by Rory Walkinshaw

Created on: February 23, 2009

The term guerrilla warfare makes most career soldiers very nervous. There is good reason for this, as irregular warfare has destabilized nations, killed countless people, and wreaked havoc upon the world since the end of the Second World War. A common perception is that guerrilla warfare cannot be militarily defeated. It is because of this mindset that many people in the United States are of the opinion that the War on Terror and the War in Iraq cannot be won. This is simply not true. The United States CAN win and WILL win against terrorism.

History, and current events, show us that almost any insurgency can be defeated militarily as long as the right tactics and strategies are used. Insurgencies are not an unstoppable juggernaut that need end in a quagmire. For Americans in particular, unconventional warfare conjures up images of the Vietnam War, of chasing invisible enemies through the jungle only to be ambushed and booby-trapped at every turn. For Russians, it brings back memories of an eight year war in Afghanistan in which thousands of Soviet soldiers were killed and maimed in an attempt to hold onto its satellite country.

However, the War on Terror and the War in Iraq do not have to conclude like Vietnam or Soviet Afghanistan. History is full a numerous examples of nations fighting back against insurgents and winning, in some cases with remarkable success. During the Rhodesian Bush War in the 1970s, a small African nation, declared an outlaw country by the rest of the world, fought off large numbers of well-trained and equipped insurgents. Both of the insurgent groups, ZANLA and ZIPRA, were furthermore able to take sanctuary in neighboring African countries which hosted them. Outgunned, outnumbered, and faced with an international arms embargo, the Rhodesians developed into an unstoppable counter-insurgency force. In terms of engaging and defeating the enemy on the battlefield, the Rhodesians were history's best unconventional warriors. They did everything right. They developed and extensively utilized special forces and heliborne infantry like the Selous Scouts, the Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI), and the Rhodesian SAS C Squadron. The Selous Scouts were expert man trackers and became more efficient than the guerrillas at guerrilla warfare. The RLI teams responded by helicopter to strike at insurgent formations. The SAS (Special Air Service) conducted cross-border operations.

The strategy was simple: strike hard and strike smart! The Rhodesians' strategy

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