Definition of Asymmetric Warfare

Probably, if we randomly stop people on the street and ask them if they can explain the concept of “asymmetric warfare” to us, few will be able to, but if we change this expression to "guerrilla warfare", it is much more likely that we will find someone who can give us a fairly good explanation. precise.

The guerrilla war continues to be the way in which the call is usually made concrete. asymmetric warfare.

An asymmetric war is one in which the competing forces are unequal, with one of the opposing sides far superior to the other in number of troops and weapons.

It is obvious that in a war, in circumstances of numerical and material (and even tactical) inferiority it is suicide to attempt a battle pitched, so it is necessary to resort to other ways of facing the enemy that give an advantage to the lower side in numbers and technology weapons.

Attack quickly, unexpectedly and in the least expected place, cause casualties and damage to the enemy, and retreat on time, suffering the least possible damage, are part of the tactics of wars asymmetric.

In this way, the enemy is being worn down so that, little by little, the competing forces are equalized, at the same time as the moral The combat capacity of the soldiers is decreasing for the conventional army, and increasing for those who started from a disadvantageous situation, who thus see their deficiencies supplied.

Generally, asymmetric wars take place in occupied territories, often in those countries whose conventional armies have been defeated on the battlefield.

In these cases, the initiative often passes into the hands of civilians, soldiers who have managed to escape defeat and have taken refuge, hidden, organized and seek to counterattack.

A good example of this type of situation is found in Europe occupied by the Nazis of the Second World War, in which resistance movements such as the French, the Czech or the Danish, carried out guerrilla and sabotage actions against the troops of the axis.

The Vietnam War, on the one hand conventional and on the other insurgency, is a classic in the definition of asymmetric warfare.

More recently, the insurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan against the occupying Western troops and against the governments established after conventional conflicts, have emerged as clear examples of what an unequal war is asymmetric.

To successfully carry out an asymmetric warfare strategy, it is necessary to have the complicity of the civilian population.

That is why asymmetric wars are carried out on own or allied terrain, so that it is possible to have complicities that help the guerrilla faction to hide and attack surprisingly.

A good knowledge of the terrain, which can only be achieved by locals, is also a key factor for the success of this strategy.

The same terrain can play a decisive factor in the confrontation: the Vietcong guerrillas, fully accustomed to the jungle, knew how to take advantage of the resources of which this endowed them, to the detriment of the North American forces, whose soldiers moved in a strange element.

Acts of terrorism are also part of an asymmetric warfare.

Even made in territory enemy, unreachable by conventional military means. For example, if we were talking about two conventional forces in battle, one could think of an aerial bombardment of bases and infrastructures of the enemy country, but in the case of irregular forces that attack as guerrillas, this is unthinkable.

Thus, acts of terrorism are a way of taking war into enemy territory, avenging actions, and sowing terror and rejection of the enemy. conflict between civil society from the enemy country.

Organizations such as Al Qaeda or ISIS have used terrorist attacks in the United States, Egypt, Great Britain, Spain, France or Germany, in addition to terrorist actions carried out in Iraq or Afghanistan, to undermine the morale of Western countries and force a current of opinion contrary to the intervention of Western powers in the affairs of the countries Muslims.

Asymmetric warfare is characterized by the lack of a military front.

This is also part of their objective to attack anywhere and at any time. The lack of a demarcation line behind which to feel safe, and the sensation That this leaves in the enemy soldiers that they are not safe anywhere, is part of the tactic of sapping the invading army's morale.

In more modern times, cyber warfare has proven itself as a weapon with great potential for asymmetric conflicts.

A cyberattack is much cheaper in terms of the resources required, and can be almost as lethal, in terms of economic consequences and for the morale of the community. population, than a conventional attack without reaching its level of death and destruction (although things change if we talk about, for example, the sabotage of a nuclear power plant ...).

Photo: Fotolia. Orrlov

Topics in Asymmetric Warfare