Excellent insights from one of Valens Global's IW SMEs, Sal Artiaga, in his new article "Sensitive Activities and Irregular Warfare: A Converging Relationship". Covert ops, cyber campaigns, and advisory missions all sit in the gray zone between peace and war: success shapes outcomes quietly, failure risks escalation. As China and Russia thrive in ambiguity, the U.S. must treat sensitive activities as core tools of irregular warfare in strategic competition.
Irregular Warfare & National Security Strategist | Intelligence & Latin America Professional | Opinions = my own. Sharing ≠ endorsement.
🔥 Saturday Article – Sensitive Activities & Irregular Warfare Sensitive Activities (SA) and Irregular Warfare (IW) are often discussed as separate domains, but in reality, they converge more than they diverge. Sensitive Activities: Operations, actions, activities, or programs that, if compromised, could have enduring adverse effects on U.S. foreign policy, DoD activities, or military operations, or cause significant embarrassment to the U.S., its allies, or the DoD. Irregular Warfare: a form of warfare where states and nonstate actors campaign to assure or coerce states or other groups through indirect, non-attributable, or asymmetric activities. 📌 Where they meet: Many of the activities we classify as “sensitive” are, in fact, irregular in nature. Covert support to resistance movements, clandestine cyber operations, or advisory teams under cover all reflect this overlap. Exposure risks scandal or escalation; success shapes outcomes without fanfare. As the U.S. faces long-term competition with China and Russia, recognizing this convergence is critical. Both adversaries thrive in ambiguity and deniability. For America, effectiveness in irregular warfare will increasingly depend on how well we manage the risks of sensitive activities. 🎯 The question is simple: are sensitive activities being treated as essential instruments of irregular warfare in strategic competition?