Small Wars Journal
  • “It takes a brave man to be a coward in the Red Army.”
    -- Joseph Stalin
  • “For Dave Dilegge and Bill Nagle, founders and editors of Small Wars Journal. They gave the counterguerrilla underground a home, at a time when misguided leaders banned even the word ‘insurgency,’ though busily losing to one. Scholars, warriors, and agitators, Dave and Bill laid the foundation for battlefield success: our generation owes them a debt of gratitude.”
    -- David Kilcullen ('Counterinsugency' Dedication)
  • “With no other security forces on hand, U.S. military was left to confront, almost alone, an Iraqi insurgency and a crime rate that grew worse throughout the year, waged in part by soldiers of the disbanded army and in part by criminals who were released from prison.”
    -- John Spratt
  • "In 1991 the Gulf War showed everyone how not to fight us, but the 2003 invasion of Iraq showed everybody how to fight us."
    -- David Kilcullen
  • "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast."
    -- Old MOUT Adage

Home, Above Feeds, Annoucement

 

Ukraine

"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

Small Wars Journal publishes original works from authentic voices across the spectrum of stakeholders in small wars. We also link you to relevant goings on elsewhere.  Login with your SWJ Username to comment, or Register, it's free. You can start your own threads in the Small Wars Council discussion board, but note that the board requires a separate Council Username. Follow SWJ on Twitter @smallwars.

Journal

Perspective: War with the Cartels Is More Complicated Than It Sounds
by Michael L. Burgoyne, by Albert J. Marckwardt | Thu, 03/23/2023 - 4:40pm | 0 comments
In this commentary, two former foreign area officers with experience in Latin America address the pitfalls of US military intervention against criminal cartels in Mexico's crime wars.
Provide Ukraine with the Submunitions It Needs for Effective Drone Warfare
by Daniel Rice | Wed, 03/08/2023 - 11:03am | 0 comments
Recent media reports from outlets such as Reuters, Ukraine Business News, and Euromaidan have created unnecessary confusion and politicization around Ukraine's request for submunitions to be used in drone warfare. It is time to set the record straight and provide Ukraine with the tools it needs to effectively defend itself against Russian aggression.
Monterrey, 1846: Still Offering Urban Combat Lessons after all these Years
by Russell W. Glenn | Mon, 03/06/2023 - 10:01pm | 1 comment
This article reviews the 1846 Battle of Monterrey from an urban operations perspective. The review provides salient lessons for contemporary military operations.
An UN-Manned Misconception: A Case for Unmanned-Aerial-System Support to Peacekeeping Operations
by Kyle Amonson | Sun, 03/05/2023 - 7:59pm | 1 comment
At the heart of every peacekeeping operation is the peacekeeper, the populace, and the mandate. In an international community that is currently supporting 12 United Nations peacekeeping operations (PKOs) across three continents, with over 97,000 peacekeepers, it is imperative we ask ourselves if we are fielding the appropriate technological advantages to mitigate risk in the pursuit of regional peace and stability. One key capability found in nearly every military and police force across the globe is the drone (the unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV), or unmanned aerial system (UAS), when considering the entire package. While the UAS cannot replace the interpersonal relationships of working alongside a populace during a PKO, it can provide a variety of critical capabilities to revolutionize peacekeeping and humanitarian relief. The thesis of this article is that the UN has a proven track record of successful UAS integration to add value for UN Force Commanders. However, many leaders in less developed countries are apprehensive to the application of UAS, not realizing that UN UAS are employed in the same ISR capacity, and held to the same standards, as the more expensive fixed and rotary wing assets.
Defining the Special in Special Forces: A Soldier’s Perspective
by Pierre Jean Dehaene | Sun, 03/05/2023 - 7:48pm | 2 comments
This essay is a food-for-thought on the identity (culture), training and education of special forces (SF). The target audience is the special forces, the emerging wider special operations forces (SOF) community, politicians and key military decision-takers who must wield special forces. Admittedly every nation has its particularities, but many SF throughout the world have common concerns and difficulties when it comes to setting a culture that matches a clear identity. Not in terms of tasks like specialized forces, but in terms of purpose like special forces. Struggling to find a balance between too much or too little “unconventional” is also a universal phenomenon. It should be clear that there is a time for structure and optimization and there is a time for creativity and momentum. Knowing what to be in which circumstances is exactly the educational foundation of special forces: analytical acumen.
Mission Command During the Battle of 73 Easting
by William T. Latta | Sun, 03/05/2023 - 7:24pm | 3 comments
In large-scale combat operations (LSCO), critical decisions during armed conflict that defeat the adversary to achieve strategic and operational objectives often determine the victor. History proves that the chaotic nature of the battlefield contains many variables that shape the operational environment (OE), which requires leadership to make the right decision on time to accomplish the objectives. The United States Army implements mission command to enable subordinates on the battlefield to make the critical decisions necessary to seize the initiative that can gain an advantage over an adversary. The Battle of 73 Easting during Operation Desert Storm displays the practical application of mission command in an LSCO environment that led to a decisive victory over Iraqi forces and the liberation of Kuwait. The success at the Battle of 73 Easting was due to effective mission command, which will provide a historical case study to analyze mission command, battlefield command and control (C2), C2 warfighting function execution in an LSCOs environment.
The Information Environment and Capabilities
by Joseph W. Frost | Fri, 03/03/2023 - 10:54pm | 16 comments
            Information is a critical component of any organization in the world. Specifically, the military depends on massive amounts of data to make decisions across all battlefield domains. The abundant information gained from various sources supplies joint-level leaders and staff with ample material to decipher, analyze, and create intelligence products. When given to the right people, these products can leverage opportunities that enable friendly military actions and reduce the effects of the adversary’s combat power. Joint planners have several capabilities to evaluate within information operations that aid in creating advantages for friendly forces. Joint commanders and staff must understand the information environment’s dimensions, military information support operations (MISO), civil-military operations (CMO), and military deception when planning dynamic information operations.
Connecting Local Crises Within Strategic Influence: How Embedded Small Teams With Local Allies And Partners Enhance The U.S. And Allies’ Competition In The Information Environment
by George Chkhikvadze , by Corban Pierce, by Trevor Davison, by Matthew J. McGowan | Thu, 03/02/2023 - 7:15pm | 1 comment
Endangered Fishing Village: A fishing village located on an island in an archipelago in the Indo-Pacific about 200 nautical miles from a major straight and 50 nautical miles from a major shipping route.  The fisherman, many of whom are third or fourth-generation fishermen, who have worked these waters surrounding their home for decades, are under persistent harassment from strange foreign fishing vessels.  Local vessels are chased from legacy fisheries, while foreign vessels are overfishing the area and devastating the local economy.  Within the local village, outsiders have been placing pressure on local officials to sell land surrounding the village under the pretense of building an airport and the promise of building infrastructure.  Local officials are frustrated that they cannot protect their fishermen, despite the repeated calls for support from the overtaxed Coast Guard.  Concurrently, national officials are worried about territorial encroachment and predatory economic practices across multiple islands and districts.
The Importance of U.S. Retention of GWOT Foreign Policy Tools
by Josh Phillips | Thu, 03/02/2023 - 6:51pm | 2 comments
For the past two decades, United States foreign policy has been centered around the Global War on Terror (GWOT), but this era appears to be steadily coming to a close. In light of this, as the U.S. continues to trend away from GWOT policies and operations, it must not lessen its opposition to international violence and human rights violations. Instead, it must remember to remain steadfast in its commitments to international humanitarian aid efforts that were initiated during the GWOT. The U.S. cannot afford to backslide in its progress in mitigating foreign violence, and must not forget the tools that it has at its disposal to maintain this progress. One such means that the U.S. should continue to employ is the Foreign Terrorist Designation (FTO), an important political tool that the U.S. uses to publicly identify and sanction perpetrators of international violence, and one example of how this tool should be used to protect U.S. interests can be seen ongoing Houthi rebel group crisis in Yemen, a group which the U.S. delisted as an FTO in 2021.
Mission Command Analysis of Ia Drang Operation
by Rodani Tan | Thu, 03/02/2023 - 6:39pm | 1 comment
During the Vietnam War, Builder et al. (1999) mentioned that before 1965, the fighting by the United States (U.S.) Soldiers in Vietnam had been in minor skirmishes with Viet Cong (VC) troops conducting hit-and-run counterinsurgency operations. However, the situation significantly escalated since 6 February 1965, the VC attacked the U.S. compound in Pleiku, leaving eight Americans dead and hundreds wounded. In November 1965, Colonel (COL) Thomas W. Brown ordered the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, commanded by then Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Harold G. Moore Jr., to execute an airmobile assault operation in Ia Drang valley and conduct a search and destroy operation against the VC and North Vietnamese Army (NVA). At the same time, North Vietnamese General (GEN) Chu Huy Man, with three NVA regiments, ordered preparations for conducting offensive operations in the same area of Ia Drang to inflict significant casualties against the U.S. military.

Blog Posts

3/24/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Fri, 03/24/2023 - 8:49am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

3/23/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Thu, 03/23/2023 - 10:07am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

Ukraine: WAR BULLETIN March 22, 5.30 pm EST - The three hundred and ninety-secondday of the russian large-scale invasion continues.
by SWJ Editors | Wed, 03/22/2023 - 9:09pm | 0 comments
 
3/22/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Wed, 03/22/2023 - 8:49am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

3/21/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Tue, 03/21/2023 - 10:29am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

3/20/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Mon, 03/20/2023 - 8:05am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

3/19/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Sun, 03/19/2023 - 11:12am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

3/18/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Sat, 03/18/2023 - 11:04am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

3/17/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Fri, 03/17/2023 - 9:44am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

3/16/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Thu, 03/16/2023 - 10:01am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

3/15/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Wed, 03/15/2023 - 9:52am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

3/14/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Tue, 03/14/2023 - 8:39am | 2 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

1. RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN UPDATE, MARCH 13, 2023

3/13/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Mon, 03/13/2023 - 9:58am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

3/12/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Sun, 03/12/2023 - 11:48am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

3/11/23 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Sat, 03/11/2023 - 10:57am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content: