Summary of the Irregular Warfare Annex to the National Defense Strategy
The Irregular Warfare Annex to the National Defense Strategy by the U.S. Department of Defense represents a pivotal moment in U.S. military strategic thinking. It signals a profound understanding of the evolving nature of global conflict. At its core, this document acknowledges that modern warfare has transcended traditional battlefield dynamics, with adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran increasingly leveraging sophisticated irregular warfare tactics that operate beneath the threshold of conventional military response.
The annex is fundamentally a call for institutional transformation. It urges the Department of Defense to break free from its historical “boom and bust” approach to military preparedness. By advocating for the institutionalization of irregular warfare as a core competency across the entire Joint Force, the document emphasizes a holistic approach that goes beyond special operations, integrating irregular warfare capabilities into the broader military ecosystem. This strategy prioritizes human capital, continuous learning, and adaptability as key competitive advantages.
Critically, the document outlines a proactive competitive strategy that seeks to control the tempo of adversarial interactions. Rather than merely reacting to threats, the U.S. Military aims to shape the global environment, utilizing a “by, with, and through” approach that leverages partnerships and allies as force multipliers. The annex recognizes that modern conflict is as much about influence, legitimacy, power, and strategic perception as it is about traditional military might.
Technological innovation emerges as a key theme. The document highlights the potential of artificial intelligence and quantum computing to transform intelligence gathering, trend analysis, and strategic decision-making. By embracing these emerging technologies, the U.S. military seeks to develop more agile, cost-effective capabilities to counter the multi-domain, stealthy irregular warfare campaigns of its adversaries.
Perhaps most significantly, the Irregular Warfare Annex represents a strategic mindset that refuses to be constrained by traditional paradigms. It explicitly states that the shift towards great power competition does not mean abandoning hard-won irregular warfare competencies. It represents an opportunity to refine and adapt these skills to meet contemporary global challenges. This document is a military strategy and a blueprint for maintaining strategic relevance in an increasingly complex and unpredictable world.
Foreward by the U.S. Department of Defense:
Irregular warfare is an enduring, economical contribution to America’s national security, and will remain an essential core competency of the U.S. Department of Defense.
The character and form of war are constantly changing, yet its fundamental nature remains the same. Though Great Power Competition is now our primary national security challenge – a departure from conducting almost two decades of continuous irregular war against violent extremist organizations worldwide – the requirement for mastery of irregular warfare persists. Far from abandoning these critical competencies, we will sharpen these capabilities for application against peer competitor, nation-state adversaries.
This summary of the Irregular Warfare Annex to the National Defense Strategy explains that irregular warfare is to be institutionalized as a core competency with sufficient, enduring capabilities to advance national security objectives across the spectrum of competition and conflict, in alignment with the NDS. The Department will employ these concepts and capabilities in a resource-sustainable approach to dictate the terms and tempo of competition to prevail against all global adversaries short of war, and build and sustain our global advantage in careful coordination with allies and partners. Should war come, these capabilities will shape the environment to ensure combat dominance and our ability to end any conflict on our terms.
Consequently, the Department of Defense will: (1) make permanent the mindset and capabilities necessary to succeed in its current irregular warfare mission sets; and (2) leverage all irregular capabilities in our arsenal, including the unique abilities of our interagency and foreign partners, to compete against revisionist powers and violent extremist organizations alike. This approach does not require significant new resources to meet our strategic vision; it requires new ideas and new means of employing existing capabilities.
We must not — and will not — repeat the “boom and bust” cycle that has left the United States underprepared for irregular warfare in both Great Power Competition and conflict. Americans expect their military to do more than react to crises, they expect us to compete and maintain our advantages.
