Guerrilla warfare as a successful military tactic

Guerilla Warfare

The Efficacy of Guerilla Warfare

Terrorists, in some ways, are just as organized and effective as a police force or the military. The police force and more so with the military, there is a great abundance of resources and supplies dedicated for training purposes. Terrorists and militarized groups from third world countries often have to be more inventive because of their lack of financing and lack of supplies. Guerilla warfare is a way that terrorists and groups from third world countries get attention and accomplish some of their goals. Guerilla warfare involves not military personnel, often called civilians, to participate and serve vital functions in guerilla activities. Participants in guerilla warfare have advantages that members of large armies do not. While there are advantages and disadvantages to the use of guerilla warfare, guerilla warfare, overall, is a successful tool of small countries and terrorist organizations.

In Guerilla Warfare, famous revolutionary leader and physician, Che Guevara defines guerilla warfare early on in the text as:

…the basis of the struggle of a people to redeem itself, has diverse characteristics, different facets…geographical and social conditions in each country determine the mode and particular forms that guerrilla warfare will take, there are general laws that hold... (1961, 2)

Guerilla warfare is a type of strategy that takes place within a context where many people are suffering and struggling for basic human rights, despite the political views or agenda of those in power and those without power. Guerilla warfare is a term that was coined in the 20th century, yet there is evidence that guerilla warfare and tactics have existed since the times of ancient human civilizations. Guerilla warfare, according to this definition, is not uniform in practice, but is uniform in philosophy. This means that depending on the physical and social conditions in which guerilla warfare is used will predominantly determine the precise plans and maneuvers of the guerillas. Guerillas have to use what is available in their physical environment, what they may already have access to or possess, what they could gain access to or possess by theft, and what the precise nature of the targets of the warfare are. These are the factors that determine what exactly will play out for guerillas, whether they are from terrorist organizations or from small and/or third world countries.

Guevara continues by arguing that while the form of the guerilla warfare takes varies, the ethos, pathos, and logos of guerilla warfare holds true despite who the guerillas are, where they are, what they are doing, and in some ways, what they are fighting for. He also contends that guerilla warfare is not a tactic that is practiced without discipline or structure. The structure and adherence to rules or laws, as Guevara, suggests, are elements that directly contribute to the efficacy of guerilla warfare as used by terrorist organizations and small countries.

It is often said that guerrilla warfare is primitive. This generalization is dangerously misleading…it can be conducted in any terrain, in any climate, in any weather…Its basic element is man, and man is more complex than any of his machines. (U.S. Navy & Marine Corps, 1989, 13)

This quote comes from the headquarters of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps, two extremely talented branches of the United States military, which is arguably one of the finest militaries in the world. If leaders from these branches of the military have this to say about guerilla warfare as it is used by terrorists organizations and organized civilians in small and/or third world countries, then there must be truth and strength in that guerilla warfare is, indeed a successful tactic. The Navy and Marine Corps went through the time and effort necessary to research and report upon guerilla warfare. It must be a strategy that is worth their attention and a strategy that necessitates study and counter-strategy. If powerful branches of a military that is one of the strongest and surely most financed in the world must take time to educate their ranks about guerilla warfare, then guerilla warfare must have some use and must be able to due some real damage.