WAR ROOM welcomes back Michael Ferguson as he continues to look at the future of irregular warfare (IW) and special operations forces (SOF) in great power competition. Ferguson ties together the specific attributes of IW as it plays out in the realm of political warfare and the avoidance of full blown warfare. He makes the case for greater incorporation of IW back into the next round of National Security and National Defense Strategies. This is the second part of a two part article.
Tag Archives: grey zone
IRREGULAR WARFARE IS GREAT POWER COMPETITION – PART 1
Despite the situation that is unfolding in Afghanistan, the National Security community is preparing for future great power conflicts. WAR ROOM welcomes Michael Ferguson as he looks at what that means for irregular warfare (IW) and special operations forces (SOF). Ferguson notes that “For the first time since 2001, violent extremist organizations in the Middle East are not the key focus of the U.S. defense enterprise.” And he insists that IW must remain a core competency of the American military to maintain a forward presence and shape the environment. This is part one of a two part article.
THE ERA OF CONSTANT COMPETITION – PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLES
Competition. In the midst of the 2020 Summer Olympics it seems a very relevant topic. But the rules and goals of the Olympic games are well spelled out, as opposed to competition in the national security realm. WAR ROOM welcomes Tom Harper and Jim Armstrong to examine what competition between the West and Russia and China looks like. They argue that the U.S. and U.K. need to update the principles of war to adequately adapt to the changing character of war and continuous competition.