Where the Lion Can’t Reach: Unconventional Warfare in Major War

About this episode

This episode explores the role of unconventional warfare in major conventional wars, particularly through the lens of the 2003 Iraq invasion.

Description Episode 153 examines the role of unconventional warfare and special operations forces in conventional major war. Summary This conversation explores how unconventional warfare can support, shape, and sometimes substitute for conventional military operations in large-scale combat. Our guests examine what unconventional warfare is, why it matters beyond the special operations community, and how support to resistance forces can create strategic and operational effects for joint force commanders. The discussion draws heavily on the 2003 invasion of Iraq, where U.S. Special Forces partnered with Kurdish Peshmerga forces to create a northern front, tie down Iraqi forces, generate intelligence, and support the broader conventional campaign. The episode also examines the limits and risks of unconventional warfare, including partner alignment, feasibility assessments, political constraints, and the need for policymakers and commanders to understand both the value and the limitations of this tool. Takeaways Unconventional warfare is best understood in simple terms as support to resistance movements or insurgencies. Unconventional warfare is not just a SOF issue; conventional…

Topics covered

• unconventional warfare
• special operations forces
• major war
• Iraq invasion
• military operations
• strategic effects

Keywords

• unconventional warfare
• special operations
• Iraq invasion
• military strategy
• resistance forces
• intelligence generation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Irregular Warfare Initiative, U.S. Special Forces, Kurdish Peshmerga

Places: Iraq

More episodes of Irregular Warfare Podcast

• Setting Out to Win: Why America Needs to Get Serious About Irregular Warfare · June 9, 2026 · 56 min
• Iran, Ukraine, and the Future of Naval Warfare · June 2, 2026 · 48 min
• Hellscape Taiwan: Drones, Deterrence, and the Future of Asymmetric Defense · May 20, 2026 · 53 min
• The Counterinsurgency Dilemma: Foreign Fighter Influence on Insurgencies in Afghanistan and Somalia · May 8, 2026 · 50 min
• What the Hell is Irregular Warfare Anyway? · April 17, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare · April 3, 2026 · 58 min