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 Adam Jay Harrison | Wed, 03/12/2014 - 6:31am | 0 comments

The Defense Innovation Imperative: A Prescription for Preserving and Formalizing Rapid Technology Innovation in the Department of Defense

by Juan-Camilo Castillo | Tue, 03/11/2014 - 7:06am | 0 comments

BACRIM in Colombia: Security Micro-Ecosystems and Violent Non-State Actor Fragmentation

by Evan Munsing | Mon, 03/10/2014 - 1:18pm | 21 comments

A man, a myth, and a Hollywood epic, Thomas Edward Lawrence has served as a theoretical touchstone for generations of professional soldiers.

by Brett Doyle | Mon, 03/10/2014 - 1:43am | 4 comments

Co-Existence, Co-Ordination, and Crowding Out: Examining the Interrelation Between Nonviolent and Armed Resistance Movements

by William Allen | Sun, 03/09/2014 - 1:58am | 0 comments

Once the heart of a bustling Islamic maritime trade the Horn of Africa is now wrought with war, drought, famine, and violent political decay.

by Byron Ramirez | Sat, 03/08/2014 - 8:02am | 0 comments

This essay focuses on a set of highly advanced technological inventions used for transporting and delivering narcotics.

by Octavian Manea | Sat, 03/08/2014 - 5:47am | 35 comments

Responding to Crimea by Bolstering NATO’s Military Presence in Central and Eastern Europe: SWJ Discussion with A. Wess Mitchell.

by Andrew Watkins | Fri, 03/07/2014 - 5:18am | 0 comments

While it may be convenient to write off "spoilers" as intractable enemies of peace to be dealt with solely by coercive force, there do exist possibilities for their integration.

by Dale C. Eikmeier | Thu, 03/06/2014 - 9:55am | 6 comments

This is a follow-up companion piece to the Small War Journal article ‘Give Carl von Clausewitz and the Center of Gravity a Divorce’ July 2, 2013.

by D. Robert Worley | Thu, 03/06/2014 - 8:34am | 4 comments

The Royal Road: A Mission-Oriented Service for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict

by Gary Anderson | Wed, 03/05/2014 - 3:27pm | 0 comments

One More Thought on Unconventional Approaches to Dealing with al Qaeda: If the Afghans Kick Us Out, Let’s Hire the Haqqanis

by Michael Dennis | Wed, 03/05/2014 - 3:07pm | 1 comment

Thrilla in Minnesota: Al-Shabaab vs. The Somali Diaspora

by David Hunter-Chester | Tue, 03/04/2014 - 3:36pm | 4 comments

People do not live in history, they live in the narrative. Nowhere is this truth more evident than between three countries in East Asia.

by Jillian Marie Wisniewski | Mon, 03/03/2014 - 1:23pm | 0 comments

Most aviators and intelligence professionals agree that something about tactical aviation intelligence just isn’t working.

by Joseph A. Warrick | Mon, 03/03/2014 - 7:19am | 23 comments

Radical Islamic Terrorism: An Evolving and Enduring Threat

by Malcolm Beith | Sun, 03/02/2014 - 2:44pm | 0 comments

Mexican Cartel Op-Ed No. 8: Will Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera be tried in Mexico or the United States?

by Henri Boré | Sat, 03/01/2014 - 9:23am | 0 comments

Water Tensions in Africa: Assisting our African Partners in Developing a Riverine Operations Capability

by Jake Villarreal | Fri, 02/28/2014 - 7:50am | 1 comment

Reforming Property Laws in Post-Conflict Societies - Case Study: Afghanistan

by Byron Ramirez | Thu, 02/27/2014 - 2:22pm | 0 comments

Colombian Cartel Tactical Note #1: The Evolution of ‘Narco-Submarines’ Engineering

by Scott Forster | Thu, 02/27/2014 - 12:12pm | 11 comments

As many analysts searched for what our Army must do for America, they envisioned their answer as finding the Holy Grail or a golden nugget. Instead they should have been looking for a fabric.

by Gary Anderson | Wed, 02/26/2014 - 6:18pm | 6 comments

In the struggle against the Jihadists of Al Qaeda and affiliated groups, we need to stop believing that we are dealing with terrorists.

by Joe Harris | Tue, 02/25/2014 - 2:34pm | 1 comment

Intelligence and Policy Making for the 21st Century: A Case-study of the Benghazi Attacks and the Relationship Between Policy Makers and the Intelligence Community

by Stephen J. Fallon | Sun, 02/23/2014 - 2:30pm | 1 comment

Cultural Intelligence has once again become a much sought after commodity in the wake of the September 11th attacks and its ensuing wars.

by Michael McBride | Sat, 02/22/2014 - 5:10pm | 0 comments

An Uncomfortable War in the Graveyard of Empires: Applying the Manwaring Paradigm to the Soviet-Afghan War

by Robert Beljan | Fri, 02/21/2014 - 12:34am | 2 comments

Although categorized differently, ISAF’s counterinsurgency campaign and MONUSCO’s robust peacekeeping have much in common.

by Clint Osowski | Thu, 02/20/2014 - 3:28pm | 4 comments

The definition of cross-border violence fuels current debate and influences the level of cross-border violence within jurisdictions.

by Inge Fryklund | Wed, 02/19/2014 - 2:38pm | 26 comments

Our stability efforts implemented on a national scale, in someone else’s nation, invariably - sometimes sooner, sometimes later - have been a spectacular failure.

by Thomas Kruklis | Wed, 02/19/2014 - 2:14pm | 2 comments

Common questions in the minds of policymakers include “How far can fundamentalist Islam be practiced without interfering with the daily lives and cultures of our countries?” and “Is there a politically correct way to implement laws that address the radicalization of Islam?”

by Graham Williams, by Brian Adams | Wed, 02/19/2014 - 9:40am | 0 comments

This article discusses the issues and challenges with targeting for an advising Battalion and how the Battalion’s leadership, staff, ANSF advisors, and Company Commanders developed an effective solution to targeting as advisors.

by Thomas Doherty | Tue, 02/18/2014 - 6:16pm | 2 comments

The Army continues to debate the use of the term Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance. This debate was triggered when ISR became a synonym for Unmanned Arial Surveillance.

by Keith Nightingale | Fri, 02/07/2014 - 9:09pm | 5 comments

His views and observations are personal, simple and quite visceral.  They may be skewed, wrong, right or something in between.

by Octavian Manea | Thu, 02/06/2014 - 7:53pm | 119 comments

Village Stability Operations and the Future of the American Way of War. SWJ Book Discussion with Linda Robinson on “One Hundred Victories. Special Ops and the Future of American Warfare”.

by Kurt McDowell | Wed, 02/05/2014 - 7:28am | 2 comments

The Collective-Action Frame and Emergence: A Better Understanding of the Operational Environment

by Douglas A. Livermore | Tue, 02/04/2014 - 3:09pm | 201 comments

Pakistani Unconventional Warfare Against Afghanistan: A Case Study of the Taliban as an Unconventional Warfare Proxy Force

by J. Overton | Mon, 02/03/2014 - 5:37am | 0 comments

Speaking of the Long War: CNO Speech Transcripts from 2001 to 2011, and the Contemporary Myth of U.S. Sea Power

by Devin Myler | Mon, 02/03/2014 - 5:06am | 2 comments

Connecting Air Support Acquisitions and National Strategy: The Case for Again Fielding a Light Air Support Aircraft

by Michael McBride | Fri, 01/31/2014 - 6:56am | 0 comments

The Art of Restraining the Knife: Understanding the Limits of Drone Strikes in Pakistan

by Brian S. Petit | Thu, 01/30/2014 - 7:44am | 12 comments

The post-Iraq and Afghanistan US national security environment is predictably yearning for a renewed era of engagement.

by John Wilcox | Wed, 01/29/2014 - 2:06pm | 1 comment

Aid Dependence In Cambodia: How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy by Sophal Ear. SWJ book review by John Wilcox.

by Kevin Lawhon, by Ryan Neely | Wed, 01/29/2014 - 7:37am | 0 comments

A Partnership Forged in Hell: A Non-traditional Approach to Assured Mobility and Security Force Assistance in the Devil’s Elbow

by Virginia Byers | Tue, 01/28/2014 - 3:49pm | 2 comments

Using lessons learned from the PRU and PRT teams, how does an interagency organization improve its collaboration and cooperation in future engagements?

by Robert D. Schroeder | Mon, 01/27/2014 - 6:30am | 5 comments

In 2012, the U.S. Border Patrol transitioned from a resource-based to a new, risk-based approach for measuring border security and informing planning efforts along U.S. borders.

by J. Furman Daniel, III | Sat, 01/25/2014 - 9:09am | 3 comments

This essay argues that General George S. Patton Jr. was a proficient practitioner of small wars in three different contexts.

by Gawdat Bahgat, by Robert Sharp | Fri, 01/24/2014 - 2:21pm | 6 comments

If the US allows Afghanistan to slip from its grasp, it opens the door in classic Great Game theory to other powers.

by Brian Harris | Fri, 01/24/2014 - 1:08pm | 7 comments

Saving the Kiowa: A Case for Augmenting the Reconnaissance and Security Brigade with the Aviation it Needs

by Octavian Manea | Fri, 01/24/2014 - 12:46am | 1 comment

NATO’s Post ISAF Challenges and the Danger of a Hollow Alliance: SWJ Interview with Dr. Andrew A. Michta

by David Shunk | Thu, 01/23/2014 - 4:09pm | 7 comments

Mega cities will complicate and greatly challenge Army urban combat missions in the 2030-2040 timeframe.

by Carl Forsling | Wed, 01/22/2014 - 3:57pm | 8 comments

The words,”put up or shut up” come to mind when talking about the advisor mission.

by Justin Lynch | Wed, 01/22/2014 - 12:09am | 1 comment

America’s recent counterinsurgency campaigns have caused a disconnect between strategic and foreign policy objectives.

by Bernard Carreau | Tue, 01/21/2014 - 1:37pm | 1 comment

Continuing the Fight: How New Joint Doctrine Advances the Counterinsurgency Debate