Small Wars Journal

“Run.” The Ugandan worker took off in an awkward waddle and a cloud of dust. Before me stood a ragtag group of South Sudanese soldiers on the side of the road wearing gym shorts, pistol belts, flip flops, and a few surprisingly new uniforms. I quickly spun and retook my place as the only foreigner – or “muzungu” – on …
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The post Aid Policy in East Africa Needs an Endgame appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare: Theory and Practice.By William H. McRaven. Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1996. ISBN: 978-0891416005. Pp. 432. $17.49 at time of review. William H. McRaven’s Spec Ops is a classic of military theory that fills a notable gap in strategic thought. As McRaven himself notes, military literature spans from Kahn’s nuclear deterrence to Liddell …
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The post Book Review | Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare: Theory and Practice appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. White House Hails Progress in Talks With Ukraine to End War With Russia 2. For a Weakened Zelensky, Yielding to Trump Is Riskier Than Defiance 3. Opinion: The Russian Narrative Is Crumbling 4. Germany wants to build Europe’s strongest army – a new conscription bill is moving that closer 5. Israel Says …
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The post 11/24/25 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

A recent report by Fox News highlights a phenomenon that’s long been on the radar of irregular-warfare scholars but is now stepping into plain view: criminal organisations in Latin America are rapidly advancing their use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) — not just for smuggling, reconnaissance or logistics, but for attacks. The article cites the dramatic uptick of drone-borne threats …
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The post Cartel drone attacks growing exponentially in Mexico, Colombia appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access SOF News HERE.   Special Operations News – Nov 24, 2025 November 24, 2025 John Friberg Update 0 https://sof.news/update/20251124/ Curated news, analysis, and commentary about special operations, national security, and conflicts around the world. Photo / Image: U.S. Army Green Berets with the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) wait for a U.S. Marine Corps V-22 Osprey to land on Fort Carson, Colorado, …
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The post Special Operations News – Nov 24, 2025 appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

ABSTRACT While policymakers focus on a “fait accompli” seizure of Taiwan as the pacing scenario in the Indo-Pacific, this scenario will not occur in isolation. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has clearly messaged its willingness to accomplish this limited objective through an infinite number of measures – Diplomatic, Informational, Military, and Economic (DIME). Emerging agreements amongst partners throughout the …
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The post Multi-domain, Multi-dimension, and Multi-direction: Expanding Regional Cooperation in a Multi-Threat Environment appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

(Author’s note: The majority of the current Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) doctrinal publications, although unclassified, are restricted behind a firewall and not publicly accessible, which further reduces their circulation with potential readers.) In the last few weeks, there has been a fair amount of debate regarding the recent JSOU publication Special Forces has an Identity Crisis, Who are the …
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The post Special Forces Identify Crisis; Déjà vu all Over Again appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

How do Army units survive and win on the modern battlefield? The battlefield has changed, and we must adjust to the new realities. Ukraine has shown that logistical ingenuity and even crowdsourcing are playing a major role in how the zero line or forward line of troops (FLOT) is resupplied. Current standard operating procedures (SOPs) and processes are no longer …
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The post Contested Logistical Resupply to the Zero Line: How Drones and Signals Require a Change in Standard Operating Procedures appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. Trump Says Ukraine Peace Plan Isn’t Final After Criticism It Favors Russia 2. Seeking good relations with Xi’s CCP is a fool’s errand 3. Japan Blasts China’s UN Letter Claim as Baseless, Urges Dialogue 4. Japan’s export of lethal weapons to the US ‘extremely dangerous’: Chinese analysts …
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The post 11/23/25 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. U.S.-China Economic AND Security Review Commission: 2025 Annual Report to Congress 2. Axis of authoritarians poses mounting threat on the global information front 3. US-Philippine task force to reestablish South China Sea ‘deterrence’ 4. China’s Sahel Gamble Falters as Insurgencies Rage 5. How To Win the War in the Next Decade, Part …
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The post 11/22/25 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. The Web of Venezuelan Generals Accused of Fueling the Cocaine Trade 2. RC-135 Accompanied By Fighters Off Venezuela Testing Maduro’s Air Defenses: U.S. Official 3. Trump Peace Plan Demands Major Concessions From Ukraine 4. The Witkoff-Dmitriev peace plan annotated by Sir Lawrence Freedman 5. Fatal Flaw: Ex-CIA Analyst Says Trump’s ‘Peace Plan’ …
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The post 11/21/25 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

The Kennedy Standard In 1962 at West Point, John F. Kennedy looked at a corps of future officers and told them their wars would not look like their fathers’ wars. He spoke of infiltration instead of invasion, subversion instead of elections, guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. Then he did something more important than give a speech. He …
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The post Irregular Warfare Practitioners Ask: Where Is Our JFK? appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

CSDS-SWJ STRATEGY DEBRIEFS – 11/2025 Interview with Clinton Hinote Reimagining Forward Defense as a Multi-Domain “Hellscape” This interview is part of a collaborative initiative with the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy. Lt. Gen. S. Clinton Hinote served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategy, Integration and Requirements, United States Air Force. In that role, he served as the senior Air …
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The post Interview with Clinton Hinote appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Introduction  “Irregular Warfare” (IW) is a U.S. military term for tactics used by state and non-state actors to pressure or persuade populations and decision-makers, shape legitimacy, and wear down an adversary’s will—generally below the threshold of open war. In broader strategic literature, this same sub-threshold space is often called the “gray zone.” Familiar tools in both realms of literature include …
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The post Recognizing the Domestic Use of Irregular Warfare Techniques to Consolidate Executive Power appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. Trump Administration Pushes New Plan for Ending Ukraine War 2. Opinion | Dick Cheney and the Fruits of Regime Change 3. Army names 9 installations that could be chosen for nuclear microreactor project 4. Commercial innovation, not government production, will win the drone war 5. Japan’s no longer ambiguous stance on Taiwan …
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The post 11/20/25 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Introduction In an era defined by artificial intelligence, drones, and satellite-guided warfare, it may seem absurd to suggest that the future of war lies in trenches, artillery, and rifles. Yet history has a way of circling back on itself and as nations race to develop increasingly advanced systems of destruction, they also create the means of their own paralysis. The …
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The post Future War Will Be Fought with Sticks and Stones appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

On 7 November 2025, after a yearlong plus investigation, the Policia Nacional (Spanish National Police) engaged in five simultaneous raids against a distributed Tren de Aragua (TdA) cell producing and distributing illicit narcotics in various Spanish cities. This is the first known TdA cell to have been established in Europe, with thirteen of its members arrested in the investigation. TdA …
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The post Third Generation Gangs Strategic Note No. 60: Distributed Tren de Aragua (TdA) Cell Dismantled in Spain by the Policía Nacional appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. Report: China preparing its population for war with U.S. 2. A Chinese firm bought an insurer for CIA agents – part of Beijing’s trillion dollar spending spree 3. Ukraine hits targets in Russia with U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles, military says 4. China’s Demographics Problem Grows 5. SWJ–El Centro Book Review – Hidden War: …
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The post 11/19/25 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Arab armies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) currently do not perform as proficiently as Western militaries in North America, Europe, or even East Asian militaries. Because of stagnation, corruption, and a lack of a constitution, Arab militaries are plagued by human rights abuses and a lack of unit cohesion. Numerous wars and conflicts in the region …
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The post Explaining The Lack of Proficiency in Arab Armies with Solutions to Modernize appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Editor’s Note: this article is being republished with the permission of the Field Artillery Professional Bulletin. The original article was published on August 13, 2025 and is available here.    Introduction As the United States National Security Strategy highlights, “Our alliances and partnerships around the world are our most important strategic asset” and we will not fight alone in future …
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The post Interoperability: Winning Happens in the Off-Season – The Imperative for Warfighting Success in a Coalition Warfighter Exercise appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.