Small Wars Journal

Abstract Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood, when combined with state sponsorship and governance vacuums, create resilient networks that challenge U.S. counterterrorism priorities. Turkey’s dual posture as a NATO ally and patron of Islamist networks complicates alliance cohesion and reshapes irregular warfare dynamics. Libya illustrates the limits of U.S. policy: By tacitly supporting a Brotherhood‑linked government, Washington aligned with …
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Recently, the Defense Department launched Google Cloud’s Gemini for Government as the first of many programs comprising the Pentagon’s new Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform, GenAI.mil. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrote that “AI tools present boundless opportunities to increase efficiency, and we are thrilled to witness AI’s future positive impact across the War Department.” AI can be a powerful productivity …
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 15, 2026 China’s Fishing Offensive: How China’s Fishing Fleet Monopolizes Food Around the World Today, Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) of the Select Committee on China and Chairman Carlos Giménez (R-FL) of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee released a new investigation detailing how China is the world’s largest perpetrator of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The investigation …
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Security & Defence PLuS Annual Report 2025 | 13 January, 2026 “Over the past twelve months, Security & Defence PLuS has continued to mature as a genuinely trilateral enterprise linking Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Our core proposition remains clear: to bridge policy, academia, industry, and practitioners to generate practical, decision-relevant insight for an increasingly contested security …
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Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. How War With China Begins 2. How Trump’s Foreign Policy Gambits Are Reshaping the World 3. U.S. Blockade Shuts Off China, Cuba From Venezuelan Oil 4. Trump Says Iran Needs New Leaders 5. Taiwan’s Flagship Chip Maker Charts a Future Beyond Taiwan 6. Trump to Hit European Nations With 10% Tariffs as …
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The post 1/18/26 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Professor of Practice, Future Security Initiative & Professor of Practice, School of Politics & Global Studies In a global political era defined by strategic competition between the world’s great powers, what is the role of irregular warfare in U.S. grand strategy? Why is the United States so bad at irregular warfare and why do its adversaries think it’s so good …
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Congratulations to our incredible Managing Editor, Lt. Col. Amos Fox, Ph.D., and his co-editor, Franz-Stefan Gady, on releasing their new book and earning Amazon’s “Top New Release” in the Military Policy Category! Multidomain Operations: The Pursuit of Battlefield Dominance in the 21st Century, by Amos C Fox (Editor), Franz-Stefan Gady (Editor) “In Multidomain Operations: The Pursuit of Battlefield Dominance in the 21st Century, Amos …
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The post Dr. Amos Fox of SWJ Releases New Book: Multidomain Operations: The Pursuit of Battlefield Dominance in the 21st Century appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Nov 30, 2023 Countering Chinese Cognitive Warfare Presenter: LtGen Robert Schmidle USMC (ret) Professor of Practice, FSI former Deputy Director of US Cyber Command

The post VIDEO: Countering Chinese Cognitive Warfare- LtGen Robert Schmidle USMC (ret) appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. The Country’s First ‘Cognitive Advantage’ Chief: Influence Is the New Battlefield 2. The Bridge at the Center of the Pentagon 3. The Stain of American Timidity 4. Congress calls for expanded multilateral defense ties across Indo-Pacific 5. How Trump Went From ‘Locked and Loaded’ to Hitting Pause on Striking Iran 6. Iran’s Leader …
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The post 1/17/26 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

“The Lethality of Relationships: Understanding Culture is a Necessary Skill,” by Mark Koopman, CSM (ret.) and Dr. Emily Stranger, Special Warfare Journal, January 15, 2026. This article argues that cultural competence and relationship-building are essential force multipliers for special operations forces. When “the population is the center of gravity,” understanding that population becomes imperative for mission success. Comprehensive interdisciplinary cultural …
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This is Venezuela’s Moment Roberto Patiño | November 26, 2024 “Venezuelan democracy and human rights activist Patiño is a social entrepreneur and a former leader in the Venezuelan student democracy movement. He is the founder of the organizations Mi Convive and Alimenta La Solidaridad that work in 240 vulnerable communities empowering thousands of women volunteers to feed thousands of children. …
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In early 2026, Venezuela remains a hybrid threat to the Western Hemisphere. The recent US capture of its strongman Nicolás Maduro Moros has not changed that basic reality. Authoritarian rule, criminal markets, migration pressures, and external influences undermine maritime security, finances, and regional stability. International reports document systematic repression, selective prosecution, and a largely hollowed-out separation of powers.[1] Electoral processes …
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The post Venezuela’s Hybrid Threats: Why Evidence Architecture Matters for US Security appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. William P. Yarborough and the Birth of the American Paratrooper Image 2. PODCAST: Rob Thelen on the US Army IWar Initiative 3. With Military Action on Hold, the U.S. Puts New Sanctions on Iran 4. Trump Was Told Attack on Iran Wouldn’t Guarantee Collapse of Regime 5. …
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The post 1/16/26 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Michael McNair’s “The Bridge at the Center of the Pentagon” argues that Elbridge Colby, now serving as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, is not improvising U.S. defense strategy but implementing the framework he laid out in his own 2021 book, The Strategy of Denial. McNair emphasizes that Colby’s framework treats preventing Chinese regional hegemony as “the non-negotiable core interest …
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Take a look at “America’s Special Forces Are Caught Up in the AI Craze,” by Stavros Atlamazoglou at The National Interest. Stavros Atlamazoglou writes that “Special Operations Command hopes that AI can help during night raids—when it can quickly process information extracted from target sites, allowing for faster subsequent raids.” USSOCOM seeks to integrate artificial intelligence into sensitive site exploitation …
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Access SOF News HERE.   William P. Yarborough and the Birth of the American Paratrooper Image January 15, 2026 Moon Mullins History 0 https://sof.news/history/birth-of-the-american-paratrooper-image/ In the nascent days of America’s airborne forces (1940–1942), Lieutenant William P. Yarborough, a young officer with remarkable foresight, recognized a fundamental truth: forging an elite military force requires more than tactics and training; it demands a unique identity. This …
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(Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of essays coordinated with the National Center for Narrative Intelligence (NCNI). (https://nationalcenterfornarrativeintelligence.org)) NATO’s Chief Scientist has done the hard work. The report on Cognitive Warfare is clear, sober, and useful. It treats cognitive warfare as a fight for cognitive superiority, waged through synchronized military and non-military action across the continuum of …
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Wargaming remains a cornerstone of military planning, enabling commanders to test courses of action (COAs), anticipate adversary responses, and refine operational designs under compressed timelines. As articulated in Joint Publication (JP) 5-0, Joint Planning, wargaming synchronizes warfighting functions through action-reaction-counteraction cycles, exposing vulnerabilities and optimizing resource allocation. Yet, traditional analog methods—reliant on manual adjudication and static maps—constrain iteration and depth, …
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The post AI-Enabled Wargaming at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College: Its Implications for PME and Operational Planning appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

#235 Rob Thelen on the US Army IWar Initiative is a published by The Information Professionals Association. “The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During …
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Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, Challenged Sovereignty: The Impact of Drugs, Crime, Terrorism, and Cyber Threats in the Caribbean. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2024. [ISBN: 978-0252087776, Paper, 336 pages] Challenged Sovereignty written by Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith is a critical study of security issues plaguing the sovereign states of the Caribbean. Griffith is a Fellow with the Caribbean Policy Consortium and Global …
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