Guerrilla warfare is an increasingly common form of
warfare in the modern era.
Due to the invention of
nuclear weapons, the face of war changed dramatically after
World War II. Because of the destructive potential of these new weapons, it was
imperative that war did not
escalate to a point where nuclear weapons became involved. This split warfare into 3 categories:
nuclear warfare,
conventional warfare, and
guerrilla warfare.
While conventional warfare is usually between two different
states, guerrilla warfare is more commonly intra-state conflicts associated with
civil war.
Guerrillas most commonly are fighting against the established forces of the
government, and use
hit and run tactics, unlike the army under the government's control, which will more likely use
conventional tactics. The chief advantages of guerilla warfare are
mobility and
elusiveness. Since you never field any solid
military units, the standing army has nothing to direct itself against.
Guerrilla warfare is dependant upon the common people for it's supplies of food, money, and
recruits, and is typically only successful if they have
popular support. While they may have their arms supplied by a
third party nation, and even
heavy weapons and
monetary aid, the third party usually does not contribute
troops.
Examples of modern day guerrilla wars:
Vietnam War
Malaya
Afghanistan
Algeria
Cyprus
The Cuban Revolution