Is Irregular Warfare America’s Blind Spot?

Sep 1, 2025

Charles T. Cleveland, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General and author of 'The American Way of Irregular War,' joins Dave Maxwell, a retired Special Forces Colonel specializing in Northeast Asian security, to dive deep into the often-overlooked realm of irregular warfare. They discuss the critical need to integrate political warfare into U.S. strategy and highlight the significance of the 'human domain' in modern conflicts. Both experts argue for dedicated support in addressing irregular challenges, urging a shift from conventional military mindsets.

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INSIGHT

Conventional Tools Fail In Population Wars

The U.S. repeatedly applied conventional solutions to population-centric conflicts and got unsatisfying outcomes.
Charles T. Cleveland argues this shaped an "American way" that needs rethinking for irregular war.

INSIGHT

Risk Of Folding Irregular Into Conventional Forces

Current trends push forces to make irregular warfare a secondary modification of conventional forces.
Charles Cleveland warns this will widen the gap between conventional tech and population-focused needs.

ADVICE

Build Irregular-Warfare Headquarters

Build headquarters, intelligence, and campaign architectures suited to irregular operations above the tactical level.
Cleveland calls for irregular-warfare-capable organizations rather than routing crises to conventional corps HQs.

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In this episode of the GNSI At the Boundary podcast, USF’s Dr. Rob Burrell is joined by Colonel Dave Maxwell (Ret.), of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy and the Global Peace Foundation, and Lieutenant General Charles T. Cleveland (Ret.) to examine the future of the American way of irregular warfare. From the overlooked role of the human domain to the need for a national-level capability dedicated to irregular warfare, the conversation challenges conventional thinking about U.S. defense and security.

General Cleveland highlights why the United States must move beyond a purely conventional mindset, while Colonel Maxwell revisits the Nunn-Cohen amendment to Goldwater-Nichols, advocating for a dedicated organization to address the nation’s irregular warfare challenges. Together, they argue that political warfare and irregular strategies must be fully integrated into U.S. national security policy—just as airpower became indispensable in the 20th century.

Links from the episode:

• Register for CyberBay Here!

• Register for.a webinar on irregular warfare with Dr. Rob Burrell and Chris Mason!

• Resilience and Resistance: Interdisciplinary Lessons in Competition, Deterrence, and Irregular Warfare

• The American Way of Irregular War

At the Boundary from the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida, features global and national security issues we’ve found to be insightful, intriguing, fascinating, maybe controversial, but overall just worth talking about.

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