What is Irregular Warfare?

An episode of the Overheard podcast, hosted by Foreign Policy Research Instit, titled "What is Irregular Warfare? " was published on December 17, 2025 and runs 31 minutes.

December 17, 2025 ·31m · Overheard

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Summary

What is Irregular Warfare and why in the Pentagon is it traditionally a subject of cyclical phases of either great enthusiasm or inattention over the decades? Phil Wasielewski talks with retired Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel Mark Grdovic, author of the recent book Those Who Face Death: The Untold Story of Special Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish Resistance, as well as a just released FPRI article, Breaking the Glass Ceiling of Irregular Warfare. They will discuss the different definitions for Irregular Warfare that exist even within the Pentagon, the consequences of getting definitions wrong, and recommendations for a better understanding of what Irregular Warfare is, and possibly, what it is not.

Episode Description

What is Irregular Warfare and why in the Pentagon is it traditionally a subject of cyclical phases of either great enthusiasm or inattention over the decades? Phil Wasielewski talks with retired Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel Mark Grdovic, author of the recent book Those Who Face Death: The Untold Story of Special Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish Resistance, as well as a just released FPRI article, Breaking the Glass Ceiling of Irregular Warfare. They will discuss the different definitions for Irregular Warfare that exist even within the Pentagon, the consequences of getting definitions wrong, and recommendations for a better understanding of what Irregular Warfare is, and possibly, what it is not.