United States Naval Academy
Forum On Emerging and Irregular
Warfare Studies (FEIWS)
FEIWS Concept
Brief
CAPT Tom Robertson, Director
robertso@usna.edu
410-293-6262
Introductions
• CAPT Tom Robertson, USN – Director
• LT J. T. Kadz, USN - Deputy Director
• FEIWS (pronounced “Fuse”)
Emerging Security Challenges
TERRORISM
IRREGULAR
HYBRID
WARS
TRADITIONAL
DISRUPTIVE
Questions for Midshipmen
• What factors drive changes in our human
world?
• What most determines who wins wars?
• Are you doing your best to understand
these factors and prepare yourself to lead
in our changed and changing world?
“Every day you spend here at USNA, you are building
your foundation for understanding and for leadership.”
USNA CHARTER:
Non-Technical (Group 3) Courses
• Teach midshipmen how to think critically
“How do I solve a complex problem when
there is no checklist or easy answers?”
• Historical depth, language skills, regional
expertise and cultural knowledge (LREC)
FEIWS Charter
• To increase understanding and facilitate research of
emerging and irregular warfare.
• To focus on culturally, technologically and historically
informed study of contemporary military operations
and tactics.
• To link theory/ doctrine with practice and to leverage
academic scholarship to assist with real-world
warfighter needs.
FEIWS Approach
• Faculty (military and civilian) collaboration to
share papers, conference presentations, recent
cultural or combat experience and research
projects (USNA and international).
• Coursework development
• Coordination of USNA Yard-wide presentations
by group members or outside speakers to
faculty, staff and midshipmen followed by smallgroup discussion or classroom visits.
FEIWS Concept
•Collaboration
•Coursework
development/ research
U.S. SOCOM
IAPP and
other outside
partners
FEIWS
Faculty and
Midshipmen
Collaboration
Combat Experience/
Cultural Experience/
Research
•Coordination of outside
speakers through
military and OGA
connections (i.e. Special
Operations Command
Interagency Partnership
Program)
Progress at USNA: Emerging Warfare/
Irregular Warfare (Some examples)
HH367A
Mercenaries, Empire & War: History
of India Pakistan & Afghanistan
HH367B
History and Culture of Iran
HH367C
War, Conflict, and Insurgency in
Africa
The U.S. in Africa since 1700
HH367D
HH367E
HH372
HH377A
HH377B
HH377E
HH385
HH386A
Modern Pakistan, Militant Islam and
America
The Golden Age of Piracy
Religion and Violence
History of Technology
History of America’s War on Drugs
and Crime
The U.S. Marine Corps
HH386B
History of Modern
Counterinsurgency
The American Way of War
HH386C
The History of Airpower
HH377A
History of Technology and Cyberwarfare
Politics of Irregular Warfare
FP384
HH485A
NE 203
NP 430
Disruptive Technology and
Education
Ethics and Moral Reasoning for the
Naval Leader
The Ethics of Irregular Warfare
FEIWS Center of Excellence
(Proposed)
• Counter Terror (CT)
– Reference CTC, U. S. Military Academy, West
Point
• Counter Proliferation (CP)
– On-going collaboration with USSOCOM IAPP
and OGAs in support of Special Operations
Support Teams’ (SOST) and other’s request
for connection to academia
• Counter Threat Finance (CTF)
– On-going collaboration with DHS ICE and
ASD SO/LIC
Nine FEIWS-affiliated military faculty members have been
deployed from USNA as advisors in embedded training teams or
to senior operational staffs in Afghanistan and Iraq.
History Department
•CAPT Hagerott: Strategic Initiatives Group, NTM-A, 2009-2010
•CAPT Felker: Command Historian, NTM-A, 2010-2011
•CAPT Robertson: Embedded Afghan Advisor, NMAA, NTM-A, 2010
Augment Pilot, CJTF 82 Afghanistan, 2008
Augment Pilot, MAG-16 REIN Iraq, 2006
•LtCol Berry, USMC: MEU Det OIC, AV-8B, 2012
Embedded Advisor, NMAA, NTM-A, 2010
•LtCol Aaron O’Connell, USMCR, Gen. Petreaus Staff, ISAF-A, 2010-2011
•LTC Klug, USA: Strategic Planner/ GSG-5 Advisor, IJC, 2012-2013
Deputy SIG, NTM-A, 2009-2010
Company Commander/ Regimental Planner, 3ACR, 2003
Political Science Department
•Lt Fletcher: Embedded Advisor, NMAA, NTM-A, 2010
Math Department
•LT Heineike: Embedded Advisor, NMAA, NTM-A, 2010
Chemistry Department
•LT Bodemer: Embedded Advisor, NMAA, NTM-A, 2010
Internship Opportunities
• FEIWS has negotiated for internship
opportunities in which midshipmen spend
summer training blocks at:
‾ U. S. Army War College Peacekeeping and
Stability Operations Institute (USAWC PKSOI)
‾ Johns-Hopkins Applied Physics Lab National
Security Analysis Department (JHU/APL)
‾ Marine Corps University
‾ NSW?
Findings
• USNA FEIWS is currently an unfunded group.
Possible partners, synergies (international
collaboration) or funding sources: stand-alone
USNA Warfare Center of Excellence and/or
connection with Cyber Center.
• Relationships within the IW community are essential
to improving our groups, staffing the war effort and
also in disseminating lessons learned.
• Potential exists to create a single point of contact
“reachback” pool of expertise for use by combatant
commanders connecting the warfighter to U. S.
military and other government agency capabilities.
Questions?
robertso@usna.edu
Background slides
USNA Strengths in this Area
• High level of midshipman interest- “How can I get
involved …?”
• Early foundation for future thought and
development (Mids not yet “indoctrinated”)
• USNA grads become small unit leaders soon after
graduation “where the rubber meets the road”
• Military instructors experience: active involvement
-recently returned from Iraq, Afghanistan and Horn
of Africa, etc.
• Interdisciplinary cooperation
USNA Challenges in this Area
• Core course syllabi not specifically designed to
target Irregular and Emerging Warfare
• Targeted courses available to only a small
percentage of the student population
• Current progress is largely based on military
instructor initiative – if the instructor transfers, the
course often dies
• Lack of coordination with post-graduate and other
institutions (need networking/ relationships to
help build the right foundation)
Example Course - HH386A
The History of Modern Counterinsurgency
• Block 1 – The Principles and Nature of Irregular Warfare
• Block 2 – Counterinsurgency case studies: British
Afghanistan and Malaya, French Indochina and Algeria,
Soviet Afghanistan among others
• Block 3 – Irregular Warfare and COIN Theory
• Block 4 – The U. S. Experience with Irregular Warfare
(1776 to Present)
• Block 5 – Non-state entities and emerging warfare