TOPGUN for the Irregular War Fighter: A Proven Solution to a New Problem

摘要

The emergence of Irregular Warfare (IW) as the joint forces' primary focus has, for the first time, sparked a large-scale education and training effort for the first time outside of the Special Forces community. The rapid growth of IW centers of excellence and academic engagement has resulted in a collection of organizations and efforts that is not well coordinated or controlled. This paper explores the stovepiped structure of the current IW effort, and the resultant deficiencies in educating and training the joint forces. An innovative application of the training model first implemented by the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) represents a promising mechanism for sustaining IW fundamentals as a core capability, while also achieving a more balanced overall capability.