The Asymmetrical Advantage of The Non State Soldier
The Asymmetrical Advantage of The Non State Soldier
Caveat
This brief is a basic overview of the asymmetrical warfare advantages of one specific group/organization of non state soldiers: The Taliban. This groups possesses a variety of the skills, capacities, and advantages that are organically and operationally asymmetrical to its Western and state opponents, namely Coalition Forces (CF), Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA). This brief is a representation of several chief advantages and is not comprehensive or detailed, but is an introduction to the subject of asymmetrical warfare of non state soldiers. These advantages do not make the non state soldier superior in overall capabilities but rather indicates their areas of strength.
Opponent 1. Careerist or nominal commitment 2. The opponent of the INS often lacks knowledge of the lifestyle, culture and local population. 3. Leadership often chosen from political, social, and family backgrounds
Political Asymmetry
Non State Soldiers Opponent
1. Concealment of political agenda facilitates subjugation of opponents. 2. Gradual implementation and flexible adaption to local and culturally norms. 3. Acute understanding of the informal and shadow government systems. 4. Ruthless removal of leadership followed by exploitation of leadership gap.
1. Revealing political agenda and system generates open conflict from oppositional forces. 2. Rapid implementation of systems and leaders that may not be culturally and locally compatible. 3. Higher learning curve to understand the informal leadership structures. 4. Hesitant to remove leaders that oppose ones plans causing linkage to corrupt and ineffective leadership.
Military Asymmetry
Non State Soldier
1. Utilization of low cost weapons and supplies in order to prolong the fight (weapons procurement often from raids of opponents) 2. Low risk operations executed in order to lower casualties, build support, and increase time, the enemy of industrial, and established states. 3. Indecisive operations used to exhaust opponents will, finances, and support. 4. Maximum use of local terrain to ones advantage. 5. Low technology used to advantage
Opponent
1. Reliance on heavy and expensive weaponry 2. High risk operations that directly attack enemy forces 3. Conducting more decisive operations to destroy the enemys strength 4. Exploitation of terrain often takes longer, poses an obstacle, or is less advantageous. 5. Utilization of advanced technology.
Economic Asymmetry
Non State Soldier Opponent
1. Commitment to capitalism or Western trade relations. 2. Higher dependence on open and formal systems. [vulnerable infrastructure.] 3. Enormous efforts needed to protect these economies from attack, sabotage, and manipulation.
1. No ideological commitment to economic systems: pragmatism, feudalism/favoritism, cronyism. 2. Use of informal, illegal, and local economies to gain resources, contacts, and movement of lethal and non lethal aid. 3. Little effort needed to protect these economies.
Hawala System
1. The Hawala system is an informal money transfer mechanism that is used to transfer legal and illegal funds. 2. The complexity, secrecy, informality, and lack of transparency make the system difficult to trace and highly advantageous for the nefarious activities of non state soldiers like the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Social Asymmetry
Non State Soldier 1. Understands the social networks of tribes, mullahs, maliks, and informal power brokers. 2. Has penetrated these networks and controls some or many of them. 3. Has washed ones image in these networks creating a cover: tribal, religious, or local. Opponent 1. Strives to understand these networks and does so imperfectly. 2. Has penetrated some or more of them and seeks to win the counter devolution fight. 3. Will always or often be perceived as an outsider or a puppet of US/CF interests.
Mullahs of Afghanistan
1. Control or influence over vast social networks. 2. Taliban have co-opted many of these mullahs in a direct attempt to control Word of Mouth (WOM) messages and social networks. 3. Powerful means of messaging to the public.
Infrastructure Asymmetry
Non State Soldier 1. Low visibility and shadow infrastructure creates a difficult target. 2. Mobile infrastructure more difficult to target. 3. Infrastructure often protected in foreign countries like Pakistan (sanctuary). Opponent 1. High visibility and easier target. 2. More static targets like electric, water, and medical facilities easier to target. 3. No sanctuary.
Information Asymmetry
Non State Soldier
1. Understanding and dominating informal communications and Word of Mouth (WOM). 2. Low technology communications used to advantage. Command and control via basic systems. 3. Using basic themes and messages to dominate public.
Opponent 1. Less understanding and dominance of WOM and informal communication hubs. 2. Use of complex and high technology communication systems. 3. Using more incidental and event based (more complex) themes to influence public.
Conclusion
1. Non state soldiers possess and inferiority of fire-power, technology, and logistical capacity. 2. Non State soldiers offset these inferiorities by posturing and deploying their assets against the weaknesses of their opponents. 3. Asymmetry is created by the possession and deployment of capacities and assets of the non state soldier. 4. Industrial societies and conventional armies have weaknesses in capacity and operations that are exploited by non state soldiers. 5. Population and terrain exploitation remain among the most important areas utilized by non state soldiers. 6. Initiative is often dominated initially by non state soldiers, who arise with little public knowledge and therefore appear as positive change amid corrupt governments and failing states.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Martin Scott Catino, Ph.D. Instructor American Military University [email protected]