Small Wars Journal

Introduction In the early 1990s, Australia acquired a new class of Diesel-Electric Submarines which would come to be known as the Collins-class. This class is based on the Swedish Kockums Type 471. The main purpose of this acquisition was to ensure that Australia had a capability that could project a coherent power into Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific with …
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The post Nuclear Submarine Deterrence for Australia’s Strategic Defense appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. Report: Iran has agreed to relinquish stockpile of highly enriched uranium as part of deal with US 2. Trump Says a Deal for Talks With Iran to End War Is Near Finalization 3. As war evolves, more female troops make the ultimate sacrifice 4. The Former Air Force Pilot Who Was …
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The post 5/24/26 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. ‘We are the memorials’: USASOC honors fallen special operations soldiers 2. White House Approves $9 Billion for Spy Agencies to Catch Up on A.I. 3. The Iran problem won’t be solved without a counter-drone coalition 4. How Xi Jinping is rewriting the rules of global power 5. The US Navy is full …
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The post 5/23/26 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

A new RAND report makes the case that Security Force Assistance—the business of training, advising, and equipping partner militaries—is one of the most cost-effective tools the U.S. has for advancing its strategic interests in Latin America.  “Force Multipliers in the Americas” by Irina A. Chindea, Elina Treyger, Tahina Montoya, and Kiki Hunegs presents a threat picture that will be familiar …
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The post Train Thy Neighbor, Deny Thy Adversary | RAND appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

David Mora of the International Crisis Group has an article out in Foreign Affairs called “Why Mexico’s Cartels Are So Hard to Defeat,” in which he argues Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s real test is whether she can build on the flashy successes of her campaign against criminal organizations and achieve a durable dismantling of their support systems.  Sheinbaum has had …
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The post Sheinbaum’s Real Test | Foreign Affairs appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. Pier Review: Leveraging the Allied Maritime Industrial Base for U.S. Shipbuilding 2. Strait of Hormuz escort missions would ‘exceed’ Navy’s capacity, CNO says 3. ‘Have to be very careful’: Special ops head calls for combat AI ‘reality check’ 4. Top Special Ops Civilian Recounts Successes, Lays Out Vision for Future 5. SOCOM …
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The post 5/22/26 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Editor’s Note: This essay is from the Security & Defence PLuS Emerging Voices Series, which highlights the next generation of scholars and practitioners shaping thinking on strategy, security, and defense. The series brings together perspectives from PhD candidates and early career researchers, grounded in the complex geopolitical realities of the 21st century. The collection explores a “Latticework of Resilience” that connects …
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The post Rethinking Artificial Intelligence at the Strategic Frontier appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Abstract Russia’s March 2026 proposal to restrict foreign AI systems, including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, on the grounds of protecting “traditional Russian spiritual and moral values” has been largely treated as a regulatory story. This analysis argues it is not one. The proposal is the latest expression of a military doctrine documented in Russia’s own authoritative military publications, one that …
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The post For Russia, AI and “Traditional Values” are Part of the Same Security Logic appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

On May 13th, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published a report assessing U.S. aircraft losses sustained in Operation Epic Fury.  The report, called “U.S. Aircraft Combat Losses in Operation Epic Fury: Considerations for Congress,” analyzes news reports and statements by DOD and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) to fill a gap in DOD reporting, which the CBO claims “has not published …
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For 45 days last summer, a single Ukrainian ground robot defended a contested intersection against repeated Russian assault, reports Defense One’s Patrick Tucker in “A Ukrainian ground robot defended a position from Russian assault for six weeks.” A Droid TW 12.7 armed with a 12.7mm machine gun operated with continuous drone surveillance overhead, which detected enemy movement and relayed targeting …
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The post The Little (Ukrainian) Robot that Could appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. Remarks by Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby at the National War College (As Prepared) 2. Senior Special Ops Leaders Discuss Value of Partnerships, Alliances 3. The new era of asymmetric war exposes the limits of conventional warfare 4. Regulatory Friendly Fire: How ITAR Undermines the Alliance It Was …
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The post 5/21/26 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

The insights in this article are drawn from the author’s experience serving with the Security Assistance Group–Ukraine (SAG-U). Abstract The war in Ukraine reveals a fundamental shift in how combat power is generated at the tactical level. The proliferation of cheap, rapidly adaptable systems has enabled a profound decentralization of leadership and responsibilities across fires, electronic warfare, and air defense. …
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The post Distributed Combat Power: How Ukraine is Redefining Fires, Electronic Warfare, and Air Defense at the Tactical Level appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Abstract: The 12-Day War exposed critical vulnerabilities in Iran’s command and control (C2) structure following Israeli decapitation strikes, revealing a gap between doctrine and operational reality. Drawing on two decades of development, Iran’s Mosaic Defense went into effect only in the subsequent conflict against the U.S. and Israel, allowing Tehran to sustain operations across multiple fronts despite significant losses. We …
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The post Mosaic Defense and Dispersed Command: Iran Strikes Back appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

InSight Crime’s Venezuela Investigative Unit published a behind-the-scenes account of how it used an AI research tool to map the evolution of Tren de Aragua’s money laundering apparatus.  The piece documents the unit’s use of Nelson, an AI tool developed by Southern Pulse that draws exclusively from a closed list of vetted sources. Nelson’s closed-source architecture was key. Standard large-language …
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The post The Algorithm and the Cartel: Using AI to Track Money Laundering appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York unsealed charges this week against Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a 32-year-old Iraqi national and senior Kata’ib Hizballah commander. According to the press release, the charges allege his direct involvement in nearly 20 terrorist attacks across Europe and active plotting against targets on U.S. soil. Connections to IRGC The complaint paints …
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The post Kata’ib Hizballah Commander with Ties to Iran Arrested for Terror Campaign appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. The Hidden Chinese Influence in AI 2. That Political Video You Just Liked Is Probably an Ad 3. Taiwan Presses Its Case After Trump Puts Arms Sales in Question 4. Beijing rebukes Philippines over claim proximity guarantees involvement in Taiwan conflict 5. Are we on the cusp of a maritime renaissance in …
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The post 5/20/26 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Contemporary security competition increasingly operates below the threshold of armed attack, within the political, economic, military, social, informational, and infrastructural (PEMSII) domains upon which democratic societies and the international community depend for peace and security. In this environment, the cognitive dimension, encompassing values, beliefs, public trust, perception, and decision-making, becomes a decisive terrain for the generation of strategic impact across …
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The post Ordinary Crime, Hybrid Threat, or Irregular Warfare? appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

SOF Provides the Nerve System to Make Alliances Serve Mutual National Security Interests The new U.S. National Defense Strategy recognizes an uncomfortable truth. The United States cannot secure its interests alone. The era of uncontested American primacy is over. China, Russia, Iran, and north Korea (CRInK) challenge the international order simultaneously and across every domain: military, economic, cyber, informational, political, …
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The post The National Defense Strategy Demands Strong Allies appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Introduction The National Security Strategy (NSS) marks a decisive shift in Washington’s view of the world and Africa. The document’s “America First” orientation is not a rhetorical flourish; it signals a structural repositioning. Africa is no longer framed as a region requiring broad governance support or long‑term stabilization. Instead, it is treated as a secondary theater where U.S. engagement occurs …
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The post Africa After the 2025 National Security Strategy: Burden Sharing, Extremism, and New Sovereignty Politics appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

The United States Army Special Forces are becoming irrelevant, argues Col. Ned Marsh in an Irregular Warfare Initiative piece called “The Last A-Team: Special Forces Aren’t Special Anymore.”  What’s the Problem? For one thing, they are too big. They conduct training operations in up to ninety countries annually. They are continually deployed to every combatant command. Before 9/11, Special Ops …
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The post (Re)making the A-Team | Irregular Warfare Initiative appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.