Lt. Col. Craig Whiteside, (Ret.) PhD., joins the program to discuss the new book he co-authored with Ian Rice, Non-state Special Operations: Capabilities and Effects. Dr. Whiteside shares how to define and apply terms like “non-state” and “special operations, historical examples of this type of operation, their use by contemporary actors, and how the maritime domain plays a critical role in their success or failure. Dr. 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 a research fellow at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism and the International Centre for Counterterrorism-The Hague. Whiteside’s current work focuses on the leadership succession and military doctrine of the Islamic State militant group, and he co-authored The ISIS Reader: Milestone Texts of the Islamic State Movement. His latest book is Non-State Special Operations: Capabilities and Effects. He is the 2022 winner of the U.S. Naval War College Excellence in Research Award.
Links
1. Non-state Special Operations: Capabilities and Effects, Ian Rice and Craig Whiteside, Routledge, 2025.