U.S. Naval War College’s Irregular Warfare Center Provides Special Forces Group Pre-Deployment Workshop

The U.S. Naval War College’s Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups (CIWAG) held a three-day pre-deployment workshop for Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group of the Rhode Island Army National Guard from Dec. 16-18, 2025.

Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion Special Forces Group is deploying to the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) area of responsibility (AOR) in the coming months as part of Operation European Assure, Deter and Reinforce (EADR), which increases readiness, reinforces interoperability and bolsters security with NATO allies.  

The CIWAG workshop sessions took place at the Naval War College (NWC) campus in Newport, Rhode Island, and at the Army National Guard Armory in nearby Middletown.

In addition to CIWAG Director Associate Prof. David A. Brown, instructors for the workshop included NWC Strategy and Policy Department Prof. David R. Stone, Ph.D., and Joint Military Operations Department Associate Prof. Joseph J. McGraw, as well as a number of other subject matter experts invited to provide the special forces group an in-depth understanding of the Russia Ukrainian war as the largest conflict in the region.

Subjects included the geopolitical aspects of the war, maritime aspects of the conflict in the Black Sea, drone warfare, and recent technical innovation during the conflict.

According to the CIWAG Director, David Brown, a retired U.S. Army colonel with more than three decades of active duty service, including tours in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq, “The Naval War College is perfectly positioned to support warfighters deploying for real world missions, and our faculty has the depth of knowledge and experience to help inform and prepare our fellow men and women in uniform for the important work they are deploying to accomplish.”

Founded in 1884, NWC informs today’s decision-makers and educates tomorrow’s leaders by providing educational experiences and learning opportunities that develop their ability to anticipate and prepare strategically for the future, strengthen the foundations of peace, and create a decisive warfighting advantage.

Since 2008, when established at the war college, the goal of CIWAG has been to promote and support research and pursue the study of contemporary irregular warfare and non-state actors. CIWAG organizes workshops and symposia designed to bring together scholars and expert practitioners within the growing field of irregular warfare across a wide spectrum of missions in the competitive global security environment.