Joe Francescon, deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and combatting terrorism, said the unclassified summary of the Irregular Warfare Annex to the 2018 National Defense Strategy allows the Department of Defense (DoD) to relay to interagency and industry partners and to the public about its proactive initiatives to prevent crises, DoD News reported Friday.
"Officials hope this summary reassures the American public, allies, partners and the international community of the department's strongest commitment to be proactive against the security challenges confronting the nation," Francescon said.
Francescon cited how countries like Russia and China adopt IW tactics to influence the public such as using social media to undermine democratic institutions and stealing intellectual property.
He noted the IW Annex presents a strategy to help DoD deal with such threats and those include the use of non-kinetic options to avoid war, including collaboration with allies and partners, interagency cooperation and partnership with industry.
