Inter Populum: The Journal of Irregular Warfare and Special Operations
A new publication at Arizona State University from the Competitive Statecraft Initiative. This seems to be a foreshadowing of the future John S. McCain III Center for Security Studies in Irregular Warfare which is the vision of Senators Mark Kelly and Lindsey Graham. See their vision here: OP-ED: Senators Kelly and Graham Press DOD to Execute Vision of McCain Irregular Warfare Center https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/op-ed-senators-kelly-and-graham-press-dod-to-execute-vision-of-mccain-irregular-warfare-center/
Excited to announce the publication of Vol. 1, No. 1 of Inter Populum: The Journal of Irregular Warfare and Special Operations, published by Arizona State University. We are not only proud to present the issue and its five articles and seven book reviews, but we are also happy to consider submissions to future issues of the journal. Find out more at our website at www.interpopulum.org
Editor’s letter, Editorial board members, and table of contents for the first volume are below
Letter from the Editors
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Inter Populum: The Journal of Irregular Warfare and Special Operations. A product of the Competitive Statecraft Initiative at Arizona State University, this publication aims to be a central voice in the scholarly literature on issues related to special operations, irregular warfare (IW), and importantly, the intersection between the two. Inter Populum is a peer-reviewed academic journal for the scholar and practitioner—a place to explore everything from lessons learned through historical case studies, to current best practices, to the nature of future conflict. We are very excited to introduce what we hope will become the central medium for discussion, debate, and the collegial exchange of ideas among the IW and special operations communities of interest.
Inter Populum is Latin for “among the people.” In 2005, General Rupert Smith coined a phrase when he postulated that rather than large-scale, interstate wars between nation- states, the twenty-first century would be dominated by “wars among the people.”1 Of course, there have been wars among the people as long as there have been people, and it remains to be seen whether we can avoid a great power war in this century, but the human domain is the principal concern of both IW and special operations, and is therefore the particular focus of this journal.
U.S. doctrine has long recognized that the defining feature of IW is the struggle for control over or support of relevant populations. Most recently, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff define IW as “a struggle among state and non-state actors to influence populations and affect legitimacy.”2 The 2020 Summary of the Irregular Warfare Annex to the National Defense Strategy emphasized the relevance of IW in great power competition as well as its economical aspect, and committed the Department of Defense (DOD) to mastering it as a core competency.3 A more expansive definition of IW, one perhaps better suited to current and future strategic competition, is offered by defense expert Seth Jones. He states that IW “refers to activities short of conventional and nuclear warfare that are designed to expand a country’s influence and legitimacy, as well as to weaken its adversaries.”4 We encourage and look forward to vigorous debate on the scope and continually evolving character of IW in future issues of Inter Populum.
Special operations—from direct, time-sensitive, and discrete “surgical strikes” to indirect, longer-term “special warfare”—have long been considered critical to conducting or countering IW. However, as the Summary of the Irregular Warfare Annex to the National Defense Strategy5 made abundantly clear, one myth in need of shattering is that IW is coterminous with counterterrorism (CT), that Special Operations Forces (SOF) own the CT mission, and therefore SOF are the only ones who can play a meaningful role in IW. Nothing could be further from the truth. CT is only one of the military missions under the IW umbrella, and conventional forces play a critical role in all of them. More broadly, IW can be considered the military contribution to competitive statecraft, which demands a coordinated and synchronized whole-of-government/whole-of-society approach in which interagency and cross-sector partners play a central and, in many cases, leading role. Thus, Inter Populum intends to focus on the nexus between IW and special operations, as well as
the integration of these military activities with those of other government agencies, civil society, and the private sector. In doing so, Inter Populum will drive the analysis, reflection, and conversations necessary to reconceptualize IW for an era of strategic competition.
Inter Populum will publish two online issues per year, with both issues combined into one printed volume annually. Copies will be made available across the DOD, to other government agencies, academic institutions, and many other stakeholders.
We look forward to establishing Inter Populum as the locus of professional exploration, discussion, and debate on IW, special operations, and their role in strategic competition. But we cannot do it without support from readers and contributors. Please consider submitting your own work for publication in an upcoming issue. Thank you, and welcome to the discussion.
Christopher Marsh, Fort Liberty, NC James Kiras, Maxwell AFB, AL Ryan Shaw, Tempe, AZ
Endnotes
1 Rupert Smith, The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World (London: Allen Lane, 2005).
2 Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joint Warfighting: Reference Copy, JP 1, Volume 1 (Washington, D.C.: Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2020), GL-4.
3 Department of Defense, Summary of the Irregular Warfare Annex to the National Defense Strategy
(Washington, D.C.: Department of Defense, 2020), 1.
4 Seth Jones, Three Dangerous Men: Russia, China, Iran and the Rise of Irregular Warfare (New York: W.W. Norton, 2021), 11.
5 Department of Defense, Summary of the Irregular Warfare Annex.
INTER POPULUM:
The Journal of Irregular Warfare and Special Operations
Inter Populum: The Journal of Irregular Warfare and Special Operations, published by Arizona State University, is an academically rigorous, peer reviewed publication focused on furthering studies, thought, and discussion on special operations and irregular warfare topics. It is published once a year in print (ISSN: 2836-5496), and twice a year online (ISSN: 2836-6034).
To request a printed copy or inquire about publication consideration, contact our team at [email protected].
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editors:
Christopher Marsh, U.S. National Defense University, [email protected] James Kiras, U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, [email protected] Ryan Shaw, Arizona State University, [email protected]
Managing Editor:
Lisa Sheldon
Book Review Editor:
Mark Grzegorzewski, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, [email protected]
Editorial Board
interpopulum.org
Leo Blanken, Naval Postgraduate School
Patricia Blocksome, Joint Special Operations University
Paul Brister, U.S. Naval War College
Carolyne Davidson, U.S. National Defense University
David Ellis, New College of Florida
Nikolas Gvosdev, U.S. Naval War College
Will Irwin, Joint Special Operations University
Jaroslaw Jablonski, Joint Special Operations University
Martijn Kitzen, Netherlands Defence Academy
Nina Kollars, U.S. Naval War College
Jeffrey Kubiak, Arizona State University
Ken Gleiman, Arizona State University
David Maxwell, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Mark Moyar, Hillsdale College
Aleksandra Nesic, U.S. Department of State
David Oakley, University of South Florida
Ulrica Pettersson, Swedish Defence University
Linda Robinson, RAND Corporation
Richard Schultz, Fletcher School, Tufts University
Kalev Sepp, Naval Postgraduate School
Emily Stranger, Indiana University-Bloomington
interpopulum.org
Table of Contents
Articles
Like a Bolt from the Blue: Relative Superiority and the Coup de Main
Assault on the Caen Canal and River Orne Bridges, 6 June 1944
by Michael J. Mooney……………………………………………………………………………. 1
Ten Surprising Lessons for Special Operations Forces from the First Eighteen Months of Putin’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine
by Thomas R. Searle, Christopher Marsh, and Brian Petit……………………………. 41
Special Operations in the 21st Century: Revisiting the Falklands War
by Matthew Miller………………………………………………………………………………. 57
Fighting Danger at Sea: The Quest for Speed in Special Operations
by Rikke Haugegaard…………………………………………………………………………… 69
Dynamic Ethical Decision-Making and its Importance to Special Operations
by Robert M. Mitchell………………………………………………………………………….. 93
Counterterrorism is Strategic Competition
by Thomas R. Searle…………………………………………………………………………… 101
Phoenix Rising: From the Ashes of Desert One to the Rebirth of U.S. Special Operations by Keith M. Nightingale
Reviewed by William “Stone” Holden……………………………………………………. 111
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein
Reviewed by Luke Talian……………………………………………………………………. 115
Special Forces Interpreter: An Afghan on Operations with the Coalition
by Eddie Idrees
Reviewed by Laura Stenger…………………………………………………………………. 119
Airpower in the War Against ISIS by Benjamin S. Lambeth
Reviewed by James Kiras……………………………………………………………………. 123
The Recruiter: Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence
Reviewed by David P. Oakley………………………………………………………………. 125
Military Reconnaissance: The Eyes and Ears of the Army
Reviewed by Hugh Sutherland……………………………………………………………… 127
Death in the Highlands: The Siege of Special Forces Camp Plei Mei
Reviewed by Timothy Heck………………………………………………………………… 131
Grey Wars: A Contemporary History of U.S. Special Operations
Reviewed by Angelica Vallario…………………………………………………………….. 133
The RAF and Tribal Control: Airpower and Irregular Warfare Between the World Wars by Richard D. Newton
Reviewed by Joseph Whittington………………………………………………………….. 137
