Institute for the Study of War - wikipedia Institute for the Study of War Institute for the Study of War Abbreviation ISW Motto On the Front Lines of Military Thinking. Formation 2007 Type Public Policy Think Tank Legal status U.S. 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) Headquarters 1400 16th Street NW Location Washington, D.C. President Kimberly Kagan Website www.understandingwar.org iswresearch.blogspot.com The Institute for the Study of War ( ISW ) is a United States -- based think tank founded in 2007 by Kimberly Kagan. ISW describes itself as a non-partisan think tank providing research and analysis regarding issues of defense and foreign affairs. Others have described ISW as `` a hawkish Washington '' group favoring an `` aggressive foreign policy ''. Though it had produced reports on the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War, `` focusing on military operations, enemy threats, and political trends in diverse conflict zones ''. The non-profit organization is supported by grants and contributions from large defense contractors, including Raytheon, General Dynamics, DynCorp and others. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. Contents 1 Political stance and influence 2 Research 2.1 Afghanistan Project 2.2 Iraq Project 2.2. 1 The `` Surge '' 2.2. 2 Iraq in 2011 2.3 Middle East Security Project 2.3. 1 Syria 2.3. 2 Libya 2.3. 3 Iran 3 References 4 External links Political stance and influence General David Petraeus speaking at an ISW event discussing progress of the Iraq War, January 2010. ISW hosts General Raymond Odierno to discuss the future of Iraq and the 2010 Iraqi elections, February 2010 The Institute for the Study of War and its President, Kimberly Kagan, were some of the first and strongest supporters of the controversial ' surge ' strategy in Iraq. On May 25, 2010 Kagan participated in a briefing on Capitol Hill focusing on Iraq 's political crisis that included remarks from Iraq 's Ambassador Samir Sumaidaie and Kenneth Pollack, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Kagan also participated in a Brookings Institution event entitled `` Prospects for Afghanistan 's Future : Assessing the Outcome of the Afghan Presidential Election '' alongside Michael O'Hanlon. Kagan also helped produce the documentary The Surge : the Untold Story with ISW Chairman, U.S Army General Jack Keane ( ret. ) and LTG James Dubik ( ret. ) describing the battle of Iraq and how the United States won the war. ISW President Kagan has conducted eight battlefield circulations of Iraq since starting ISW for the MNF - I Commanding General, three of which were in Afghanistan for CENTCOM United States Central Command and ISAF International Security Assistance Force. She participated formally on the Joint Campaign Plan Assessment Team for Multi-National Force -- Iraq U.S. Mission -- Iraq in October 2008, and as part of the Civilian Advisory Team for the CENTCOM strategic review in January 2009. Kagan served in Kabul as a member of General Stanley McChrystal 's strategic assessment team, composed of civilian experts, during his strategic review in June and July 2009. She returned to Afghanistan in the summer of 2010 to assist General David Petraeus with key transition tasks following his assumption of command in Afghanistan. Kagan also serves on the Academic Advisory Board at the Afghanistan - Pakistan Center of Excellence at CENTCOM. Research ISW research is divided into three main categories : the Iraq Project, the Afghanistan Project, and the Middle East Security Project. Afghanistan Project The ISW 's Afghanistan Project monitors and analyzes the effectiveness of Afghan and Coalition operations to disrupt enemy networks and secure the population, while also evaluating the results of Afghanistan 's 2010 Presidential election. The Afghanistan Project remains focused on the main enemy groups in Afghanistan, specifically : the Quetta Shura Taliban, the Haqqani network, and Hizb - i Islami Gulbuddin. Specific attention is paid to understanding the ethnic, tribal, and political dynamics within these areas and how these factors are manipulated by the enemy and misunderstood by the Coalition. In 2010, ISW researchers testified before the United States Congress in regards to understanding the problems of corruption and use of local powerbrokers in ISAF 's Afghanistan strategy. Iraq Project Kimberly Kagan in Iraq, 2008 The Iraq Project at the ISW produces fully documented reports that monitor and analyze the changing security and political dynamics within Iraq. The `` Surge '' Institute for the Study of War President Kagan is noted for her support of the Surge strategy in Iraq and has argued for a restructured American military strategy more generally. The Surge : the Untold Story, co-produced by ISW provides a historical account of U.S. military operations in Iraq during the Surge of forces during 2007 and 2008. As a documentary, it offers audiences a look into the story of the Surge in Iraq, as told by U.S. military commanders and diplomats as well as Iraqis. The video documents the Iraq Surge as part of a population - centric counterinsurgency approach and features many of the top commanders and others responsible for its implementation -- including Gen. Jack Keane ( Ret. ), Gen. David Petraeus, Amb. Ryan Crocker, Gen. Raymond Odierno, Gen. Nasier Abadi ( Iraq ), Col. Peter Mansoor ( Ret. ), Col. J.B. Burton, Col. Ricky Gibbs, Col. Bryan Roberts, Col. Sean MacFarland, Col. James Hickey, Col. David Sutherland, Col. Steven Townsend, Lt. - Col. James Crider, and Lt. James Danly ( Ret. ) The Surge : The Untold Story was nominated for several awards and in 2010 was a winner of a Special Jury Award at the WorldFest film festival in Houston. It also won honors as the best documentary part of the Military Channel 's Documentary Series at the GI Film Festival in Washington, D.C. Iraq in 2011 Since the end of military operations in Iraq and after a general withdrawal of US forces there, ISW now focuses its research on the security and political dynamic now taking place there. ISW takes the view point that both Iraqi and U.S. military personnel believe that the Iraqi Security Forces will need additional training beyond 2011, but the mechanism for security this continued partnership is still uncertain. Middle East Security Project The Institute for the Study of War launched its Middle East Security Project in November 2011. The project seeks : to study the national security challenges and opportunities emerging from the Persian Gulf and wider Arab World ; to identify ways the United States and Gulf States can check Iran 's growing influence and contain the threat posed by its nuclear ambitions ; to explain the shifting balance of power within the Middle East caused by recent upheaval, and assess the responses of the United States and Arab States to address these changes as they emerge. The Project currently is focused on Syria and Iran and also produced a series of reports during the Libyan Revolution. Syria ISW has chronicled the resistance to President Bashar al - Assad through a number of reports including : The Struggle for Syria in 2011 Syria 's Armed Opposition Syria 's Political Opposition Syria 's Maturing Insurgency Notable among these reports, Syria 's Political Opposition was authored by disgraced former Institute for the Study of War staff member Elizabeth O'Bagy. Libya ISW released four reports on the conflict that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi between September 19, 2011 and December 6, 2011. The series was entitled `` The Libyan Revolution '' with each of the four parts focused on different stages in the struggle in order to chronicle the revolution from start to finish. Iran The Middle East Security Project has released reports on the status of the Iranian military as well as the influence that Iran has on its neighbors in the region. These reports include `` Iran 's Two Navies '' and `` Iranian Influence in the Levant, Egypt, Iraq, and Afghanistan '' which was co-written with the American Enterprise Institute. References Jump up ^ http://swampland.time.com/2013/09/17/the-rise-and-fall-of-elizabeth-obagy/ ^ Jump up to : Civilian analysts gained Petraeus 's ear while he was commander in Afghanistan, By Rajiv Chandrasekaran, The Washington Post, December 19, 2012 Jump up ^ `` About Us ''. Institute for the Study of War. December 2010. Retrieved 2010 - 10 - 12. Jump up ^ http://www.understandingwar.org/our-supporters Jump up ^ `` About ''. Right Web. June 2010. Retrieved 2011 - 01 - 31. Jump up ^ `` Iraq 's Political Crisis with Kimberly Kagan and Samir Sumaidaie ''. Institute for the Study of War. May 25, 2010. Archived from the original on December 2, 2010. Retrieved 2010 - 11 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Prospects for Afghanistan 's Future : Assessing the Outcome of the Afghan Presidential Election ''. Brookings Institution. August 25, 2009. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved 2010 - 11 - 11. Jump up ^ `` '' The Surge : the Untold Story '' ( never - before - seen interviews ) ``. Institute for the Study of War. November 9, 2010. Retrieved 2010 - 10 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Staff Bios ''. Institute for the Study of War. November 2010. Retrieved 2010 - 11 - 12. ^ Jump up to : `` Afghanistan Project ''. Institute for the Study of War. November 2010. Retrieved 2011 - 01 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Testimony ''. CSPAN. June 22, 2010. Retrieved 2010 - 10 - 12. Jump up ^ `` The Surge : The Untold Story ''. Small Wars Journal. November 2009. Retrieved 2010 - 01 - 12. Jump up ^ `` World Fest ''. WorldFest. June 2010. Archived from the original on 2007 - 02 - 25. Retrieved 2009 - 01 - 12. Jump up ^ `` GI Film Festival ''. GI Film Fest. May 2010. Retrieved 2010 - 11 - 12. External links Official website Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Institute_for_the_Study_of_War&oldid=849887890 '' Categories : Think tanks established in 2007 Foreign policy and strategy think tanks in the United States Organizations based in Washington, D.C. Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Edit links This page was last edited on 12 July 2018, at 02 : 35 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: who funds the institute for the study of war
Answer: large defense contractors