Fighting Asymetric Warfare

[cut]

What's the best way to combat guerrilla warfare?

I havn't got a clue, someone please enlighten me.

We were talking about this in a seminar, but I didn't want to ask the lecturer because I think you lot could probably give a better answer than she ever could. Yes, she, a woman, teaching strategic studies :roll: ;)

[SeanAshi]

Infiltrate, and kill'em with in.

[duck]

Realize you are in a "Grey Zone" between peace and war. Situations change quickly, there are no clear rules to go by and you have to take the media into consideration. MPs and other personnel on guard duty are the backbone of asymmetric warfare forces. Their intelligence and training are essential for the development and conduct of the operations. Everyone's a suspect, even familiar figures, that's the really hard part.

[He219]

Infiltrate, and kill'em within.
:lol:

That would indeed be non-linear and - most effective ....

[SEALInTheMaking]

Unfortunately, there is no good way to do it. Especially in a large, urban, heavily populated area where collateral damage can easily occur. SeanAshi has it partially right though. Infiltrate; the only way to really stop it is to have up to the second intel coming from within the guerrilla's ranks, and a highly mobile strike unit which can react to the intel and be onsight in a matter on minutes.

[George W. Bush]

Depends if the population sees you as a Satanist infidel.

[Roger Rabbit]

What's the best way to combat guerrilla warfare?

Theres a couple of ways. One of them is to nuke everything where the bad guys might be. I don't know the others but at a guess and trying to send you down the right track then i guess you've got to cover hearts and minds as a big portion at some point.

[cut]

I think that in most cases of guerrilla insurgence there's a strong likelyhood of them thinking something like that anyway.

[George W. Bush]

The solution is not to go into places where guerillas live :lol:

Unless you're given carte blanche to bomb the crap out of them into submission of course.

[cut]

The solution is not to go into places where guerillas live :lol:

Unless you're given carte blanche to bomb the crap out of them into submission of course.

yeah, but that did sweet f.a. in vietnam, which is the point at which I got stuck.

[James]

Carrot and stick... In earlier posts somehwere in this forum, I and another member posted subjects about VIetnam era USMC combined action platoons and lessons our military has learned from the ongoing conflict in Iraq. A few things that stuck in my mind -

Don't alienate yourself from the population; get them on your side and support for the insurgents will wither.
Give the population a stake in your presence, and get them to take an active role in their own defense.
Win hearts and minds.

Anyway... Try and find those other threads.

[usa320]

coverty and by gathering the absolute most intelligence possible. Inifiltrate the insurgency. Turn the people against them. Find and kill their top leaders.

Thats the approach i would take.

[Merik]

Thats why the Green Berets are such a vital resource in the ongoing war on terriorism. Thats there bread and butter is too align themselves with local factions that are not associated with the enemy at hand and use them in counter-guerilla operations, such as Afghanistan. They developed this while in Vietnam from the late 50's well into the 60's. I have always thought that if Kennedy and LBJ had left all of Vietnam in the hands of the Green Berets and SF, the country would have probably never even made headline news. Cut, I strongly urge you to read Robin Moore's "The Hunt for Bin Laden" if you already havent because if you want to answer your teacher in a correct and truthful statement, that book is the best place to find your answers.




What's the best way to combat guerrilla warfare?

One of them is to nuke everything where the bad guys might be.

We should have done that from the start lol.

[ibstolidude]

Realize you are in a "Grey Zone" between peace and war. Situations change quickly, there are no clear rules to go by and you have to take the media into consideration. MPs and other personnel on guard duty are the backbone of asymmetric warfare forces. Their intelligence and training are essential for the development and conduct of the operations. Everyone's a suspect, even familiar figures, that's the really hard part.

Bwwwhhhaaaaaat??

[catalyst]

read into the way the Commonwealth Forces defeated the Malayan communists and the Indonesian Confrontation.

Whilst they werent full blown warfare they were still developed infrastructure they had to defeat. It wasnt by showing who had the biggest guns or who could kill the most...in fact it was the opposite.
They developed civic programs.....read more here... http://www.britains-smallwars.com/

By the ways....the aussies did the same thing in Nam on alot smaller scale....if the yanks had done wat the aussies had done then they could have won the war....but they were to macho to do the aussie/commonwealth approach.

[One?]

Israel has been fighting gorilla warfare for the past 50 years, and till this day they haven't found a solution.

[James]

Gorilla war...

rofl

[Royal]

Cut,

Try to get hold of copies of 'Gangs and Counter-Gangs' and 'Bunch of Fives' by Gen Sir Frank Kitson. He's the man who wrote the book (literally) on counter insurgency Ops in Kenya and Malaya in the '50's.

It boils down to hearts and minds, timely and accurate intelligence and very limited direct action. Mostly hearts and minds. Not very gung-ho or sexy I'm afraid...

[GazB]

Mostly hearts and minds. Not very gung-ho or sexy I'm afraid...


And no heavy bombing... it is counter productive.

I agree with looking at what Britain did in Malaya. That is the model to base yourself on. Would have to adapt it for different places and cultures of course, but the basics are right.

[mustamato]

The Colombians are fighting a hearts and minds-war now. They even have
psychological warfare units that have as their objective to keep the young
from having anything with the guerillas to do.

http://www.conflictpics.co.uk/Saravena/Images/sara2L.jpg
The Military make regular incursions into barrios controlled by the rebel
militia to paint over pro rebel graffiti. Saravena, Arauca.

http://www.conflictpics.co.uk/Saravena/Images/sara5L.jpg
The military believe that to make progress in the war against urban
militias they must create a positive image. Without support from the local
population the army stands no chance of gathering useful intelligence
about their enemies. Saravena, Arauca.

http://www.conflictpics.co.uk/Saravena/Images/sara8L.jpg
Psychological warfare has become crucial to making progress in this
conflict. This base has a programme aimed at convincing local children
that the military is their friend. An open day at the base gives the
children a chance to play at being soldiers for a day, ride on tanks, be
entertained by clowns and play in the swimming pool. Saravena, Arauca.

http://www.conflictpics.co.uk/Iraq/Images/Iraq04L.jpg
An Iraqi resistance fighter holds a copy of the Koran and a hand
grenade whilst explaining his willingness to die ridding Iraq of occupation.
Rutba, December 2003.

http://www.conflictpics.co.uk/

[martinexsquaddie]

the columbian army could possibly start by stopping killing trade unionists and teachers that would be a useful first step :(

[oldsoak]

Guerillas usually have a grievance, an ideology and a popular base.
- in no particular order
1. Identify the grievance to see if you can redress it.
2. Examine the ideology to see how it takes root and is there a weakness that can be exploited.
3. Identify the popular base - can the guerillas be cut off from it ?
4. Identify political alternatives - is there a party which has the same aims but is non violent/politically "better" that can be encouraged ?
5. Military action must be very surgical and subject to rigorous control. It must be justifiable.
Hearts and minds with surgical military action is what it boils down to.
Religious fanaticism is possibly the hardest to deal with, but it has its roots either in poverty and perceived injustice.
rgds

[Argyll]

What's the best way to combat guerrilla warfare?

I havn't got a clue, someone please enlighten me.

We were talking about this in a seminar, but I didn't want to ask the lecturer because I think you lot could probably give a better answer than she ever could. Yes, she, a woman, teaching strategic studies :roll: ;)


Best way.......................avoid wars!! ;)

Probably Hearts and Minds......gain the indigenous trust,and begin to undermind the opposition.

I guess also it would depend on the unit's involved,the type of enemy and also the terrain involved.......for example using a unit that's Artic warfare orientated into an arid environment.....and the likes?

[perdurabo]

two ways:
short one: kill'em all
long: hearts and minds + carrot and a stick but resoults not guaranteed