
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 Inst... more
| Publishes | Twice monthly | Episodes | 159 | Founded | 6 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Category | Government | |||

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.
Summary
While irregular warfare is on the rise around the globe today, the Unite... more
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 global energy flows.
Summary
This conversation examines naval irregular warfa... more
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 “unmanned hellscape.” Anchored in the recent CNAS report Hellscape for Taiwan: Ret... more
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 insurgencies. Anchored in Professor Tricia Bacon’s The Counterinsurgency Dilemma, this ... more
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Vocal fry fest :/
An exceptional podcast that’s deeply informative. Can’t recommend more highly.
I really enjoy listening to these discussions. Great to hear diverse views on topics, and interpretations of concepts and operations.
2016-21 I lived in China and several of my Chinese colleagues were married to PLA staff officers and they mentioned casually that it’s inevitable that they’ll hit Taiwan and possibly by 2027.
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”. Disappoint... more
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Apple Podcasts | #61 |
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The show centers on irregular warfare, counterterrorism, and the use of proxies, drones, and special operations in modern conflicts. Episodes bring together practitioners, scholars, and policymakers to unpack definitions, strategic frameworks, and real-world case studies—from Ukraine and Taiwan deterrence to space, cyber, and economic statecraft. The format tends toward rigorous analysis paired with practical implications for defense, diplomacy, and alliance building, with an emphasis on how irregular approaches influence conventional campaigns and policy design. Notable strengths include a steady rotation of senior practitioners paired with academics to balance operational insight with theoretical framing, plus frequent cross-domain discus... more
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These podcasts share a similar audience with Irregular Warfare Podcast:
1. Modern War Institute
2. War on the Rocks
3. NatSec Matters
4. School of War
5. Net Assessment
Irregular Warfare Podcast launched 6 years ago and published 159 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on Irregular Warfare Podcast include:
1. Ben Connable
2. Ian Ralby
3. Stacie Pettyjohn
4. Ken Tovo
5. Mark Grdovic
6. Tony Marco
7. Dr. Chris Tripodi
8. Mike Nagata
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