Small Wars Journal
  • "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast."
    -- Old MOUT Adage
  • “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
  • “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)
  • “It takes a brave man to be a coward in the Red Army.”
    -- Joseph Stalin
  • "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

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

by Zachary Kallenborn | Tue, 05/30/2023 - 2:26am | 1 comment
Zachary Kallenborn assesses the challenges posed by drone swarms in amphibious operations.
by Dave Maxwell | Mon, 05/29/2023 - 6:10pm | 0 comments
Adapted from remarks at the Special Forces Association Convention.
by Robert Muggah | Mon, 05/22/2023 - 5:22pm | 0 comments
SWJ−El Centro Fellow Robert Muggah weighs in on Latin America's cocaine fueled crime wave.
by Zachary Kallenborn | Fri, 05/12/2023 - 2:48am | 0 comments
WMD, drone, and threat analyst Zachary Kallenborn weighs in on the need for a US Commission on Information Warfare in this opinion piece.
by Pilar Glaser | Tue, 05/09/2023 - 3:44pm | 2 comments
Pilar Glaser reviews "The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth" by Sam Quinones.
by Tom Ordeman, Jr. | Sat, 05/06/2023 - 10:26am | 2 comments
In 2014, the U.S. Air Force began development of the B-21 Raider, its next generation stealth bomber. However, despite having socialized a set of requirements, identified a vendor, and set a per-unit price that will inevitably skyrocket, any serious discussion of whether a need for this platform actually exists has taken place - pun intended - largely under the radar.
by Paul Burton | Fri, 05/05/2023 - 11:08am | 3 comments
As the U.S. national security establishment grapples with the change of the global environment from the post-Cold War U.S.-led unipolar world to a multipolar one, much of the investment of capital – fiscal and intellectual – has been on large scale combat operations between peer nations. Yet, if the past is prologue, much of the competition, and even conflict, between great powers will likely fall into the category of Irregular Warfare.  How to approach the Irregular Warfare problem today presents significant challenges and great opportunities. In the DOD, the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has much of the responsibility for the preparation of forces to conduct and execute Irregular Warfare (IW); its forces are purpose-built for this environment.
by Diego Ramírez Sánchez | Thu, 05/04/2023 - 8:43pm | 2 comments
This analysis looks at the challenge of organized crime and gangs in Chile. It originally appeared in Spanish as “El Crimen Organizado en Chile: El desafío que se avecina.”
by Daniel A. Pinkston | Thu, 04/27/2023 - 10:05pm | 2 comments
As Russia’s so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine continues into its second year, most observers have been surprised by some aspects of the conflict. The consensus is that the Russian military shockingly has underperformed against Ukraine, and the Ukrainian resistance has exceeded expectations. Furthermore, students of international relations and warfare are analyzing the implications for geopolitics as well as the advances in weapon systems. While many analysts have considered the possible implications for conflict in the Taiwan Strait, it is important to understand the lessons Pyongyang is learning from Ukraine given North Korea’s growing nuclear capabilities.
by Daniel Rice | Wed, 04/26/2023 - 7:01pm | 3 comments
As the global community anticipates a Ukrainian counter-offensive as spring sets in, it is imperative that the United States Congress and Department of Defense take decisive action to implement strategic changes that could save thousands of Ukrainian lives. Ukraine is not merely defending its own sovereignty, but also acting on behalf of Europe against a long-feared adversary.

Blog Posts

by Dave Maxwell | Sun, 06/04/2023 - 11:06am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

by Dave Maxwell | Sat, 06/03/2023 - 10:33am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

by SWJ Editors | Fri, 06/02/2023 - 12:54pm | 0 comments
Access the Foreign Policy Tracker HERE.  
by Dave Maxwell | Fri, 06/02/2023 - 10:39am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

by Dave Maxwell | Thu, 06/01/2023 - 10:17am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

by Dave Maxwell | Wed, 05/31/2023 - 7:43am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

by Dave Maxwell | Tue, 05/30/2023 - 9:03am | 1 comment

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

by Dave Maxwell | Mon, 05/29/2023 - 11:20am | 2 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

1. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 28, 2023

by Dave Maxwell | Sun, 05/28/2023 - 11:43am | 0 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

by Dave Maxwell | Sat, 05/27/2023 - 12:14pm | 3 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

by SWJ Editors | Fri, 05/26/2023 - 9:37am | 7 comments

RSVP HERE.

 

by Dave Maxwell | Fri, 05/26/2023 - 9:35am | 6 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

by Dave Maxwell | Thu, 05/25/2023 - 7:50am | 4 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

by Dave Maxwell | Wed, 05/24/2023 - 7:49am | 3 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

by Dave Maxwell | Tue, 05/23/2023 - 7:16am | 3 comments

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content: