Following years of delays, Sinema highlighted importance of the project with the White House to secure the Irregular Warfare Center at ASU
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema announced today that the Irregular Warfare Center will be established at Arizona State University (ASU).
Following years of delays, Sinema cut through the bureaucracy and spoke directly with the White House and the Department of Defense (DOD) to secure the Irregular Warfare Center at ASU, as named by Congress in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. ASU President Michael Crow and fellow Arizona Senator Mark Kelly worked with Sinema during the process.
“After years of bureaucratic delays, I worked directly with the White House to establish the Irregular Warfare Center at ASU. I’m proud to have cut through the red tape to deliver this important center to the best academic institution in the country,” said Sinema.
“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,” said Kelly. “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.”
“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,” said ASU President Michael Crow. “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 serve to improve the United States military’s understanding of irregular warfare and modernize military education to meet evolving threats.
Congress authorized the creation of the Irregular Warfare Center in the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, with the intent that the Department of Defense should leverage expertise from public universities when establishing the Irregular Warfare Center. ASU was the only university in the country listed in the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act as a location the Department of Defense should consider for the Irregular Warfare Center.
For years, the Department of Defense was operating an interim Irregular Warfare Center without an academic partnership – thus not following Congressional intent. Following years of delays and inaction, Sinema worked directly with the White House and DOD to expedite the establishment of the Irregular Warfare Center at ASU.