Arizona State University to lead research on warfare trends for Defense Department

PHOENIX — U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona on Thursday said Arizona State University will establish the Irregular Warfare Center, working directly with the White House and the Department of Defense.

“After years of bureaucratic delays, I worked directly with the White House to establish the Irregular Warfare Center at ASU,” Sinema said in a release. “I’m proud to have cut through the red tape to deliver this important center to the best academic institution in the country.”

While Congress approved the creation of such center in 2021 via the National Defense Authorization Act, Sinema worked through several years of delays to initiate the process.

Congress intended for the Department of Defense to foster an academic partnership with a public university, however, the DOD was running an Irregular Warfare Center on an interim basis without an academic partnership.

In 2021, ASU was the only university in the United States that the DOD was recommended to consider a partnership with.

ASU President Michael Crow and Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona collaborated with Sinema to create the center at ASU.

“Arizona State University has been disciplined about developing expertise in this area and we are committed to being of service at the highest level for this important national security assignment,” Crow said in a release.

“Being selected to lead this work is a responsibility that we take very seriously and we are grateful to the entire Arizona Congressional delegation for its support and confidence in us, and particularly for the leadership of Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly.”

The Irregular Warfare Center will be named after late U.S. Sen. John McCain and will work to help the United States military understand irregular warfare to address modern threats.

“The establishment of the McCain Irregular Warfare Center of Excellence at ASU will put Arizona at the forefront of better understanding these challenges to our national security and developing the strategies to overcome them,” Kelly said in a release.

“This center will bring together the brightest minds from across government, academia and our international partners in a whole-of-society effort that will make our country and our allies safer. Senator McCain knew the importance of this mission, and I’m proud to honor his legacy by putting Arizona at the center of this vital work.”

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