Non-state Special Operations

Reviews / Votes

"This book is an original and much needed study. Special operations have become a domain of terrorists and insurgents as ever more accessible technology--drones, social media, AI--has expanded their capabilities. From the Islamic State to the Houthis today, non-state special operations have become a significant military concern. Whiteside and Rice have broken new ground in explaining why non-state actors undertake special operations, helping scholars and policymakers think about how better to counter them."

Carter Malkasian, Chair of the Defense Analysis Program at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, USA

"Whiteside and Rice deliver a fascinating and ground-breaking work. They analyze past examples through the lens of their invaluable method for examining special operations, particularly those mounted by violent, non-state actors, and illustrate their ideas with great case studies and analysis. A fine and original addition to the field of military studies."

Donald Stoker, National Defense University, Washington, DC, USA

"This is a significant contribution to the security studies literature on terrorism and the larger issue of violent groups ... Whiteside and Rice develop an original typology and theoretical approach, then apply their framework to a wealth of examples ... their case studies are diverse, encompassing criminal organizations, proxy warfare, and cults, and ranging as far as Mexico, Sicily, and Japan. Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel is only the most prominent reminder that the evidence points to important conclusions. Whiteside and Rice's work is a warning that leaves no doubt: Violent non-state special operations, enabled by the globalized democratization of information and weapons technologies, are on the rise and spreading."

Todd Greentree, former US foreign service officer and member of the Changing Character of War Centre, Oxford University, UK

"Rice and Whiteside crisply and confidently challenge the prevailing paradigm of special operations in this concise, engaging work on violent non-state actor special operations. Practitioners and scholars ignore this challenge at their peril."

James D. Kiras, Dean & Professor, Military Strategy & Security Studies, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, USA

"VNSAs can (and often do) 'utilize unorthodox methods to surprise adversaries with guile and tactical acumen to achieve outsized results as part of larger campaigns.' Incorporating an appreciation for this in our security policies and intelligence community efforts could help us avoid strategic surprises (like the attacks of 9/11) in the future. Second, we must address how globalization has enabled increasingly global knowledge networks among VNSAs. The transfer of special operations tactics and strategies through these knowledge networks will undoubtedly expand due to the proliferation of information technologies, and particularly encrypted communication platforms. Third, the typology of various VNSA categories can help us better identify and appreciate why a particular VNSA is conducting different kinds of operations, and more importantly, craft relevant strategies to counter that group and its objectives. And finally, as the U.S. and others shift their attention toward 'great power competition' and away from VNSAs, we run the very real risk of turning a blind eye toward the future threat posed by VNSA capabilities for special operations."

James Forest, University of Massachusetts Lowell and the Editor-in-Chief of Terrorism & Political Violence