Post by anykey on Nov 6, 2007 16:26:13 GMT -5
Reverse Engineering is much easier than making something in the first place. China doesn't have the social/economic structure to advance in the same way that Japan did during American occupation.
We went into the last war knowing that our chances of using pure force to win wasn't going to work. They made me study this in school, so I probably have the notes somewhere but I'll just go from what I know off of the top of my head.
General Thompson's theory on Guerrilla warfare states the following:
Guerrilla warfare is to be used against stronger armies where 1 to 1 is impossible because of lack of necessary force or a sufficiently large gap in technology exists.
The general strategies of guerrilla warfare are as follows:
1- Hit & Run
2- Surprise
3- Cadres, being a small group of dedicated revolutionaries.
4- Terror, Make the people believe that the establishment or other force can't protect them.
5- Chaos
The Eight Conditions Necessary for Guerrilla Warfare to be Successful:
1- Indigenous Discontent
2- Repressive Force
3- Cultural Context, the guerrilla must look and act like everyone else in the population
4- Differences / Splits in the Country
5- Support of the Segment of the Population
6- Sanctuary
7- Outside Help
8- Outside Force to Blame Problems on
To Defeat a Guerrilla
1- Numerical Superiority of 15 to 1
2- Use Native Troops
3- Isolate the Guerrilla
If I recall right Gen. Thompson didn't mention demoralization in his theory, but the United States has used it to a good degree to put down such forces in the past. Muslims don't like being buried wrapped in pig skin facing away from Mecca, in fact it makes them question the whole attacking other people thing to think they won't be allowed in heaven after they die because of what someone else will do to any body part they find. (I never took an officer's commission and I know this, so we know military advisor's knew it as well.)
The United States won the initial ground conflict in Iraq quickly, but didn't have a plan for getting an organized government together in time to avoid a prolonged guerrilla lead conflict. We could just as easily do massive damage to them, but we have all of the same problems we had in Vietnam; namely a lack of public support and a Media that is willing to sell that.
By all accounts the United States came off on top of the Tet Offensive, but by that point there was no support for the war. Our troops were drafted to fight for what was never American Interests. Sure, we were killing the Commies, but it was French land and posed no threat to us.
The same thing happened about sixteen years ago when Iraq sent troops into Kuwait, we bombed everything going into the country and had them surrendering on sight, but the media showed blown out convoys and the people weren't happy. America did what they went in to do, so it wasn't as much a defeat as a lost change to get rid of the problem at it's source with the support of other Arab countries.
We went into the last war knowing that our chances of using pure force to win wasn't going to work. They made me study this in school, so I probably have the notes somewhere but I'll just go from what I know off of the top of my head.
General Thompson's theory on Guerrilla warfare states the following:
Guerrilla warfare is to be used against stronger armies where 1 to 1 is impossible because of lack of necessary force or a sufficiently large gap in technology exists.
The general strategies of guerrilla warfare are as follows:
1- Hit & Run
2- Surprise
3- Cadres, being a small group of dedicated revolutionaries.
4- Terror, Make the people believe that the establishment or other force can't protect them.
5- Chaos
The Eight Conditions Necessary for Guerrilla Warfare to be Successful:
1- Indigenous Discontent
2- Repressive Force
3- Cultural Context, the guerrilla must look and act like everyone else in the population
4- Differences / Splits in the Country
5- Support of the Segment of the Population
6- Sanctuary
7- Outside Help
8- Outside Force to Blame Problems on
To Defeat a Guerrilla
1- Numerical Superiority of 15 to 1
2- Use Native Troops
3- Isolate the Guerrilla
If I recall right Gen. Thompson didn't mention demoralization in his theory, but the United States has used it to a good degree to put down such forces in the past. Muslims don't like being buried wrapped in pig skin facing away from Mecca, in fact it makes them question the whole attacking other people thing to think they won't be allowed in heaven after they die because of what someone else will do to any body part they find. (I never took an officer's commission and I know this, so we know military advisor's knew it as well.)
The United States won the initial ground conflict in Iraq quickly, but didn't have a plan for getting an organized government together in time to avoid a prolonged guerrilla lead conflict. We could just as easily do massive damage to them, but we have all of the same problems we had in Vietnam; namely a lack of public support and a Media that is willing to sell that.
By all accounts the United States came off on top of the Tet Offensive, but by that point there was no support for the war. Our troops were drafted to fight for what was never American Interests. Sure, we were killing the Commies, but it was French land and posed no threat to us.
The same thing happened about sixteen years ago when Iraq sent troops into Kuwait, we bombed everything going into the country and had them surrendering on sight, but the media showed blown out convoys and the people weren't happy. America did what they went in to do, so it wasn't as much a defeat as a lost change to get rid of the problem at it's source with the support of other Arab countries.