Newport, R.I. - The U.S. Naval War College’s (NWC) Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups (CIWAG) hosted its 13th annual symposium, co-sponsored by the Naval War College Foundation, at the Wyndham Newport Hotel, June 24-25.
Titled “2024 CIWAG Maritime Symposium: Exploring Our Maritime Strategies-II," the event continued its theme from 2023, exploring security challenges in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, to develop actionable policy recommendations for U.S., partner, and allied maritime forces as they work to protect commercial shipping.
“Starting in 2018, irregular warfare was established as a DoD core competency along with traditional war,” stated Rear Adm. Pete Garvin, president, NWC. “Looking at recent events in the Red Sea, one can see that the study of the complex challenges of maritime irregular warfare and non-state actors has never been more crucial.”
The 2024 CIWAG symposium welcomed more than 140 scholars, military leaders and maritime industry representatives with expertise across a wide spectrum of global maritime areas.
Distinguished guests included Mick Crnkovich, director of Irregular Warfare in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict (ASD SO/LIC); Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Chris Burns, senior advisor, Irregular Warfare Center; Retired Royal Navy Commodore Adrian Fryer, former Deputy Commander, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF); and Geoffrey Till, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Maritime Studies at King’s College London.
Conference attendees participated in panels addressing the current security situation in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, research on regional state and non-state actors and impacts to the maritime industry.
Attendees also discussed potential strategies and opportunities for partnership during workshops on Houthi and Iranian maritime activities. Output from these workshops will be compiled into policy recommendations in the form of two reports on the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf.
Retired Vice Adm. Collin Green, Former Deputy Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and former Commander, Naval Special Warfare (NSW), provided the keynote address, explaining the importance of bringing together a diverse group of people and ideas to enhance warfighting readiness.
“Forums like this symposium are absolutely critical for civil discourse to form,” said Green. “The combination of historians and industry is exactly the kind of all hands on deck mentality we need to maintain competitive advantage in a very complicated and unpredictable national security environment.”
Green noted that the symposium was not only important for fostering intellectual discourse, but also for producing analysis “that can be used by both our military leaders and policy makers.”
Established in 2008, NWC’s CIWAG facilitates interaction and collaboration between professional military educational institutions, civilian academics, and battlefield practitioners and is dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of the challenges presented by irregular warfare (IW) and non-state actors, also known as armed groups, in the 21st century.
NWC delivers excellence in education, research, and outreach, informing today’s decision-makers and educating tomorrow’s leaders. The college provides educational experiences and learning opportunities that develop students’ ability to anticipate and prepare strategically for the future, strengthen the foundations of peace, and create a decisive warfighting advantage.