April 20, 2026 | “Iran’s Decentralized Military Doctrine” with Alexander Greenberg

What happens when a military is designed to survive even if its leadership is wiped out? The Iranian regime is currently operating according to a decentralized “mosaic defense” doctrine, built on dispersing power, fragmenting command, and preparing for long, asymmetric war. Rather than relying on a single chain of command, Iran’s system enables regional units to operate independently, ensuring continuity even under extreme pressure. How does this affect the way the Iranian regime functions and why does it make traditional military solutions far less effective? If the US and Israel can’t “decapitate” the system, what strategies - military, political, or economic - might still work?

Alexander Greenberg is a historian of Iran and a geopolitical and intelligence analyst.  He served in the research department of the IDF intelligence branch (Aman) between 2005 and 2010 and is a major in the IDF reserves. He works in the field of geopolitical analysis, with an emphasis on Iran, Russia, and the broader Middle East. Greenberg is a research fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Security and Strategy, where he manages the research program on Iran’s regional policies.  He holds a B.A. and an M.A. in Arabic language and literature & Middle East and Islamic Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.