Breaking the Boom-Bust Cycle of Irregular Warfare
Shawna Sinnott and Andrew Milburn | 12.18.20
Where does irregular warfare fit within the framework of national security policy? Does the recently released Irregular Warfare (IW) Annex attenuate focus, or relegate IW to a policy afterthought? How can IW concepts become enduring elements of a comprehensive effort toward competition and conflict with US adversaries?
Episode 16 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast is an examination of the IW Annex to the National Defense Strategy of 2018 and includes substantive insight from the US Department of Defense office responsible for the product’s development and recent release. Retired Col. David Maxwell and Mr. Deak Roh explain the impetus for producing the annex and its relevance in an era defined by great power competition. They then discuss the practical considerations of implementation and institutionalization of the annex’s concepts, from aspects of campaign planning to professional military education, and emphasize the critical roles of both special operations and conventional forces. Importantly, our guests evaluate the manner in which these concepts can become enduring elements of the US national security strategy and a crucial component of political warfare in the future.
https://mwi.usma.edu/breaking-the-boom-bust-cycle-of-irregular-warfare/
