Speakers: Dr. Craig Whiteside (US Naval War College) & Ian C. Rice (Naval Postgraduate School)
Date: 22 July 2025
Speaker Session Summary
SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Craig Whiteside (US Naval War College) and Ian C. Rice (Naval Postgraduate School) as part of its SMA General Speaker Series.
Violent non-state actors (VNSAs)—such as militants, proxies, criminal organizations, and mercenaries—have developed state-like capabilities, particularly in their ability to conduct special operations. Dr. Whiteside and Mr. Rice emphasized that understanding how these VNSAs conduct special operations can provide valuable insight into the inner workings of these groups, including how they campaign. This understanding is especially important given that such organizations are sometimes able to militarily defeat stronger state adversaries.
The speakers noted that, for states, the use of mercenary or proxy groups provides an economy of force—allowing them to indirectly achieve objectives through smaller, more cost-effective forces. They also observed that special operations members within VNSAs tend to be elite figures within their organizations, often enjoying higher status and greater access to resources. Key indicators of operational capability among VNSAs include evidence of practice and skill, improved competence, and greater confidence in their ability to execute operations that produce desired tactical effects. In such contexts, the impact of the action often outweighs the scale or complexity of the operation itself.
While VNSAs do conduct special operations, such instances remain rare due to their limited capacity to maintain permanent special operations units, unlike state militaries. The speakers categorized VNSA special operations as motivated by either ideology or self-interest. Understanding these motivations is essential for determining whether a given operation represents a significant departure from the group’s typical behavior, which is the deciding factor of whether a VNSA is conducting a special operation.
Speaker Session Recording
Briefing Materials
Slides:
Biographies:
Ian C. Rice is an adjunct Senior Lecturer in the Department of Defense Analysis, Naval Postgraduate School, adjunct faculty member with the College of Distance Education, USMC University, and a guest lecturer with the Royal Danish Defence College. He is a retired United States Army officer who served with special operations forces.
Craig Whiteside is Professor of National Security Affairs at the US Naval War College resident program at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. He is the co-author of The ISIS Reader: Milestone Texts of the Islamic State Movement (2020). He has a PhD in Political Science from Washington State University and is a former U.S. Army infantry officer.
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