The Rise of Non-State Special Operations | The War Room Podcast

Non-state special operations are reshaping modern warfare. Once considered the domain of powerful nation-states, coordinated, high-impact missions are now being executed by non-state actors such as terrorist groups, cartels, and private military contractors. In this episode of The War Room Podcast from the U.S. Army War College, Professor Craig Whiteside joins host Darrell Driver to examine this evolving threat landscape. They explore how these groups exploit failures of imagination, adapt military-style tactics, and conduct strategic operations once reserved for elite forces.

Drawing on examples from the Tet Offensive’s embassy attack to emerging space-enabled threats, the discussion highlights a critical challenge: understanding an adversary’s true motives is essential for effective risk management.

Whiteside also discusses insights from his latest book, Non-state Special Operations Capabilities and Effects (Routledge, 2026), co-authored with Ian Rice, and connects historical patterns to future threats.

Key Takeaways

• Non-state actors now conduct complex, coordinated operations
• Strategic surprise often stems from failures of imagination
• Understanding intent is critical for modern risk assessment
• The line between state and non-state military capability is blurring

For more on this discussion, please see Non-state Special Operations Capabilities and Effects by Ian Rice and Craig Whiteside.

About the Author and Host

Craig Whiteside is Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College resident program at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. He recently co-authored Non-state Special Operations Capabilities and Effects (Routledge, 2026) as well as The ISIS Reader: Milestone Texts of the Islamic State Movement (Hurst Publishers/Oxford University Press, 2020). He is the 2022 winner of the U.S. Naval War College Excellence in Research Award. A West Point graduate, Whiteside earned a doctorate in Political Science from Washington State University and is a former U.S. Army officer with combat experience in Iraq.

Darrell Driver is Professor in the Department of Military, Strategy, Planning and Operations at the U.S. Army War College.

The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of War.

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