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India at the Crossroads of Modern Conflict: From Jungle Warfare to Cyber Frontlines
India now faces a complex security environment where conventional threats are merging with irregular challenges. From Chhattisgarh’s jungles to cyberspace, India’s security dilemmas reflect global conflict trends. These include a fusion of insurgency, cyber operations, and hybrid aggression—blurring the lines between internal unrest and external threats. Blurring Lines Between Conventional and Irregular Threats The evolving…
Why Politicized Militaries Like China’s and Russia’s Are Vulnerable to Irregular Warfare
From the outside, authoritarian militaries project order, strength, and cohesion. Flags wave. Ranks shine. Parades thunder with disciplined force. But beneath the surface of tightly controlled structures like China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and Russia’s Armed Forces lies a brittle foundation — one that irregular warfare is uniquely suited to exploit. Despite overwhelming firepower and…
Shadow Over the Grid: A Surge of Sabotage in Venezuela’s Electrical Infrastructure
In early April 2025, Venezuelan authorities announced the arrest of three individuals accused of carrying out a “terrorist sabotage” operation against the nation’s electrical grid. The arrests mark the latest in a troubling pattern of attacks on Venezuela’s critical infrastructure. They have reignited a long-running debate about the links between internal dissent, foreign influence, and…
Irregular, Asymmetric, Hybrid, and Guerrilla Warfare: Sorting the Terms That Shape Modern Conflict
The modern battlefield is no longer confined to tanks, trenches, and clearly drawn front lines. Today’s conflicts merge propaganda with cyber attacks, insurgents with drones, and militias with memes. As this environment evolves, so too does the language we use to describe it. Irregular Asymmetric Hybrid and Guerrilla Warfare are four of the most commonly…
Much Ado About Drones
Why Unmanned Aerial Systems Are Evolutionary, Not Revolutionary for U.S. Warfare Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the United States Department…
Revolutionary Spirits Explores the Enduring Legacy of Che Guevara’s Guerrilla Doctrine
What remains of Che Guevara’s theory of revolution in the 21st century? In an era shaped by cyber conflict, proxy insurgencies, and state surveillance, a return to Guevara’s foundational ideas might seem anachronistic—or surprisingly prescient. A new title released this week by Distillery Press, Revolutionary Spirits: Guerrilla Warfare Theory of Che Guevara, invites readers to…
Sabotage in the Shadows: Pipeline Warfare and Resistance in West Africa
On the muddy creeks of the Niger Delta and far out into the waters of the Gulf of Guinea, an invisible war continues to rage. Pipelines explode in the night. Energy companies scramble to reroute exports. Militants vanish into the mangroves, only to strike again days later. For more than two decades, pipeline sabotage in…
Urban Resistance: Tactics for Fighting in Occupied Cities
As 21st-century warfare continues to shift from open terrain to dense population centers, the ability of irregular forces to mount effective urban resistance has become one of the defining dynamics of modern conflict. Whether facing a conventional military occupation or a hybrid incursion, resistance fighters in cities operate with a unique set of tools, advantages,…
