Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University

In 2018, the West Papua Liberation Army declared open war on the Indonesian military. Since then, at least 100 Indonesian military and security personnel have died, alongside hundreds of civilian casualties, and hundreds more on the rebel side. The most recent victim was an American pilot flying logistics for a Catholic mission in a remote area, executed on the morning … Read more The post Paving the Insurgency: Infrastructure in Papua and the War Jakarta Isn’t Ready to Fight appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Abstract During Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) Rotation 26-01, the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment evaluated the U.S. Army’s Transformation in Contact (TIC) initiative to assess how rapid technological and organizational changes impact tactical execution. The unit’s observations revealed that while modern equipment enhances battlefield capabilities, a critical gap remains between materiel change and the doctrine needed to guide … Read more The post Battalion Perspectives in Contact: Bridging Tactical Gaps During Transformation appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. China’s Top Spy Chief Warns A.I. Is a Threat to Party Rule 2. Ex-CIA boss was at Ukrainian station when Russian drone struck train 3. Constructive strategic stability or strategic accommodation? The Xi-Trump Summit, Taiwan, Europe, NATO and the future of the Asia Pacific. 4. In Hegseth’s Pentagon, Top Leaders Battle … Read more The post 9/15/26 National Security and Korean News and Commentary appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

The study of cognitive warfare has entered a period of remarkable conceptual productivity. New frameworks, new taxonomies, and new categories continue to emerge, each seeking to capture a previously overlooked dimension of conflict. Increasingly, however, the field also appears willing to entertain concepts that are highly speculative, only loosely connected to observable mechanisms, and whose explanatory necessity remains uncertain. The … Read more The post Naming is Not Knowing: Why Cognitive Warfare Studies Need a Methodological Reset appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.

Access the full article HERE. Mateship Under Pressure 10 September 2026 By Paul Gillikin The USMC, Australia, and the Demands of Strategic Denial Current wars in Europe and the Middle East matter, but the central pacing challenge for the United States and its Pacific partners remains China. Beijing is modernising its military, expanding its maritime reach, and using coercive activity below the threshold of open … Read more The post Mateship Under Pressure: The USMC, Australia, and the Demands of Strategic Denial appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.