Kyle Atwell

Afghan 5 Years Later conference | 6-7 May | Arlington, VA. Orgs planning: MWI, IWI, & AUSA Register below buff.ly/4kINlaL

New from the Irregular Warfare community: A conversation with former Israeli Shin Bet Director and Commander-in-Chief of the Israeli Navy, Ami Ayalon. In this Q&A with the Irregular Warfare Initiative’s Maritime Program, Ami Ayalon reflects on the evolving conflicts involving Iran and Gaza, the strategic role of naval power, and what modern warfare reveals about deterrence, intelligence, and political strategy. He also outlines three strategic roles for the Israeli Navy: maintaining a credible second-strike capability, defending sea lines of communication vital to Israel’s economy, and conducting maritime special operations to disrupt weapons flows and hostile networks. Read the full interview here: irregularwarfare.org/articles/ami-a… #IrregularWarfare #MaritimeStrategy #NavalPower #MiddleEast #NationalSecurity #StrategicStudies #SecurityStudies

Where it all began buff.ly/44Bpo4H

New

Latest pod with Army CTO Alex Miller and Dr. Seth Jones from @CSIS

China’s digital yuan is not just a payments innovation — it represents a new model of state-controlled financial architecture that could reshape sovereignty, data governance, and economic influence across Southeast Asia. At the same time, regional partners and U.S. allies are exploring alternative approaches built on private-sector innovation, regulatory oversight, and financial resilience. In China’s Digital Yuan and the Fight for Southeast Asia’s Financial Infrastructure, Hugh Harsono examines how digital currency systems are emerging as tools of influence in the gray zone between economics, technology, and national security. Read the article here: irregularwarfare.org/articles/china… #IrregularWarfare #EconomicStatecraft #DigitalCurrency #GreatPowerCompetition #SoutheastAsia #NationalSecurity #FinancialInfrastructure

The Private Capital Investor Cohort (PCIC) Assessment Event (AE) is now live! This event is for U.S. Citizens only. SOFWERX, in collaboration with @USSOCOM, will host an Assessment Event to identify private capital organizations with novel technology companies that align with the Special Operations Forces Acquisition Technology and Logistics (SOF AT&L) portfolio. Background/Synopsis USSOCOM requires a private capital cohort to help accelerate capability development across all USSOCOM Program Executive Offices. Private capital organizations must understand markets and technologies aligned with SOF interests and have expertise in academic and accelerator services. Understanding that awardee maturity can happen through commercial revenue, Prime partnerships, Phase III contracts, private investment, and other government opportunities, a solution provider must have expertise on all means to actualize the capability. Objective The objective is to provide a purpose-driven community around accelerating SOF capability to solve operational problems. This program will host in-person and virtual events focused on best practices to deliver new capabilities at speed and scale to the SOF warfighter. Submit NLT 27 February 2026 11:59 PM ET here: sofwerx.submittable.com/submit/a9037b0…… For more information, visit the event webpage: events.sofwerx.org/pcic26 Want to stay up to date on upcoming events? Join our ecosystem: sofwerx.org/ecosystem

Aaron Bank's view on professional writing, branch journals buff.ly/LwjiJJS

Our Co-Founder and current Chair of the Board, Kyle Atwell, has a new article out: “Shadow Wars in the Shadow of the Bomb,” co-authored with David C. Logan. The article examines how nuclear weapons shape interstate competition, with a focus on indirect conflict and what it means for major powers. Read it here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00… #InternationalSecurity #NuclearDeterrence #StrategicCompetition #SecurityStudies #IrregularWarfare

Competitive Intervention, Proxy War, and Military Assistance: Anderson, Eyre, and Kuhlman In Episode 146 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast, hosted by Kyle Atwell, Dr. Noel Anderson, General (Ret.) Wayne Eyre, and Lt. Col. (Dr.) Matthew Kuhlman discuss the dynamics of competitive intervention, the prevalence of weapons transfers and external military aid, and how proxy support can prolong conflicts by enabling escalation without decisive victory. The conversation highlights both the strategic and moral dilemmas policymakers face as multipolar competition increases the likelihood of proxy wars and external involvement in civil conflicts. Hear the full episode here: irregularwarfare.org/podcasts/compe… #IrregularWarfare #ProxyWar #MilitaryAssistance #SecurityStudies #CivilWars #Strategy #ForeignPolicy #IWI

Coming this Friday

Turns out weakness enables bad people. buff.ly/WtnyZDH

The SFABs are dead. Long live the SFABs. buff.ly/jRqaIEz

NATO SFA Doctrine has been updated with lessons since the end of Afghanistan. buff.ly/fI4Uhyt

Two posts about foreign fighters in 2 weeks -- only IWI buff.ly/nPRxyA4

What I am listening to when in the zone buff.ly/fS82SGO

Making moves

Good infographic buff.ly/X4ggggq

Thanks to AUSA for running this exceptional army professional writing conference last week. Not sure why they let the nerd on the left in the pic speak on a panel though buff.ly/VueoVqT

Stuck inside during snowpocalypse the next couple days? Grab a comfy blanket, curl up on the couch, and listen to this tale about why some people choose to travel to far away lands to fight on behalf of others. buff.ly/POuAGL9