Center for Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups (CIWAG) Report Maritime Symposium: Gathering Storms & Shifting Tides – Time to Write
by David S. Maxwell
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06.29.2026 at 06:00am
The 2026 Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups (CIWAG) Maritime Symposium, Gathering Storms & Shifting Tides: Maritime Security and Seapower in an Era of Strategic Rivalry, demonstrated once again why the U.S. Naval War College has become one of the nation’s leading venues for advancing thought on irregular warfare in the maritime domain. Over three days in Newport, Rhode Island, military professionals, academics, policymakers, legal scholars, intelligence professionals, technologists, and industry leaders examined the changing character of maritime competition and the growing importance of irregular warfare at sea.
The symposium was a success not simply because of the distinguished speakers or the breadth of topics. It was successful because it fostered what every serious professional military conference should foster: informed debate, thoughtful disagreement, and the exchange of ideas across disciplines. The conversations should not end when the final panel concludes. They should begin there.
The next phase of the symposium is writing.
CIWAG’s Contribution
The Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups was established to promote research, education, and professional dialogue on irregular warfare and armed groups in the maritime domain while bridging the gap between strategy, scholarship, and operations. Through conferences, workshops, podcasts, policy papers, and educational outreach, CIWAG has become one of the principal intellectual centers examining the increasingly complex problems that exist below the threshold of conventional war.
This year’s symposium reflected that mission perfectly.
The agenda addressed nearly every major challenge confronting maritime security today, including:
Special operations
Maritime security and governance
Cartels and narcoterrorism
Shadow fleets
Maritime lawfare
Homeland defense and port security
Seizure and escort operations
NATO and Arctic security
Maritime autonomous systems
https://smallwarsjournal.com/2026/06/29/center-for-irregular-warfare-and-armed-groups/
