Small Wars Journal

Journal

Journal Articles are typically longer works with more more analysis than the news and short commentary in the SWJ Blog.

We accept contributed content from serious voices across the small wars community, then publish it here as quickly as we can, per our Editorial Policy, to help fuel timely, thoughtful, and unvarnished discussion of the diverse and complex issues inherent in small wars.

by David F. Eisler | Tue, 07/14/2015 - 5:57pm | 2 comments

This article examines how the analytical methods developed during World War II influenced future military intelligence analysis in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

by Ajit Maan | Tue, 07/14/2015 - 3:16pm | 4 comments

Those of us focused on the narrative battle are pretty much in agreement about one thing: we are losing. We are losing badly.

by John Hoven, by Joel Lawton | Tue, 07/14/2015 - 11:18am | 3 comments

The use of qualitative analysis within the Army intelligence community can help remedy certain capability gaps in obtaining locally nuanced information.

by Kevin Benson | Mon, 07/13/2015 - 6:16pm | 15 comments

Many pundits and politicians decry America and the Obama administration’s lack of a strategy on how to deal with the ISIS. 

by Malcolm Beith | Mon, 07/13/2015 - 2:49pm | 0 comments

The real issue is whether the Mexican public and authorities can tolerate such a setback.

by Stephen Okin | Thu, 07/09/2015 - 12:47pm | 17 comments

For a variety of reasons, policymakers are increasingly enamored with special operations forces (SOF) and risk damaging not only the future credibility of the forces but also national security.

by Robert Bunker, by Pamela Ligouri Bunker | Wed, 07/08/2015 - 3:04pm | 2 comments

A workshop on ‘Proxy Actors, Psyops & Irregular Forces: The Future of Modern Warfare?’ was held by The Scottish Centre for War Studies, University of Glasgow.

by Justin Lynch | Thu, 07/02/2015 - 10:41am | 2 comments

The United States’ military must find a way to accomplish its strategic objectives during wars among populations.

by Rose Lopez Keravuori | Thu, 07/02/2015 - 10:27am | 1 comment

While lessons learned from the Battle of Fallujah have replaced the lectures on the Battle of Waterloo its relevance in interacting with multinational coalitions during joint operations remains.

by Cori E. Dauber | Wed, 07/01/2015 - 12:10pm | 1 comment

It is widely acknowledged that ISIS is enormously sophisticated in its use of Social Media. It is also widely acknowledged that they have had great success recruiting fighters from around the globe.

 

by Michael L. Burgoyne | Wed, 07/01/2015 - 6:58am | 0 comments

The Epic Journey of Uruguay’s Tupamaros

by Aaron W. Miller | Mon, 06/29/2015 - 9:15pm | 1 comment

Using interviews as background and Afghanistan as a case study, this article captures tactics that may allow future commanders to build the basis for sustainable governance.

by Thomas Briggs | Mon, 06/29/2015 - 8:17pm | 6 comments

As the development of a doctrine for the Human Domain within the SOF community continues, the need for expertise to meet doctrinal needs will soon overburden available resources.

by Fletcher Schoen | Mon, 06/29/2015 - 7:43pm | 15 comments

The full spectrum of UW capabilities has been underappreciated both as a mission area and corresponding capability set.

by Peter Murphy | Sun, 06/28/2015 - 3:58pm | 33 comments

Why Military Advising Was So Successful in Vietnam…for the Chinese: And What the US Can Learn From It

by Brenda Fiegel | Sat, 06/27/2015 - 8:54pm | 0 comments

The US Army can expect a future of potential or protracted confrontation among state, nonstate, and individual actors who will use violence to achieve political, religious, and other ideological ends.

by Brandon Neilan | Sat, 06/27/2015 - 7:18pm | 1 comment

Zack Baddorf recently went to the Ukraine to cover the bloody conflict for War Is Boring that has cost over 6,000 lives and devastation to the eastern portion of the country.

by Robert R. Greene Sands | Sat, 06/27/2015 - 6:35pm | 0 comments

I am an anthropologist and with help from my creative course designer Jessica DeVisser, we just built a culture MOOC (massive open online course) within a multi-media iBook.

by Keith Nightingale | Sat, 06/27/2015 - 4:11pm | 0 comments

Throughout our Nation’s history, our population is allowed to grow old because many of our young do not.

by Jeff Moore | Wed, 06/24/2015 - 9:18am | 19 comments

This war is indeed global. Every region on earth is bearing the brunt of Islamist jihad terrorism and insurgency.

by Anthony Marston, by Cassandra Crosby | Tue, 06/23/2015 - 8:01am | 9 comments

“They don’t think it be like it is, but it do."

 

by Keith Nightingale | Mon, 06/22/2015 - 1:11am | 1 comment

In every conflict we have ever fought within any maneuver element, there has always been a person on the Point.

by David S. Maxwell | Wed, 06/17/2015 - 9:27am | 48 comments

For decades now Special Operations Forces have made numerous important contributions to the military services from equipment to tactics to actual operations

by David Isenberg | Mon, 06/08/2015 - 7:10am | 0 comments

SWJ Book Review: Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War by Peter W. Singer and August Cole

by Victor R. Morris | Fri, 06/05/2015 - 12:37am | 17 comments

Justifications for the establishment of a “Nonlinear Warfare Center of Excellence”.

by Paul Kamolnick | Fri, 06/05/2015 - 12:14am | 1 comment

On Self-Declared Caliph Ibrahim’s May 2015 Message to Muslims: Key Problems of Motivation, Marginalization, Illogic, and Empirical Delusion in the Caliphate Project

by Magdalena Defort | Thu, 06/04/2015 - 12:10am | 0 comments

This paper sheds light on the relocation of power and control over security from state to non-state armed actors.

by Octavian Manea | Wed, 06/03/2015 - 5:27am | 9 comments

A SWJ interview with Jim Thomas, Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

by Octavian Manea | Tue, 06/02/2015 - 11:52am | 53 comments

A SWJ interview with Jakub Grygiel and Wess Mitchell, authors of Limited War is Back.

by Christopher D. Kolenda | Wed, 05/27/2015 - 4:06am | 2 comments

By educating and empowering girls in the developing world, we might eventually send fewer Americans into combat overseas.

by Tom Clarity | Tue, 05/26/2015 - 5:52am | 11 comments

The U.S. Navy’s success in future major combat operations may well be determined by its ability to reject centralized C2, establish tenets of Mission Command, and train toward its employment.

by Octavian Manea | Mon, 05/25/2015 - 2:54am | 40 comments

A Small Wars Journal interview with retired US Army Special Forces Colonel David S. Maxwell.

by Michael Coleman, by James Gannon, by Sarah Lynch, by Reginald Evans | Sun, 05/24/2015 - 4:20am | 13 comments

The program should exist independent of contingency operations, remaining instead as an established and enduring military contribution.

by Matthew Blood | Sat, 05/23/2015 - 2:44am | 1 comment

The recent success of the Nigerian government and the international coalition in the fight against Boko Haram is a welcome development.

by Matt Dabkowski, by Cheryl Sim, by Wayne W. Grigsby Jr. | Fri, 05/22/2015 - 5:38am | 0 comments

We offer 12 lessons to other individuals and organizations that may operate in similar environments conducting crisis response.

by Brian C. Leakey | Thu, 05/21/2015 - 4:51pm | 1 comment

Many commanders struggle to write effective Intent statements in a manner that clearly describe their visualization, facilitates effective planning, and provides for disciplined initiative.

by Ben Zweibelson | Thu, 05/21/2015 - 3:27pm | 10 comments

Within military coalitions and governmental organizations, the term ‘deep dive’ continues to gain in popularity and design application for complex conflict environments.

by Joseph J. Collins | Wed, 05/20/2015 - 4:37pm | 9 comments

A constellation of stars is falling on Washington.  As each of the new chiefs takes his chair, he will have to grapple with the pressing problems of strategy, programs, and budgets.

by Robert Bunker | Wed, 05/20/2015 - 4:15pm | 0 comments

Mexican Cartel Tactical Note #24: Gendarmerie Ambushed in Ocotlan, Jalisco State by Narco Commando—5 Killed, 8 Wounded

by Aaron W. Childers | Thu, 05/14/2015 - 10:28am | 8 comments

Given current adversaries and the changing nature of the world we live in today, the US Army needs to embrace Secretary Work’s advice on the need for innovation.

by Octavian Manea | Wed, 05/13/2015 - 5:58pm | 8 comments

A SWJ discussion with Emma Sky, the author of the just published book “The Unraveling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq”.

by Scott Stanford | Wed, 04/01/2015 - 6:21pm | 19 comments

It will come as bad news to many in the Army that there is no longer any such thing as “the enemy.”

by Nathan A. Jennings | Wed, 03/25/2015 - 7:44am | 5 comments

An entire American armored brigade in Poland, in particular, would finally capture acute historical significance.

by Victor R. Morris | Wed, 03/25/2015 - 1:09am | 9 comments

One of the current challenges involving COISTs stems from an overall military shift.

by Jeff Goodson | Tue, 03/24/2015 - 12:45am | 5 comments

It is a tenet of our system of justice that the punishment should fit the crime.

by Keith Nightingale | Sun, 03/22/2015 - 10:36pm | 7 comments

Understanding ISIS is fairly simply, resolving it as a matter of National interest is a lot harder.

by Robert Bunker | Sun, 03/22/2015 - 10:25pm | 0 comments

“Splinter Gulf Cartel drug groups fight for control of Matamoros/Reynosa.”Mexico DailyReview. 14 February 2015,

by Paul Rexton Kan | Sun, 03/15/2015 - 9:23pm | 6 comments

Many in the academic and policy communities share the notion that organized crime groups operate similarly to legitimate businesses.

by Joseph V. Moreno, by Michael Deegan | Fri, 03/13/2015 - 11:47am | 0 comments

Jordan is a key United States strategic partner. This essay provides basic information about Jordan the military practitioner should know.

by Spencer B. Meredith III | Thu, 03/12/2015 - 8:03pm | 0 comments

Special Operations Forces have the potential to prevent and deescalate many conflicts before they become outright shooting wars.