Photo By Pedro Rodriguez | ARLINGTON, VA. - Ms. Julia Marano-Wong, University of Oxford, presents her research...... read more read more
ARLINGTON, VA — The Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) hosted a two-day colloquium on September 24-25, 2025, in Crystal City, VA. The selective event brought together junior and senior scholars, as well as practitioners, to discuss a range of topics related to modern irregular warfare. The colloquium's purpose was to continue to build a new cohort of experts in the field and connect them with established leaders.
The IWC's mission is to transform the global, strategic mindset by coupling conventional combat power with robust IW methodologies to provide options in support of the nation’s warfighters, protecting the homeland, and deterring China. The colloquium agenda emphasized this focus by dedicating a full day to presentations on topics such as maritime irregular warfare and defense of the homeland.
“Events such as this are a cornerstone of the IWC's mission, uniquely balancing education with practical operations,” said Nathalie Lorentzen, Irregular Warfare Functional Area Network (FAN) Program Manager. “Students departed with valuable insights from practitioners deeply immersed in the IW field, a critical element in shaping not only their research but also their future contributions.”
At the colloquium, a diverse group of academic and industry professionals presented their work. Speakers included Luke Mannion from Liberty University, who discussed deterring Chinese maritime aggression; Julia Maranhao-Wong from the University of Oxford, presented the topic of information operations in the South China Sea and Ian Murphy from Old Dominion University, who spoke on China's "gray zone strategy."
Additionally, Jocelyn Garcia from Arizona State University presented the topic of "Trust Under Pressure." Industry professionals Dr. Joshua Brown discussed the risk of Chinese-made drones and Adam Reilly presented low-signature logistics. Finally, Joshua Lane from Cranfield University & Defence Academy of the United Kingdom covered counterterrorism medicine and medical support to irregular warfare.
“Irregular warfare is not going away. It's been with humanity since the beginning of time. And we need a whole-of-society and a whole-of-government approach to tackle this. And this event is a perfect manifestation of those efforts,” said Garcia. “
The colloquium also included contributions from IWC leadership, the IWC FAN Team, Dr. Joshua Hastey (contractor), and Dr. Sandor Fabian (contractor). Attendees engaged in a feedback-oriented environment, with presenters participating in in-depth discussions after their 10-minute presentations.
“These events are so important for the IW community because they create a vital space for sharing knowledge and building connections. Seeing professionals collaborate and discuss these critical issues firsthand underscored the impact we can make in this field,” said Lorentzen.
In the final day of the colloquium, participants further discussed their topics with Senior Scholars and Government and Industry Representatives as part of working groups sessions to provide feedback on their research and recommendations to further enhance their research.
Garcia also appreciated the input provided by the senior scholars and industry leaders, “The feedback we receive from scholars within the irregular warfare community is invaluable. All of us are at various stages of our research, and so to be able to implement the feedback that we're getting, positive critiques and constructive critiques into our research is so valuable. You don't really get to have those opportunities; to be here is truly a wonderful opportunity.”
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| Date Taken: | 09.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.30.2025 11:59 |
| Story ID: | 549692 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 66 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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