Small Wars Journal

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Risks and Threats to National Security “Balancing the benefits of AI with the potential risks of its uses in technologies and security operations. The future will involve AI and human expertise to manage and mitigate the complexities of modern security threats.” WHEN: Thursday, 22 January 2026 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm WHERE: Online REGISTER HERE ★Earn a …
Read more

The post WEBINAR (1/22/26): Artificial Intelligence (AI) Risks and Threats to National Security appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

The Impacts of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies on the Cybersecurity Landscape is hosted by Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency’s Center for Development of Security Excellence.  “This introductory webinar will focus on the impacts of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies on the cybersecurity landscape. It will primarily feature information on new AI policies and guidance’s, as well as general best …
Read more

The post WEBINAR (1/14/26): The Impacts of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies on the Cybersecurity Landscape appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

No Bench, No Game: Reconstituting Special Operations Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Depth from the Reserve | By: MAJ Lucas Harrell for Eunomia Journal This article by MAJ Harrell examines the urgent necessity of developing a robust reconstitution strategy for Special Operations Forces, with a specific focus on Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations. By using recent casualty data from the …
Read more

The post No Bench, No Game: Reconstituting Special Operations Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Depth from the Reserve appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Iran regime said to unleash Hezbollah and Iraqi militias as uprising spreads | By Efrat Lachter for Fox News | January 8, 2026 “Hezbollah and Iraqi militia forces secretly crossed border as demonstrations spread to 200+ cities across 26 provinces.”   Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

The post Iran regime said to unleash Hezbollah and Iraqi militias as uprising spreads appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. Exclusive | Pentagon Chooses DOGE Official and Former Trader to Head Innovation Unit 2. Iran Toughens Crackdown, as U.S. Sketches Out Military Options 3. Iran Threatens to Hit U.S. Bases if Trump Strikes First 4. Radio Farda Returns to Shortwave, Bypassing Iran’s Digital Blackout 5. Inside the Trump administration’s effort to quickly …
Read more

The post 1/11/26 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

“We do know work is going on in the United States by Elon Musk and Neuralink. We do know work is going on through the Havana Syndrome investigation.  The workshop that I attended included people who were neuroscientists. It included people who were involved in the commission on the study of the Havana Syndrome and we know that there are …
Read more

The post Assessing Cognitive Warfare with Dr. Frank Hoffman (Podcast) appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. Eight Military Takeaways from the Maduro Raid 2. Iranians Are Rallying Around the Son of the Former Shah as Protests Swell 3. Iran’s Supreme Leader Says He Won’t Bow Down to Protests or Trump 4. U.S. Forces Seize Fifth Tanker in Campaign to Track Down Venezuelan Oil 5. Latest Pentagon Report: China’s …
Read more

The post 1/10/26 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Check out “The MWI Ukraine Papers, 2022-2025.” The Modern War Institute at West Point’s “Ukraine Papers” chronicle three years of professional military discourse that evolved from early debates about urban warfare and civilian resistance to deeper examinations of stalemate dynamics, the changing character of ground combat, and the complex challenges of ending the Russo-Ukrainian War. Collectively, these articles reveal a …
Read more

The post The MWI Ukraine Papers, 2022-2025 appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Heidi A. Urben, “Politicization of the Military: Causes, Consequences & Conclusions.” Dædalus 154, no. 4 (Fall 2025). Heidi Urben argues that the politicization of the U.S. military represents the most serious contemporary civil-military challenge because, as the state’s “legitimate instrument of violence,” the military loses its democratic foundation when perceived as partisan. She defines politicization broadly—encompassing active alignment, passive support, …
Read more

The post Politicization of the Military: Causes, Consequences & Conclusions appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. Trump Lays Out a Vision of Power Restrained Only by ‘My Own Morality’ 2. America’s New Imperialism 3. Russian Propaganda Ramps Up After U.S. Raid in Venezuela 4. Largest Protests in Years Sweep Through Iran’s Capital 5. Iran Is Cut Off From Internet as Protests Calling for Regime Change Intensify 6. A …
Read more

The post 1/9/26 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access SOF News HERE. Book Review: “Those Who Face Death” by Mark Grdovic January 8, 2026 Guest Books 0 By How Miller. LTC (Ret.) Mark Grdovic (pronounced grid-uh-vich) has written an exciting and knowledgeable account of the U.S. Army Special Forces’ remarkable efforts in Kurdistan that contributed to the success of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He and his 10th SFG (A) Battalion …
Read more

The post SOF News: Book Review: “Those Who Face Death” by Mark Grdovic appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Abstract Four years after the Taliban’s return to power, Afghanistan’s regime faces deepening economic collapse, ethnic alienation, and persistent internal and external pressures. The United States now possesses an ideal opportunity to subvert Taliban rule and deny Afghanistan’s further usage as a terrorist safe haven. While the past quarter-century has seen overt investment into Counter Insurgency Operations, this article explains …
Read more

The post Lawrence’s Shadow: How Afghan Resistance Can Topple the Taliban appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Abstract For decades, the international community has maintained a diplomatic fiction: pretending Taiwan is not a sovereign state despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. This essay argues it is time to break this taboo through incremental, grassroots recognition of Taiwan as an independent nation-state. Five arguments support this shift. First, the Taiwanese people constitute a distinct nation—longitudinal polling shows over …
Read more

The post It’s Time – Recognizing The Taiwanese Nation State appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. A Close Call for U.S. Commandos and an Emboldened Trump 2. Trump proposes massive increase in 2027 defense spending to $1.5T, citing ‘dangerous times’ 3. US will exit 66 international organizations as it further retreats from global cooperation 4. Withdrawing the United States from International Organizations, Conventions, …
Read more

The post 1/8/26 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Steve Leonard’s profile of William “Wild Bill” Donovan traces the evolution of American intelligence through its founding father—from the Medal of Honor recipient who refused evacuation despite a shattered knee in the Argonne to the architect of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Donovan’s battlefield experience in WWI taught him that future conflicts would be decided not by mass but …
Read more

The post Wild Bill: The Leadership Legacy of William Donovan appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Proposal for Establishing the Office of the Deputy Secretary for Military Affairs (DSMA) to Integrate U.S. Special Operations with Department of State Political Warfare and Statecraft Activities. Introduction  The raid that removed Nicolás Maduro and the sudden designation of Marco Rubio as the de facto steward of Venezuela did more than end a regime. It exposed a truth Washington prefers …
Read more

The post To Support an America First State Department, Establish a Deputy Secretary of State for Military Affairs appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

“It felt like you were being hunted versus hunting,” said Col. Scott Wence…I didn’t have any experience talking through how you defeat this,” (CSM) Donaldson said. “None of us did.”  Is the U.S. Army paying attention to the lessons learned in conflict zones around the world? sUAS (small unmanned aerial systems, i.e., drones) have transformed modern warfare, and it is …
Read more

The post Adapting the Combat Training Centers for the Drone Battlefield appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. Field Observation: Where the United States Tests Against Chinese Military Technology 2. Operation Absolute Resolve: Anatomy of a Modern Decapitation Strike 3. What the Venezuela Attack Means for China 4. How the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ Reinforces Xi’s Vision of Power in Asia 5. Exclusive | Russia Sends Submarine …
Read more

The post 1/7/26 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

“Beyond Resilience: A Nuanced Framework for Conceptualizing Resistance Networks” at Strategy Central, by Maurice “Duc” Duclos and Chad Machiela. Summary In “Beyond Resilience,” Duclos and Machiela challenge the current resistance-planning discourse’s overreliance on “resilience” as an imprecise catch-all concept, arguing that the 2020 Resistance Operating Concept treats it primarily as a preparatory condition often conflated with “will to resist.” This conceptual …
Read more

The post Beyond Resilience: A Nuanced Framework for Conceptualizing Resistance Networks appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Editor’s Note: this article is being republished with the permission of the Irregular Warfare Initiative as part of a republishing arrangement between IWI and SWJ. The original article was published on December 30, 2025 and is available here.  At the onset of the Israel-Iran conflict, news websites warned the public of the possible collateral damage the Israel-Iran fight could generate in cyberspace. The …
Read more

The post The Cyber Wars That Weren’t appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.