One of our CIVARA Academy students asked me to write about on guerilla warfare, which I was taught the beginning stages when I was five years old and which I have continued learning and have taught to others often, including paramilitary and military organizations in South America, as well as private courses. Why would we want to know about this form of warfare? What is it?
Let us digress just a little. Tragically, the U.S. is quickly moving to a one-party political system in which laws apply only to the masses and not to government officials who have more and more devolved into a class in which they are parasitic leaches – moving in, consuming their hosts then, searching out their own and repeating or die! Imagine that 20 years ago if you voted for a different candidate than your neighbor, you could have grand discussions about it and even laugh over the silliness. Now, if you voted for someone different than your democrat neighbor, somehow, you’re a criminal and outcast in society and forget discussion because neither side listens to facts. This was the gist of the discussion on why the student wanted me to write this article. So, here we go.
Guerrilla warfare is similar to asymmetric warfare in which you use your small-force agility and speed, as well as other attributes against a larger, better-armed force. In most cases, guerilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare where small groups of combatants, such as armed civilians, militia’s, and others, use military-style tactics including ambushes, hit-and-run tactics, raids, sabotage, and mobility, to fight a larger and less-mobile traditional military.
This form of warfare is all about maximizing damage to the enemy while minimizing risk to one’s own forces; all other considerations are secondary. A good example is the tactics used by the Seminole Indians in Florida against Andrew Jackson’s well-armed forces. The army wanted to push the Seminole from their lands in Florida so that the wealthy could take them over, not unlike what is happening today. A series of three Seminole wars were fought using guerilla warfare tactics; the Seminole remained in Florida, never signing a peace treaty although they did sign a cessation of hostilities agreement in 1964. Thus, their guerilla tactics were a success.
Another example that gained much fame was the French Resistance in WWII and was quite effective helping to end the war sooner than it would have. While not without its setbacks, guerilla warfare can be very successful. Other examples in WWI were partisans who often clashed with the German army in Yugoslavia, as well as when other groups, both communist and non-communist, fought against German and Japanese enemies in WWII. During the Cold War period, many guerrilla forces of varying political beliefs were showered with money, modern weapons, and equipment from assorted benefactors. An example is funding of terrorists groups such as Al Qaeda, ISIS, ISIL, and others by the CIA in the middle east. As such, in both eras, animosities were further seasoned by ethnic and religious rivalries, a factor that helps to explain why guerrilla warfare continues to be fought in many countries today. And, to the victors go the spoils. The victor decided by the depth of the benefactor’s pockets. For example, let us look at Panama. It never blossomed into a true guerilla warfare state but came close. This is when military de facto leaders were courted by the CIA and U.S. Government. First was General Omar Torrijos who went along to get along for awhile and then didn’t and was blown up in his small plane in July 1981. He was followed by Colonel Rubén Darío Parades for just over a year; he was the smart one who stepped down. Parades was followed by General Manuel Noriega who also went along until he got tired of the deal and when he did and fought it, he was arrested in the U.S. on drug charges thanks to set up by the CIA.
There are lots of other examples of guerilla warfare including the American Revolution battles of Lexington and Concord, South Africa Boer wars, Nicaraguan Contras, Soviets in Afghanistan, and many others. It is ironic that during the Soviet-Afghanistan war, the Afghanistan fighters were called guerillas. It was these same guerillas that the CIA funneled tax-payer dollars to form Al Qaeda by recruiting and backing Osama bin Laden. Yet, when the U.S. fought these same people years later, they were suddenly terrorists.
Traditionally, guerilla warfare has been a weapon of protest employed to rectify real or imagined wrongs levied on a people either by a ruling government or by a foreign invader – remember the former. This type of warfare has scored remarkable successes but has also suffered defeats. It has a long history. In 512 BCE, the Persian warrior-king Darius I, who ruled the largest empire and commanded the best army in the world, bowed to the hit-and-run tactics of the nomadic Scythian’s and left them to their lands beyond the Danube River. Guerrilla warfare was formally described by Sun Tzu in The Art of War. Additionally, guerrilla tactics are characterized by repeated surprise attacks and efforts to limit movement of enemy troops. This type of warfare also uses tactics of propaganda to recruit fighters and win the support of local populations.
Most militaries around the world are aware of and familiar with guerilla warfare tactics but they have not been that successful against such tactics long term. The best example of their relative failure was during the occupation of Baghdad in 2003 during Iraqi Freedom, when a large contingency of U.S. military, led by the army’s 3rd Infantry Division occupied the city and were constantly assailed by only a couple of hundred, mostly disorganized, terrorists. The only reason the military was finally able to get this small group of terrorists under control was because the Iraqi people in the city grew weary of the violence and turned them in. Had they not attacked innocent women and children in the process, it is unlikely they would have been turned in.
If one looks at these deemed terrorist fighters through a warfare lens, they were indeed guerilla fighters. It is only through the political lens they were labeled terrorists. However, there is a difference. Both employ many of the same tactics and weapons, but there are principal differences between guerrilla fighters and terrorists. The latter rarely attack defended military targets. Instead, terrorists usually attack soft targets such as civilian aircraft, schools, churches, and other places of public assembly, which almost 100 percent of the time are gun-free zones. The September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing are examples of terrorist attacks. Although, in strict definition, one must be aware of the adage – one man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter.
While guerrillas are generally motivated by political factors, terrorists often act out of simple hatred, but that hatred has usually been fostered by politics. In the United States, for example, terrorism is often an element of hate crimes – crimes motivated by the terrorist’s prejudice against the victim’s race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity. But beware, because if you were a Trump supporter and still are, you are labeled in this group. According to James Brennan, Nancy Pelosi, the squad, and many other democrat leaders, you should be shot, beheaded, put in re-education camps, jailed, or whatever else the now ‘ruling class’ decides to do with you. The time for talk is unfortunately long past according to these pundits.
Guerilla warfare stands in stark restrained contrast to longstanding, traditional conceptions of battlefield tactics, which typically involve opposing armies fighting one another on an open battlefield. And usually in such cases, the force with superior numbers has a distinct advantage, although tactics, weaponry, battlefield conditions, morale and other factors are all meaningful variables. As I said, this type of warfare is considered a war motivated by politics – a desperate struggle of common people to right the wrongs done to them by an oppressive government that rules by intimidation, over regulation, and finally by military force. History, however, has shown that public opinion of guerrillas as heroes or villains depending on their tactics and motivations. While many guerrillas have fought to secure basic human rights, some have initiated unjustified violence, even using terrorist tactics against other civilians who refuse to join their cause. An example is Northern Ireland and the long struggle between the two religious groups and Britain. Another example is the Weather Underground supported by Bill Ayers, a staunch supporter of Obama. The latter is much like Antifa, who, parallel the brown shirts of Hitler’s Nazi Germany.
Guerilla forces are, by definition, are not members of an officially sanctioned military force (although regular military soldiers can and do employ guerilla tactics). Guerilla fighters typically have a command structure, though it is often loosely defined. In the current state of technology around the globe, a guerilla force must remain loosely defined to protect themselves.
Although guerilla tactics can defeat large armies and have done so throughout history, the primary goal is usually to force the enemy to withdraw or surrender by making the conflict too expensive or politically unpalatable to continue. In current situations around the globe, it would be the capitulation of the current government regime. Guerilla campaigns tend to be long-range, “slow-burn” efforts to whittle down the enemy’s morale and mental endurance over time. As an example, the French Revolution (May 1789 – January 1799) that lasted nine years, in which a peasant population armed with hoes, axes, pitch forks and other rudimentary weapons, finally defeated a well-armed government to change to what the people believed was a better system.
While many believe guerilla warfare to be inherently immoral, this is not true. Guerilla fighters reject conventional notions of “fair” or “honorable” combat. And, what guerilla fighters do consider fair, honorable, or ethical varies from one group to another. Guerilla warfare tactics are simply a tool in the same sense that one’s weapons and gear are tools: the user’s motives and reasons for acting as they do — not their tools — establish whether they are morally in the right.
The general phases of a guerilla campaign include propaganda, growth, and attack. During the propaganda phase, the goal is to obtain followers and influence the public, irrespective of the information’s truth status or the group’s goals. Because guerilla forces tend to be much smaller and much less well-funded than the forces they fight against, information is often a guerilla’s most powerful weapon and its importance cannot be overstated. To have a realistic hope of prevailing, guerillas need the locals on their side. A perfect example is the way mainstream media focused on only the views of the democrats while trashing President Trump and his supporters. That was a campaign of disinformation and still is, especially regarding the Covid-19 hoax, which has the same mortality rate (scientifically proven) as an average flu.
Public opinion can be an enormously powerful tool, and like other tools, it can be leveraged for evil or for good. Most dictators control people by carefully regulating (in many cases, fabricating) information that the general public has access to. As an example, compare what is currently being done in the media to Trump followers vs Jews as Hitler took over in Nazi Germany – almost identical. Will the paper, gold star placed on the chest of the Jew in Nazi Germany become a red MAGA star for patriots as they are shipped off to concentration and death camps?
Guerilla fighters who can successfully persuade citizens that resisting the current regime is a risk worth taking can gain enormous support and resources over time. Citizens so persuaded can and often do provide invaluable information, weapons, food, shelter, supplies, and moral support. Under such regimes there are only three choices for the people: (1) accept the regimes demands and comply; (2) flee to another country; or (3) die defending the constitution, country, and family, as you expel your last breath while standing on your feet rather than bend a knee and kiss the regimes ass!
The early stages of the propaganda phase typically involve covert dissemination of information through various channels such as pamphlets, radio, social media posts, or word of mouth. Given today’s current climate and globally connected technologies, the guerilla will find word of mouth safer. Rather than the outlets listed above, discuss such matters carefully – in person or using book codes. When security or freedom of expression are paramount (as they are today), guerillas opt for handwritten or verbal communication delivered in person as has been well learned with terrorist communications.
Following is a diagram I put into a writing sample to get into my second master’s degree program. If one is a guerilla fighter, it shows organizational structure that kept terrorist cells safe, until most became lazy. In other words, they became tired of the cause. The real issue was, they reached the point where freedom was no longer worth it (in my opinion). The point is, the viable organization cannot be easily defeated, even with a well-armed military. And if you’re in a country with millions of armed citizens, such a military is at a disadvantage, despite their technology. For example, the U.S. has over 100,000 trained military and civilian snipers, as well as 170-million-gun owners with an average of four guns per owner. Compared to three million full-time military and law enforcement officers, which includes logistical personnel, trying to quell so many, would be an impossible task unless the citizens freely gave up and submitted, i.e., submitting to congressional bills designed to pre-empt the second amendment that plainly and lawfully state the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
During the growth phase, for both the strategic and tactical levels, your greatest assets are stealth and deception. Openly engaging a superior enemy force that has far more soldiers, weapons and supplies than a guerilla force has is almost certain suicide. The most reliable way to defeat a significantly more powerful opponent is to maximize damage to their forces while minimizing damage through surprise and herding them into funnels of death. This phase begins after an established propaganda framework with at least some support from locals. Using carefully planned and coordinated strikes, guerilla forces can exert increasing influence on the movement of enemy troops, supplies, and officials. If in doubt your message will be unheard by specific individuals or relayed in a manner in which the outcome is a detriment, do not share with or attempt to recruit that person. Terrorists were incapacitated in the middle east because of this and due to electrical communications so much so that they reached the point where they didn’t trust anyone they had not known for a couple of decades.
When a guerilla force decides on an attack, they weigh the pros and cons as a simplistic definition. For example, suppose the enemy force controls an oil field, an airfield in different locations, or you wish to take out a government official of the regime. All are valuable targets but let us say the airfield is a more valuable target than the others. The problem is that, of the three targets, the airfield is more heavily guarded, denoting that an outright assault would be too risky for the guerillas or so some would believe. I once ran a red-team scenario of two terrorists against a team of 15 FBI agents in which the terrorists, using a radio-controlled truck with an explosive, a .50 caliber rifle with a Raufoss round (multipurpose anti-materiel high-explosive incendiary/armor-piercing ammunition projectile), a couple of RPGs, and homemade ricin to take out the entire San Francisco International terminal, Levi’s stadium, and Houston refineries – terrorists 3, FBI 0; not a big deal really.
Instead of attacking the airfield, the guerillas target the protected official whose protection is of insignificant value due to a sniper at a moment of surprise from a mile or more away — they may even do so several times over the course of days or weeks. Or you could alternate targets – since the enemy needs the oil field, they are effectively forced to reallocate supplies and personnel from the airfield, leaving it more vulnerable. The guerillas then capture or destroy the airfield, which is now a softer target. Eliminating targets allows guerillas to recruit new members from usually, an increasingly sympathetic civilian populace. In some cases, foreign mercenaries or even military forces may join the guerillas’ cause. The more freedoms that have been taken away from people, the more likely the group will obtain a great many more recruits. An individual with charisma is most beneficial. A study of Osama bin Laden shows this. Remember that a single window of opportunity is the only thing needed to execute a devastating, effective attack. As an analogy, look at the fighting style of Mohamed Ali – float like a butterfly, sting like a bee then, step back. But in this case, disappear back into the fabric of society.
The third phase of guerilla warfare is the attack. Initially attacks are on smaller, soft targets that the group can overcome. As the group grows in number, it will be increasingly capable of taking on harder, better armed targets, as well as launching multiple, precisely coordinated attacks against individual or multiple targets. As a guerilla fighter, patience and caution are a necessity. If you want to study this well, the best example is Geronimo of the White Mountain Apaches. Against a well armed adversary, a guerilla war can turn into an armed civil war and last several years to take down one side or the other. The U.S. Civil War is such an example. However, due to a flattened global society, today when guerilla warfare turns to armed civil war, it will engulf the entire country it is in. That is its nature, but also the inevitability of, and need for, throwing the yoke of enslavement off. One can die as a slave or die as a free person. The choice is entirely yours!
Lets looks at many countries, but primarily the U.S. What skills does a guerilla fighter need? While they are at a disadvantage to a larger force, lacking complex logistics and supply networks, they make up for such with sheer determination and persistence, because only these attributes bring success in the end. It’s not about marching in columns or dressing up with medals, its about where the rubber meets the road and the guerilla learns everything he or she can to gain an edge. As an example, with today’s technology in rifle scopes, I have seen men and women, beginners with no marksmanship experience, hit targets (gallon milk jugs filled with water) with laser, range-finding scopes on a cold bore shot at 1,500 meters. They didn’t go to a 9-week sniper training course in the military. Many skills such as hand-to-hand combat, shooting, tracking, survival, and many others are actually more prevalent with individuals in the U.S. than in the military who can only spend a little time learning each. This is true of people in a great many countries. So, in a real way, civilians already have more skills than many of our military unless you’re talking about elite units such as Special Forces, Delta Force, and Navy Seals. The key is to keep building upon each skill set.
Additionally, guerilla fighters must be overly cautious, self-sufficient, creative, clever, and highly adaptable. They must be capable of living off the land until circumstances improve. A guerilla fighter must also master many other survival skills, such as finding water, starting a fire, crafting and repairing weapons, and trauma first aid, especially for gunshot and shrapnel wounds. Additionally, they must hone and develop interpersonal skills, so they constantly could blend into any situation, bluff their way into restricted areas, blend into a crowd, or persuade a nervous informant to cooperate. Guerilla fighters must be intimately familiar with local culture, customs, and laws, as well as have working knowledge of international law and politics, especially as they relate to the guerilla campaign in question.
The function and strengths, as well as the weaknesses and moral condition of guerilla tactics are complex and take some time to learn well. If you are interested in guerilla warfare, consider our 7-day introductory course. Should you decide to become versed in guerilla warfare, remember communications (use person-to-person or book codes) and organization. Those alone, despite your present skills, will serve you better than you know.