Small Wars Journal

Blog Posts

SWJ Blog is a multi-author blog publishing news and commentary on the various goings on across the broad community of practice.  We gladly accept guest posts from serious voices in the community.

by Military Times | Fri, 09/23/2016 - 10:21pm | 3 comments

Most American military personnel are deeply skeptical of nation-building missions overseas and would prefer to see leaders focus the country's resources on less ambiguous missions.

by SWJ Editors | Fri, 09/23/2016 - 2:15pm | 0 comments

Continue on for the video.

by Allen M. Coones | Wed, 09/21/2016 - 12:40pm | 0 comments

The Silver Wings perform more parachute demonstrations in a year than the ubiquitous Golden Knights with a fraction of the budget and with primarily part-time team members.

by Asia Times | Tue, 09/20/2016 - 3:10pm | 3 comments

"Although Pyongyang appears to be stable now, such stability is like nuclear deterrence: it works right up to the day when it does not."

by Bloomberg News | Tue, 09/20/2016 - 11:29am | 0 comments

"Trying to secure North Korea after a chaotic collapse or overthrow of the Kim regime would be a nightmare."

by Institute for Strategic, Political, Security and Economic Consultancy | Tue, 09/20/2016 - 9:18am | 0 comments

While in the past, irregular tactics and protracted forms of conflict have mostly been marked as tactics of the weak, in future hybrid opponents may exploit them because of their effectiveness.

by Forbes | Mon, 09/19/2016 - 9:44am | 19 comments

"This bleak outlook arises mainly because of the aggressive nationalism being exhibited by Putin and because of strategic misjudgments by the last two U.S. presidents."

by The Modern War Institute | Mon, 09/19/2016 - 8:19am | 3 comments

"Once a widely practiced tradition, professional soldiers are no longer commonly embedded as official military observers during war."

by Voice of America | Sun, 09/18/2016 - 4:05pm | 0 comments

The U.S.-Russia negotiated cease-fire in Syria that was negotiated over the heads of militias battling to oust President Bashar al-Assad appears Sunday to be all but dead.

by Military Times | Sun, 09/18/2016 - 12:51pm | 1 comment

The deal for US military cooperation with Russia would expand the current mission in Syria far beyond its exclusive focus on the Islamic State group. And the Pentagon is not happy about it.

by Agence France-Presse | Sat, 09/17/2016 - 8:19pm | 0 comments

"Coalition forces believed they were striking a Daesh fighting position, Central Command said in a statement, using an alternate term for the IS group."

by Voice of America | Sat, 09/17/2016 - 4:43pm | 0 comments

As the Islamic State group's arsenal of sophisticated weaponry dwindles, IS fighters are creating more homemade armaments.

by Army Press, by Robert Cohen | Sat, 09/17/2016 - 1:06pm | 0 comments

Faced with a global Islamist insurgency, the U.S. government and its political system continue to put forth military-heavy policies which advance strategic objectives haphazardly.

by The Boston Globe | Sat, 09/17/2016 - 8:28am | 1 comment

"Why does Snowden get to pick which laws apply to him and which don’t? If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime."

by The Wall Street Journal | Sat, 09/17/2016 - 5:14am | 0 comments

"The U.S. has sent about 40 special-operations troops to work with Turkish forces on clearing out a stretch of the border region in northern Syria still occupied by Islamic State."

by Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction | Fri, 09/16/2016 - 10:13am | 1 comment

SIGAR has released its first lessons learned report. "Corruption in Conflict: Lessons from the U.S. Experience in Afghanistan". Continue on for the interactive website and the full report.

by The Washington Post | Fri, 09/16/2016 - 9:15am | 0 comments

"The Obama administration is considering how to respond. As in most strategic debates, there’s a split between hawks and doves."

by Army Press | Fri, 09/16/2016 - 1:58am | 0 comments

The Mattis Way of War: An Examination of Operational Art in Task Force 58 and 1st Marine Division.

by The Washington Post | Thu, 09/15/2016 - 7:56am | 3 comments

“It is a phenomenon that is anathema to me. It runs counter to everything that any of us whoever entered special operations know [is] the right way to do business.”

by Gary Anderson | Wed, 09/14/2016 - 6:28pm | 0 comments

Americans may despise the Taliban but ISIS makes them look like choirboys.

by Foreign Policy | Wed, 09/14/2016 - 5:55pm | 0 comments

“The troubled Admiral Kuznetsov has had lots of problems but will soon head out on its first combat deployment.”

by National Center for Policy Analysis | Wed, 09/14/2016 - 12:25pm | 0 comments

Current U.S. security assistance programs are ineffective, and often undermine American security, according to a new report from the NCPA.

by Lauren Fish | Wed, 09/14/2016 - 11:19am | 0 comments

The new President will need to have a plan to address this issue without unnecessarily escalating tensions - a tightrope, to be sure, but a necessary one to avoid conflict.

by Voice of America | Wed, 09/14/2016 - 8:22am | 0 comments

Top U.S. defense officials insist they are not turning a blind eye to fears that Russian hackers are trying to hijack upcoming U.S. presidential and local elections.

by Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction | Tue, 09/13/2016 - 4:14pm | 0 comments

SIGAR will release its first lessons learned report, "Corruption in Conflict: Lessons from the U.S. Experience in Afghanistan”, tomorrow. Continue on for details.