Journal

“They don’t think it be like it is, but it do."

In every conflict we have ever fought within any maneuver element, there has always been a person on the Point.

For decades now Special Operations Forces have made numerous important contributions to the military services from equipment to tactics to actual operations

SWJ Book Review: Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War by Peter W. Singer and August Cole

Justifications for the establishment of a “Nonlinear Warfare Center of Excellence”.

On Self-Declared Caliph Ibrahim’s May 2015 Message to Muslims: Key Problems of Motivation, Marginalization, Illogic, and Empirical Delusion in the Caliphate Project

This paper sheds light on the relocation of power and control over security from state to non-state armed actors.

A SWJ interview with Jim Thomas, Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

A SWJ interview with Jakub Grygiel and Wess Mitchell, authors of Limited War is Back.

By educating and empowering girls in the developing world, we might eventually send fewer Americans into combat overseas.

The U.S. Navy’s success in future major combat operations may well be determined by its ability to reject centralized C2, establish tenets of Mission Command, and train toward its employment.

A Small Wars Journal interview with retired US Army Special Forces Colonel David S. Maxwell.

The program should exist independent of contingency operations, remaining instead as an established and enduring military contribution.

The recent success of the Nigerian government and the international coalition in the fight against Boko Haram is a welcome development.

We offer 12 lessons to other individuals and organizations that may operate in similar environments conducting crisis response.

Many commanders struggle to write effective Intent statements in a manner that clearly describe their visualization, facilitates effective planning, and provides for disciplined initiative.

Within military coalitions and governmental organizations, the term ‘deep dive’ continues to gain in popularity and design application for complex conflict environments.

A constellation of stars is falling on Washington.  As each of the new chiefs takes his chair, he will have to grapple with the pressing problems of strategy, programs, and budgets.

Mexican Cartel Tactical Note #24: Gendarmerie Ambushed in Ocotlan, Jalisco State by Narco Commando—5 Killed, 8 Wounded

Given current adversaries and the changing nature of the world we live in today, the US Army needs to embrace Secretary Work’s advice on the need for innovation.

A SWJ discussion with Emma Sky, the author of the just published book “The Unraveling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq”.

It will come as bad news to many in the Army that there is no longer any such thing as “the enemy.”

An entire American armored brigade in Poland, in particular, would finally capture acute historical significance.

One of the current challenges involving COISTs stems from an overall military shift.

It is a tenet of our system of justice that the punishment should fit the crime.

Understanding ISIS is fairly simply, resolving it as a matter of National interest is a lot harder.

“Splinter Gulf Cartel drug groups fight for control of Matamoros/Reynosa.”Mexico DailyReview. 14 February 2015,

Many in the academic and policy communities share the notion that organized crime groups operate similarly to legitimate businesses.

Jordan is a key United States strategic partner. This essay provides basic information about Jordan the military practitioner should know.

Special Operations Forces have the potential to prevent and deescalate many conflicts before they become outright shooting wars.

The Army’s senior leadership seems to routinely probe the future when faced with a smaller Army and fewer resources than desired, and more threats than are comfortable.

Hoping that Iran will neither add to the sectarian divide nor expand its influence and control is more than fanciful.

In an increasingly unstable world order, there has never been a greater need for international cooperation in the fight against transnational crime and terrorism.

Now, more than ever, the nation requires the Army to make fundamental changes to ensure it is prepared for the complex challenges of the future.

Iran perceives itself as the underdog in a protracted conflict where it is outmanned, outgunned, militarily surrounded, and diplomatically isolated.

When systems fail the drawbacks of an increasingly exclusive focus on digital-systems training – and the associated sacrifice of traditional training – become readily apparent.

The fundamental principle of utilizing a combination of conventional and irregular methods to achieve a political objective is consistent with older forms of conflict.

Clausewitz would laud Putin’s ability to use war as a way of achieving political ends.

"America’s Modern Wars: Understanding Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam" (Casemate, 2015, 376 pages, $32.95) by Christopher A. Lawrence.

In this article, I apply Jonathan Matusitz’s insights from Symbolism in Terrorism to identify and isolate the plotline of the ISIS beheading narrative.

The recent National Security Strategy (NSS) as well as events unfolding in Iraq may point the way for what we will see in the years to come and how we can expect to deal with it.

Last year was witness to three police operations against gangs in Catalonia, targeting the Latin Kings, the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13), and the Bloods.

It was the anniversary of the passing of Ed “Too Tall” Freeman, Congressional Medal of Honor winner and a true shepherd of the National flock.

Outlines the root causes of Colombia’s existing security and development challenges and highlights some of the shortcomings in Colombia’s “counterinsurgency” strategy.

This article examines the effectiveness of the Australian Defence Force’s interaction with government and non-government agencies in ‘small wars’ since 1999.

The hope is that this investigation will shed light on a little-remembered chapter of American history; thus providing policy makers with yet another historical data point to draw upon.

Interview with Carter Malkasian, the author of “War Comes to Garmser. Thirty Years of Conflict on the Afghan Frontier”.

Given global urbanization trends, the Army must be prepared to confront challenges arising in megacities to remain a relevant instrument of national power.

While it would be tempting to posit Paris as another bloody data point explained by our conceptual schema, Paris is in fact cause for broadening and expanding it.

Within Army culture there is a basic misunderstanding regarding Standards and Rules. They are not the same, despite a long-standing military belief in equivalence.