Winning Without Fighting: Irregular Warfare and Strategic Competition in the 21st Century

by Rebecca D Patterson, Susan Bryant, Jan Ken K Gleiman

Winning Without Irregular Warfare and Strategic Competition in the 21st Century provides an in-depth analysis of the evolving landscape of irregular warfare and its implications in an era of global crises and competition, as described in the 2022 National Security Strategy. This study defines irregular warfare as actions taken below the threshold of armed conflict-activities that do not necessitate force or violence. It highlights the role of resilience as a foundation for national defense, alongside military, political, economic, and informational measures. The book also explores ways to enhance power, legitimacy, and influence while undermining those of adversaries.

By examining the historical context and theoretical underpinnings of irregular warfare and drawing on examples from China and Russia, this book demonstrates how such strategies are employed in practice and illuminates shortcomings of the American strategic culture. The implications of irregular warfare for US national security are assessed, indicating a need for a more nuanced and comprehensive approach to counter the multifaceted threats posed by adversaries adept in irregular warfare tactics. Through the lenses of competition and crises, this book advocates a holistic strategy that leverages all elements of national power and provides insights and frameworks-with a strategic reorientation to ensure enduring power, influence, and legitimacy in a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape-to better navigate the challenges of irregular warfare.

354 pages, Paperback

Published September 3, 2024

Reviews

[Eric Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good read, but in some cases it was just a bit exhaustive. I think it's good to have some direction to put IW in the context of what to do, but it also got a bit boring in some places. I think the focus would be (though the topics mentioned in the book support IW) on more Irregular Warfare-centric, and not so much get bogged down on stuff like the dollar and its value. At the end of the day, you have service members, not accountants, who use IW the most, from special forces to the individual Soldier on the ground in an insurgency. It is informative, but I think it was drowned down too much on some things not relevant to the IW fight, and more on government policies. Don't get me wrong, I think policies should shape the fight, but unfortunately, most IW topics feature kinetic, not so much policymaking, and this should be more about near-peer fights than the grunt work.