U.S. Army Guerrilla Warfare Handbook

by U.S. Department of the Army

The official manual designed to provide guidance in special forces and unconventional warfare operations for commanders and staff at all levels.

They can be swift, silent, and deadly. That's why armed guerrillas are feared by even the largest, best-equipped fighting forces. No tank, rocket-propelled grenade, or infantry battalion can match the guerrilla team's ability to exact brutality with precision, instill fear in enemy hearts, and viciously deflate morale. From the snows of Korea to the jungles of Southeast Asia to the mountains of Afghanistan, the U.S. Army has employed guerrilla tactics to deadly effect. Those tactics and techniques, being used today by U.S. soldiers, are laid out in the U.S. Army Guerrilla Warfare Handbook . Topics covered include:

Employing small, heavily-armed, and well-oiled fire teams, guerrilla warfare has played an invaluable role in the success of nearly every U.S. campaign for decades. Here, its methods are detailed: raids and ambushes, demolition, counterintelligence, mining and sniping, psychological warfare, communications, and much more.

Here is an inside look at the guerrilla strategies and weapons that have come to be feared by enemies and respected by allies. Not another outside perspective or commentary on unconventional warfare, this is the original—of use to soldiers in the field and to anyone with an interest in military tactics.

Genres: Military Fiction, War

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 27, 2009

About the author

The Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Department of the Army is the Federal Government agency within which the United States Army is organized, and it is led by the Secretary of the Army who has statutory authority 10 U.S.C. § 3013 to conduct its affairs and to prescribe regulations for its government, subject to the limits of the law, and the directions of the Secretary of Defense and the President.

The Secretary of the Army is a civilian official appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The highest-ranking military officer in the department is the Chief of Staff of the Army, who is also a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Other senior officials of the Department are the Under Secretary of the Army (principal deputy to the Secretary) and the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army (principal deputy to the Chief of Staff.)

The Department of War was originally formed in 1789 as an Executive Department of the United States, and was renamed by the National Security Act of 1947 to the Department of the Army on September 18, 1947. By amendments to the National Security Act of 1947 in 1949, the Department of the Army was transformed to its present-day status.

Reviews

[Eric Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, the successful counterinsurgent must also know how to conduct guerilla warfare, as now they become the insurgent. Overall this is an official US Department of the Army manual on how to be an insurgent. More or less my experience has been counterinsurgency, so reading this helped me grasp such concepts that have been used by NATO and such. Overall the book is what it is, it's kinda boring and informative at the same time. Manuals like this are kind of dry, and may put some to sleep. However, it is worth reading this book in case you want to write some effective geurilla strategies and the like.

[Gregg Jenczyk · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book might be useful if you are a global power in the post-jet and pre-internet age and you want to know how to sponsor and support rebel fighters to destabilize your enemies and advance your own interests in weaker countries, but it doesn’t really have much information useful for the guerrilla himself.

[Josh Westerlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great handbook.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 2 out of 5]

The U.S. Army's training manual [FM 31-21] on guerrilla warfare. Covers a variety of topics associated with guerrilla action as well as information on counterintelligence. This is a continuation of tactics from the ancient Chinese. The information in this manual is mostly geared toward counter guerrilla operations with the assumption that US forces will not act as guerrillas. I have read better manuals on guerrilla operations.