James A Russell, writing in Small Wars & Insurgencies, described the think tank as neoconservative and right wing, comparing the organization to The Heritage Foundation and The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

[26] ISW maintains close ties with the United States military and the defense industry,[9][2] and major contributors to the think tank have included General Dynamics, Raytheon, CACI and DynCorp.

[28] 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.

[30] The video documented 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.

[citation needed] 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.

[34] The ISW has also published daily updates on the war in Ukraine since the invasion in the form of their Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment where they disseminate reports from open sources.