Year: The Unraveling of Western Counterterrorism based on an essay that received the Walkley Award, the Australian version of the Pulitzer Prize.
Here is a short synopsis of this insightful webinar.
Battlefield Adaptation in the Modern Security Landscape
Professor David Kilcullen’s presentation at Arizona State University’s Future Security Initiative offers a penetrating analysis of contemporary military innovation, focusing on the evolving nature of irregular warfare and technological adaptation. Drawing from extensive field research across conflict zones including Ukraine, the Baltic states, and Africa, Kilcullen illuminates the critical transformations in tactical engagement.
The Tactical Fitness Landscape
Kilcullen introduces the concept of a “tactical fitness landscape” – a metaphorical framework describing how military organizations adapt to survive in complex environments. The landscape now rewards characteristics such as small-scale operations, stealth, modularity, and rapid iteration. Traditional, large-scale conventional warfare has become increasingly vulnerable, forcing military actors to adopt more agile, distributed strategies.
Technological Revolution in Warfare
The presentation highlights the profound impact of emerging technologies, particularly in drone warfare, cooperative engagement systems, and human-machine teaming. Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) and First-Person View (FPV) drones exemplify how small teams can now achieve multi-domain effects, dramatically altering naval and ground combat dynamics. The Ukrainian counter-offensive serves as a compelling case study of these technological adaptations.
Ubiquitous Technical Surveillance and Operational Challenges
A critical insight is the emergence of Ubiquitous Technical Surveillance (UTS), which creates a “dispersion survivability dilemma” for military units. Massing forces creates detectable targets, while dispersing generates electronic signatures. This challenge has driven innovative communication and operational strategies, including the use of commercial off-the-shelf technologies and sophisticated signals intelligence techniques.
Key Takeaways
Kilcullen’s analysis underscores a fundamental shift in warfare: the increasing importance of small, adaptable teams leveraging advanced technologies. The future of conflict is characterized by distributed operations, rapid technological iteration, and the seamless integration of human and machine capabilities. Military organizations must continuously evolve to survive in this dynamic landscape.
