US Army Irregular Warfare is Everywhere

Irregular warfare is not what you think it is. In fact, to understand it, think bigger. That’s the message in a new video on the topic from the U.S. Army’s special warfare school. It’s a slick, ominous clip, but one that was quietly released onto social media on Thursday, Sept. 26 by the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.

Irregular warfare, according to the Army’s special warfare school, is several things. Chaotic. Multidimensional. A contest of power and influence. One description that lingers is “strategic competition,” set over images of the Earth from space. The term, the United States’ go-to phrase for its contest for influence with China, comes seconds after a notable shot of the Hong Kong skyline.

The video also features several bits of footage showing what the Army considers ideological battlefields and places where the U.S. is fighting for influence. There are shots of protests, from people marching in the streets — seemingly from 2020 — to protestors standing on barriers with fire in the background. Instead of soldiers in combat gear, the last half of the video includes suited figures in political offices. There are also several scientific aspects, from rocket engine ignition sequences to items being crafted on 3D printers. As the text next describes irregular warfare as “unity of effort,” footage of a conductor leading a symphony ties together some of the ideas. Irregular warfare is a big picture matter, not limited just to actual combat battlefields.