Small wars are operations undertaken under executive authority, wherein military force is combined with diplomatic pressure in the internal or external affairs of another state whose government is unstable, inadequate, or unsatisfactory for the preservation of life and of such interests as are determined by the foreign policy of our Nation.

-- Small Wars Manual, 1940

Welcome. Small Wars Journal publishes contributed work from across the spectrum of stakeholders in small wars. We look for articles from serious, authentic voices that add richness, breadth and depth to the dialog that too often occurs in cloistered venues. We do not screen articles for conformance with a house view; our only position is that small wars are wicked problems warranting consideration of myriad views before action, to inform what will no doubt be imperfect decisions with significant unintended consequences. On the continuum from paralysis by analysis, to informed action with recognition & maybe mitigation of cascading effects, to bold & ignorant decisiveness, we strive to help our readers find the middle ground.

Our content is generally available to any internet user. You need an SWJ Username to comment. Register or Login, it is free and easy. Please note that our discussion board, Small Wars Council, uses a separate Council Usernamemore about that here.

journal

Steven Metz writes about the psychology of insurgents. It is not mirror-image political concerns that they are after, but psychological needs.

Mike Few interviews civil war historian Mark Grimsley, research affiliate at The Ohio State University and author of several books, about reconstruction and insurgency.

American defense planners must consider what an era of persistent conflict will require of them.  Will the dictates of the Powell Doctrine or the imperatives of "human security" win...

Pierce and Zanol offer a concept for maneuver in n-dimensional terrain.  Does this provide the conceptual basis to combat "wicked" problems?

Jeremy Gwinn focuses on the "transition" phase of security force assistance in Afghanistan.

swj blog

Victorian Fontan traces one Iraqi's journey through insurgency and his violent end at Carl Prine's LOD.

The real debate over small wars should be about how we enter them.

This week, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta rolled out the Pentagon's post-COIN budget. He's taking the military to the high-tech future Donald Rumsfeld had in mind in 2001.

Fabius Maximus argues that the only way to constrain United States militarization in foreign policy is to dissolve the Army and bring back the Militia

The Vietnam War seared the issue of MIAs into America's culture.  Writing for Time Magazine, Marine Captain Bingham Jamison asks us not to forget about the newest MIAs.