ABOUT ISW
The Institute for the Study of War advances an informed understanding of military affairs through reliable research, trusted analysis, and innovative education. We are committed to improving the nation’s ability to execute military operations and respond to emerging threats in order to achieve US strategic objectives. ISW is a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy research organization.
ISW’s Global reach in 2024
120K
global media mentions
1.08M
social media followers
626M
social media impressions
49M
website pageviews
5.5K+
custom maps
778
daily and weekly updates
unique
dual-Mission
ISW has a unique, dual mission: to provide real-time intelligence to help leaders make informed decisions in conflict zones around the world and educate the next generation of national security leaders. This work is carried out through the General Jack Keane Center for National Security and the General David H. Petraeus Center for Emerging Leaders.
The Keane Center shapes informed national security policy by providing decision makers with continuous, timely, accurate, and independent analysis as well as superior insight on military activities vital to US national security.
General Jack Keane Center for National Security
The Keane Center shapes informed national security policy by providing decision makers with continuous, timely, accurate, and independent analysis as well as superior insight on military activities vital to US national security.
General Jack Keane Center for National Security
Our
Capabilities
ISW’s comparative advantage comes from synergistic capabilities it has cultivated throughout its history. Learn more about what powers ISW’s breakout talent and insight.
The history of the
Institute for the study of war
ISW emerged in 2007 to fill a critical gap in the American national security debate over Iraq and has grown into a global authority on conflict and geopolitical competition. ISW's mission to educate civilian and military leaders has become increasingly vital among US allies and partners. ISW has continued to build new programs as US adversaries escalate and threaten the United States and our way of life. ISW has made important contributions to the debate on numerous challenges in the Middle East, Russia, and its escalations against Ukraine, as well as its global campaigns, and China.
2007
Dr. Kimberly Kagan founded ISW in 2007 without funding or employees but with a powerful idea – that a small, non-government institution could improve the national security debate by educating journalists, policymakers, and civic leaders, and by educating emerging talent to create future national security leaders. Dr. Kagan saw the need for real-time, independent, and open-source analysis of ongoing military operations to equip senior leaders to make informed decisions and aid the media in covering complex, fast-moving conflicts. Dr. Kagan, the Chairman of ISW’s Board, General Jack Keane, and ISW analysts traveled to Iraq to support US forces in the counter-insurgency phase of the war.
2009
ISW launched its Afghanistan program in 2009 to aid civilian and military leaders as the United States and its allies faced a widening insurgency. ISW published a rigorous body of work on the Taliban’s campaigns, the Haqqani network, and political power and corruption. Dr. Kagan was awarded the Department of Defense Civilian Service Award in 2011 for her contributions to the war effort. Kim brought back from Afghanistan a renewed commitment to leveraging the variety of open-source intelligence that emerging technological changes were empowering, including social media and big data.
2011
ISW expanded its Middle East programs during the Arab Spring, recognizing that the attempted revolutions across the Arab World increased the strategic risks of protracted conflict and would shift balances of power across the Middle East in ways that challenged the United States, its allies, and its partners in the region. ISW pioneered new methodologies by leveraging the intelligence potential of burgeoning open-source data from social media and other online platforms to analyze the unfolding Syrian Civil War. ISW began educating the United States and its allies about the value of unclassified intelligence and became the go-to source for policymakers to understand the Syrian Civil War.
2013
ISW Research Director Jessica Lewis McFate and her team accurately forecasted the rise of ISIS and its plan to collapse the Iraqi Security Forces and seize Mosul, eight months before it occurred, contradicting US intelligence, which had deprioritized Iraq. That same year, recognizing the need for stronger national security expertise, Dr. Kagan launched ISW’s Hertog War Studies Program to address gaps in US education by providing undergraduates with a unique foundation in military history, theory, and practice, creating a vital pipeline of national security talent.
2014
ISW became a globally recognized source of maps and information as ISIS seized power across most of Sunni Iraq and eastern Syria in 2014, surprising the United States despite ISW’s warnings in 2013. ISW analysts supported the US–led counter-ISIS mission and conducted planning exercises to develop options against ISIS and al Qaeda and in response to the Syrian war. Meanwhile, ISW launched its Russia-Ukraine program after Russia illegally seized and annexed Crimea in March 2014. ISW’s Russia team expanded coverage to Russia’s role in the Middle East after Putin’s entrance into the Syrian Civil War in 2015.
2018
ISW expanded its Russia program as Russian President Vladimir Putin leveraged his bases in Syria to project power into Africa and co-opt international mechanisms, including those established to negotiate an end to the Syrian war. ISW analysts published a series of reports articulating the Kremlin’s worldview and the purpose and methods of Putin’s power projection. ISW published a strategic approach to confronting the Russia challenge based on internal planning exercises, warning that Russia’s appearance of strength primarily resulted from Western inaction and lack of resolve, and that Russia was becoming increasingly emboldened.
2020
ISW launched the General Jack Keane Center for National Security and the General David H. Petraeus Center for Emerging Leaders in 2020 to recognize the extraordinary leadership and service of these patriots and enable institutional scaling. ISW’s General Jack Keane Center for National Security aims to help shape informed national security policy through continuous, timely, accurate, and independent analysis and to innovate within the intelligence field using unclassified sources. ISW’s David H. Petraeus Center invests in strengthening the future cadre of America’s leaders through education, intellectual development, and hands-on leadership development. Meanwhile, ISW prepared to launch its China-Taiwan project.
2022
ISW celebrated its 15th Anniversary in 2022 with stunning success as a global leader of news coverage and discourse, with daily products reaching millions of viewers. This global success allowed ISW to transform rapidly and strengthen itself and its programs for sustainable growth in the years ahead. ISW scaled its research teams and launched a Geospatial Intelligence Team to institutionalize and scale ISW’s exploitation of geospatial data, mapping methodologies, and technology partnerships. In 2023, ISW earned more global media mentions than any foreign policy think tank. World leaders recognize its work. US military and civilian leaders from the White House to the front lines rely on ISW insight and analysis.
“ISW provides, hands down, the best open-source analysis on Ukraine and the developments in the Middle East, as well as on the situation in the Indo-Pacific and in several other geographic locations.”
GENERAL DAVID H. PETRAEUS | US ARMY, RETIRED
“Backed by sound research, capable staff, and a non-partisan, independent analytical approach, ISW provides a resource matched only by official government agencies and plays a unique and vital role in informing the public of the challenges facing our nation.”
JAMES S. GILMORE III | AMBASSADOR
“ISW’s unique brand of open-source intelligence analysis has proven invaluable. From briefing the White House to informing Congressional leaders to educating the global public, ISW is at the forefront of identifying and addressing critical threats to America’s national security.”
JENNIFER LONDON | CONSULTANT, CACI
OUR
STAFF
Meet the team dedicated to providing rigorous analysis and strategic insights on global conflicts to inform decision-making and policy. Through in-depth research, data-driven analysis, and expert assessments, we aim to enhance understanding of modern warfare and its impact on global security.
