The operationalization of the Cyberspace Domain at the tactical-level continues to exacerbate both tactical theorists and practitioners alike.
Journal
Journal Articles are typically longer works with more more analysis than the news and short commentary in the SWJ Blog.
We accept contributed content from serious voices across the small wars community, then publish it here as quickly as we can, per our Editorial Policy, to help fuel timely, thoughtful, and unvarnished discussion of the diverse and complex issues inherent in small wars.
Senior leaders within the US military often view detention operations as a supply problem rather than a challenging and continually changing dynamic with strategic level implications.
In the 21st century, there has been an apparent shift in the operations of Mexican criminal organizations since the onset of democratization.
Cameron H. Holmes, Organized Crime in Mexico: Assessing the Threat to North American Economies. Lincoln, NE: Potomac Books, 2014, 200 Pages.
The focus of this interview was ISIS and the current crisis is Syria and Iraq. While the actual interview will be made available by SMA, I am providing the answers I prepared in advance.
If this “luck” can be programmed as an Artificial Intelligence algorithm, then unmanned aviation will truly enter the robotic age.
The international aid community continues to underestimate the power of religion as a potential partner in the context of post-conflict statebuilding.
The purposeful destruction and ransacking of cultural properties has been with us probably for as long as there has been war.
Strategy cannot stand on its own. Strategy exists to support a purpose, its success or failure measured against that purpose.
The 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia and its ongoing intervention in Ukraine demonstrates an increasing reliance on the military and security services as instruments of its grand strategy.
Responding to a perceived increase in radicalization among American Muslims, the White House recently convened a summit on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE).
It is time to recognize the central problem and to understand that nuclear weapons and human suffering are the result of one thing: the existence of the Kim Family Regime.
On-going research on “mega-cities” highlights aspects of large, unplanned cities that make them an operational challenge.
An Army culture that valued robust formations with overwhelming resources must now transform into a culture that embraces the reorganization of the current operational force.
Tony M. Kail, Narco-Cults: Understanding the Use of Afro-Caribbean and Mexican Religious Cultures in the Drug Wars. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2015. 345 Pages. $59.95.
We should recognize that the enemies we fought in Afghanistan and Iraq possessed many advantages, including a level of freedom and knowledge that we sometimes ignore.
Today’s terrorist organizations more resemble organized criminal organizations rather than the strictly political or military organizations they once were.
How can we be at war with an ideology, what is it that attracts its members, and can an ideology really be combated?
The acquisition of Unmanned Aerial Systems by non-state actors will require U.S. forces to modify operational procedures in an approaching era of ubiquitous surveillance.
The most dangerous problem in Libya is the spread of an ISIS-led insurgency that threatens to undermine the stability of the entire region.
The demands on the Active Component necessitates Security Cooperation solutions with the breadth of scope and malleability that can only be optimized by incorporating the US Army Reserve.
Unless the Federal Government of Somalia is able to arrive at a political solution and consolidate control of the country future military victories on the battlefield will accomplish little.
The once-praised concept known as population-centric counterinsurgency, typically abbreviated simply as "COIN", has fallen on hard times.
A review of Thieves of State: How Corruption Threatens Global Security by Sarah Chayes.
Fifteen police officers were killed in a ‘military-style’ ambush in Jalisco on 6 April 2015. The attack resulted in the highest death toll in a single attack since 2010.
The current military approach relegates narratives to a supporting communications effort. Inasmuch, the US military continues to struggle with employing information as an instrument of national power.
Writing and advice in the military often focus on key developmental positions – even though we spend most of our time on staff or broadening assignments.
If training and using allies continues as the US way of war, then the latest generation of US Advisors should add Vegetius to their bookshelves.
Emili J. Blasco, a Washington correspondent for ABC Spain, authored a groundbreaking new book focusing on the corruption in Venezuelan politics.
This article examines how the analytical methods developed during World War II influenced future military intelligence analysis in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Those of us focused on the narrative battle are pretty much in agreement about one thing: we are losing. We are losing badly.
The use of qualitative analysis within the Army intelligence community can help remedy certain capability gaps in obtaining locally nuanced information.
Many pundits and politicians decry America and the Obama administration’s lack of a strategy on how to deal with the ISIS.
The real issue is whether the Mexican public and authorities can tolerate such a setback.
For a variety of reasons, policymakers are increasingly enamored with special operations forces (SOF) and risk damaging not only the future credibility of the forces but also national security.
A workshop on ‘Proxy Actors, Psyops & Irregular Forces: The Future of Modern Warfare?’ was held by The Scottish Centre for War Studies, University of Glasgow.
The United States’ military must find a way to accomplish its strategic objectives during wars among populations.
While lessons learned from the Battle of Fallujah have replaced the lectures on the Battle of Waterloo its relevance in interacting with multinational coalitions during joint operations remains.
It is widely acknowledged that ISIS is enormously sophisticated in its use of Social Media. It is also widely acknowledged that they have had great success recruiting fighters from around the globe.
The Epic Journey of Uruguay’s Tupamaros
Using interviews as background and Afghanistan as a case study, this article captures tactics that may allow future commanders to build the basis for sustainable governance.
As the development of a doctrine for the Human Domain within the SOF community continues, the need for expertise to meet doctrinal needs will soon overburden available resources.
The full spectrum of UW capabilities has been underappreciated both as a mission area and corresponding capability set.
Why Military Advising Was So Successful in Vietnam…for the Chinese: And What the US Can Learn From It
The US Army can expect a future of potential or protracted confrontation among state, nonstate, and individual actors who will use violence to achieve political, religious, and other ideological ends.
Zack Baddorf recently went to the Ukraine to cover the bloody conflict for War Is Boring that has cost over 6,000 lives and devastation to the eastern portion of the country.
I am an anthropologist and with help from my creative course designer Jessica DeVisser, we just built a culture MOOC (massive open online course) within a multi-media iBook.
Throughout our Nation’s history, our population is allowed to grow old because many of our young do not.
This war is indeed global. Every region on earth is bearing the brunt of Islamist jihad terrorism and insurgency.