Unconventional warfare is a new form of warfare that has been used by the U.S. and the West to topple governments of a number of countries not following their “orbit”.

Doctrine on unconventional warfare points out that it is necessary to build a force in the enemy’s country which composes of 3 main components, namely underground, auxiliary, guerilla. Their functions are:

1. The underground force plays a key role in resistance movements or insurgency that has the ability to conduct operations in areas that are inaccessible to other forces, such as local nerve centres, big cities, particularly the capital cities. The underground functions include the secret establishment of networks of intelligence, counter-intelligence, propaganda and medical facilities; strictly controlling publishers, press, leaflet delivery, social networks, blogs and information sources; establishing radio stations for command and interference; fabricating special materials such as false ID, passport, certificate/degree and manufacturing several types of weapons (explosive ordnance, weapons like firearms, ammunition); control of network for moving personnel and logistics; commanding individuals and groups that conduct acts of sabotage in  urban centres.

2. The auxiliary force includes volunteers who are having normal position in the community. Their functions can be logistics, labor and intelligence collection, and ensuring security for the underground force. Thus, this force should be active and proactive in recruitment, and logistic, technical accumulation to readily provide forces when staging a rebellion.

3. Guerillas are overt military component of a resistance movement. This force comprises mainly locals, thus has a lot of advantages, namely being familiar with the terrain and a connection with local population including local authority. It is organized into para-military or military models. Its functions is to readily attack its enemy when opportunity comes, or to constrain, interfere and disperse the enemy’s force so as to break the enemy’s posture.

Moreover, there is a special operations force supporting unconventional warfare. This force is equipped with modern weapons and equipment, having sufficient capability to effectively conduct enduring operations in the enemy’s territory. In practice, in order to ensure the implementation of its global counter-revolutionary strategy, the U.S. equipped this force with new military transportation vessels that could carry 200 troops, equipment, included helicopter hangars, titrotors and landing vessels. This force’s task is to infiltrate denied territory, train, advise, and support resistance force; at the same time, cooperating and synchronizing with other US forces that are secretly operating there. From things mentioned above and reality in countries where the West has conducted unconventional warfare, we could realize its basic steps as follows:

Phrase 1, proactively and actively sponsoring resistance movements within the denied country; encouraging non-violent activities, such as attacking the government’s wrong and poor management, particularly in macroeconomic field, provoking discontent within the people. Looking for and seting up a legal “opponent leader” to lead the movement to a high tide to overthrow the constitutional government. In this phrase, they promote propaganda campaigns, inciting oppositional groups to come out on strike against the incumbent government; carrying out cyber warfare to attack on command and control system. Using special forces to induce representatives of administrative organizations, army and police.

Phase 2, conducting large-scale unarmed activities to cause distability, such as sabotaging, threatening, kidnapping, and so on. Their detailed functions are to push up assistance activities against the authority; degrading the economy by causing explosions at targets like refineries, energy generation centres (hydroelectricity, thermoelectricity, solar power, wind power plans, etc.), information and communication systems, depots, with a focus on poisonous industrial products depots in order to prompt the incumbent government to hurriedly make unwise decisions, which would be the “reason” for international engagement. Besides, they speed up recruitment to form counter-revolutionary groups.

Phase 3,  sponsoring and commanding armed forces to overthrow authority. Their plan is to incite armed groups in the country to engage in strikes and riots, establishing operations bases, and conducting armed activities against military units. Then extending their acts of sabotage aiming at military, political, economic centres at the enemy’s localities and particularly municipalities and capital cities. They use media as a tool to ignite conflicts, weakening government’s armed and security forces. focusing on a number of activities, such as kidnapping, sabotaging and attacking armed units; controlling crucial targets and infrastructure; breaking off or blocking traffic system, media, electricity supply, fuel depots, and so on.

To conclude, in spite of the fact that unconventional warfare is not a new form of warfare, it has been used by the West in the countries that go against their interests, particularly countries remaining in socialist system. Today, Western military strategists are very interested in this form of warfare as it is in accordance with the view on limiting troops deployed to foreign countries. Also, this form of warfare has a close bond with “Peaceful Evolution” strategy, which is seen as an effective combination between “peaceful evolution” and riots. The US and Western success in post-Soviet, Middle East and North Africa countries has proved it.

Major General, Assoc Prof, PhD Tran Minh Son

Head of B70 Institute