Abstract
While Unconventional Warfare (UW) remains a viable, low-cost method of indirect warfare, some of the assumptions underpinning traditional UW have diverged from reality in the last two decades. These include the idea that UW occurs mostly within denied areas; the categorisation of resistance movements into underground, auxiliary and guerrilla components; the model of a pyramid of resistance activities becoming larger in scale, more violent and less covert until they emerge ‘above ground’ into overt combat; and the assumption that the external (non-indigenous) component of UW primarily consists of infiltrated Special Forces elements, or support from governments-in-exile. Arguably these assumptions were always theoretical attempts to model a messy reality. But since the start of this century the evolution of resistance warfare within a rapidly changing environment has prompted the UW community to reconsider their relevance. This article examines that evolution and its implications. It begins with a historical overview, examines how drivers of evolutionary change are manifested in modern resistance warfare and considers the implications for future UW.
Highlights
As used by Western Special Operations Forces (SOF) the terms special warfare, guerrilla warfare or unconventional warfare (UW) all mean roughly the same thing: operations by specialised forces to advise, assist and accompany local partners conducting resistance warfare against a hostile state or occupying force
These include the idea that UW occurs mostly within denied areas; the categorisation of resistance movements into underground, auxiliary and guerrilla components; the model of a pyramid of resistance activities becoming larger in scale, more violent and less covert until they emerge ‘above ground’ into overt warfare; and the assumption that the external component of UW primarily consists of infiltrated SOF or support from governments-inexile
This article examines that evolution and its implications. It begins with a historical overview, examines how drivers of evolutionary change are manifested in modern resistance warfare and considers the implications for future UW
Summary
As used by Western Special Operations Forces (SOF) the terms special warfare, guerrilla warfare or unconventional warfare (UW) all mean roughly the same thing: operations by specialised forces to advise, assist and accompany local partners conducting resistance warfare against a hostile state or occupying force. Current United States doctrine considers UW a subset of irregular warfare (IW), a category that includes counterinsurgency, stability operations, foreign internal defence (FID) and counterterrorism It defines UW as ‘activities conducted to enable a resistance movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt, or overthrow a government or occupying power by operating through or with an underground, auxiliary, and guerrilla force in a denied area’ (Joint Chiefs of Staff 2016: 249). While UW remains a viable, low-cost method of indirect warfare, some of the assumptions underpinning traditional UW have diverged from reality in the last two decades These include the idea that UW occurs mostly within denied areas; the categorisation of resistance movements into underground, auxiliary and guerrilla components; the model of a pyramid of resistance activities becoming larger in scale, more violent and less covert until they emerge ‘above ground’ into overt warfare; and the assumption that the external (non-indigenous) component of UW primarily consists of infiltrated SOF or support from governments-inexile. It begins with a historical overview, examines how drivers of evolutionary change are manifested in modern resistance warfare and considers the implications for future UW
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