The Irregular Warfare Podcast explores an important component of war throughout history. Small wars, drone strikes, special operations forces, counterterrorism, proxies—this podcast covers the full range of topics related to irregular war and features in-depth conversations with guests from the military, academia, and the policy community. The podcast is a collaboration between the Modern War Institute at West Point and Princeton University’s Empirical Studies of Conflict Project.
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
War at Arm’s Length: Can Military Assistance Work?
#49 trending · Government
U.S. military assistance often has a bad reputation, but it isn’t doomed to failure. This episode examines why security assistance succeeds with some partners and falls s
Sep 15 55 min
Hidden Costs of Precision
Episode 164 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast grapples with the hidden costs of precision warfare, looking at how drone strikes affect civilian populations well beyond the
Sep 1 51 min
The Future of War Part IV: Special Operations on a Global Battlefield
This episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast concludes our four-part Future of War series, pairing author and futurist August Cole with senior special operations leaders
Aug 18 1 h 12 min
From Subversion to Resistance: Lessons from Russia’s War in Ukraine
Today’s episode examines how Russian agents and local militants exploited ambiguity, weak state capacity, and fragmented local authority to transform unrest in the Donbas
Aug 11 59 min
Five Years After the Withdrawal: Insights from the Afghanistan War Commission
Ahead of the fifth anniversary of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan this August, Dr. Colin Jackson and Colonel (Ret.) E.J. Degen join us to discuss initial insight
Jul 28 1 h 01 min
Innovation Under Fire: What WWII’s Commandos Teach Us About War and the Future of Special Operations
Description
Episode 160 examines the origins of Britain’s World War II commandos and the enduring role of special operations forces from Churchill’s era to today.
Summa
Jul 21 50 min
From NATO to the Gulf: Allies, Access, and the Hidden Architecture of American Power
Description
Episode 159 examines the relationship between alliances, military access, and U.S. global power projection.
Summary
This episode explores an often overloo
Jul 7 56 min
The Wars Nuclear Weapons Don't Prevent
Nuclear weapons may make direct war between major powers less likely, but they do not end competition. Instead, they push states toward indirect forms of conflict: proxy
Jun 23 52 min
Setting Out to Win: Why America Needs to Get Serious About Irregular Warfare
This episode examines why the United States has failed at irregular warfare and what it would take to reverse that trajectory—not merely to deter, but to actually win.
Jun 9 56 min
Iran, Ukraine, and the Future of Naval Warfare
Description
Episode 156 examines what the U.S.-Iran War and Russia-Ukraine War reveal about how weaker states and irregular actors contest navies, maritime commerce, and
Jun 2 48 min
Hellscape Taiwan: Drones, Deterrence, and the Future of Asymmetric Defense
This week’s episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast examines how Taiwan could deter—or potentially defeat—a Chinese invasion by transforming the Taiwan Strait into an “u
May 20 52 min
The Counterinsurgency Dilemma: Foreign Fighter Influence on Insurgencies in Afghanistan and Somalia
Episode 154 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast examines a core puzzle in intrastate conflict: how a small number of foreign fighters can exert outsized influence on insurge
May 8 50 min
Where the Lion Can’t Reach: Unconventional Warfare in Major War
Description
Episode 153 examines the role of unconventional warfare and special operations forces in conventional major war.
Summary
This conversation explores how unc
Apr 24 51 min
What the Hell is Irregular Warfare Anyway?
Episode 152 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast grapples with the many definitions of irregular warfare used across the community of interest.
In this episode, our guests d
Apr 17 1 h 01 min
Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare
Episode 151 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast explores how the United States wields power not only through military force, but through dollars, sanctions, export controls,
Apr 3 58 min
From Orbit to Objective: Space and the Future of Conflict
Space is no longer a silent backdrop to conflict—it is a contested domain that enables, shapes, and increasingly defines how wars are fought. In this episode, Ben Jebb an
Mar 20 51 min
Iran, Revolution, and the Logic of Proxy Warfare
Episode 150 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast examines the historical and strategic forces that shaped modern Iran and explores how the Islamic Republic uses irregular war
Mar 13 39 min
The Strategic Logic of Large Militant Alliance Networks
Episode 148 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast explores why militant groups form alliances, and what the content of those alliances can tell us about their organizational c
Mar 6 56 min
Preserving the American Edge: Revitalizing the Defense Industrial Base
Episode 147 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast examines the past, present, and future of America’s defense industrial base—and why its strength may determine the outcome of
Feb 20 1 h 01 min
Competitive Intervention, Proxy War, and Military Assistance: Anderson, Eyre, and Kuhlman
Description:
Episode 146 examines the impact of external military assistance on civil wars.
Summary
This conversation delves into the complexities of competitive inte
Feb 6 55 min
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Chart positions
Where Irregular Warfare Podcast ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 20, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
An exceptional podcast that’s deeply informative. Can’t recommend more highly.
Review1299 · Mar 2026
And most importantly, accurate! Speculation is a huge aspect of irregular warfare but from everything I’ve seen with my own 2 eyes, these talks are the highest quality of information you will come across. Find any subject in here and have a listen. You won’t be disappointed
Gfccjciclclclc · Jul 2024
LOVE this podcast! I walk away from each episode with several new research ideas and more insight into how practitioners think about irregular warfare. I’ve assigned episodes on my course syllabi and they’re always a big hit with the students.
SocialScientistofWar · May 2024
This podcast is straightforward. The guests are knowledgeable and thoughtful. The presentation is without extraneous nonsense. And the topics are important to understand the world we live in now, and what are the various scenarios for the future. Should be required listening by every government official as well as in schools.
spintrongalaxy · Dec 2023
This podcast has been a good source of information and ideas concerning irregular warfare, but the last several guests have offered very little concrete practical recommendations and instead fall back on purely academic or theoretical scripts. It’s frustrating because you get 3/4 through a podcast and realize you could have gotten the same points from skimming an article in 5min versus wasting 45min. This is especially evident in the latest episode “plausible deniability and proxies”. Disappointing and a waste of valuable time.
Bloxk · Apr 2025
Very informative but over the last 6 months or so the guests have exhibited very left leaning political bias and narratives that detract from their the objective nature of the topics.
bay650 · Jun 2023
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