Asymmetric war at sea: The doctrine of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN)
Abstract
This paper examines the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) as an advanced practitioner of asymmetric naval warfare. The IRGCN employs layered offensive and defensive strategies using small fast-attack craft, swarm tactics, missiles, and coastal A2/AD systems to exploit the geography of the Strait of Hormuz. Emphasizing simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and adaptability, the IRGCN challenges superior conventional navies. Through deception, proxy forces such as the Houthis and Hezbollah, and expansion into the Red Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, Iran extends maritime influence and complicates Western naval responses despite its material inferiority.
Fields of Study & Subjects
European and Russian Geopolitical Military Strategies
Islamic Studies and History
Maritime Security and History
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Strategic Studies
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 158–192
- Publication date
- 12 January 2026
- Language
- EN