by Bob Welbaum

Created on: March 16, 2011

Is it possible to defeat a technologically superior enemy? My first thought was most assuredly yes; it has been done many times throughout history.

But in the 21st century we tend to be mesmerized by our gadgets. I realized many of my examples were from a simpler time, when technology was much less advanced. Although there are many instances of numerically inferior forces winning, or forces with inferior training and equipment winning, this is not the same as technological inferiority. So some analysis is in order.

As a retired member of the U.S. Air Force and a military history nerd, I decided to have a bit of fun with this - think about what a technologically inferior force would need to win, and then compare theory to some actual historical conflicts.

The first necessary element for victory would be to have a cause, in other words, a compelling reason for fighting hard. This can be an urge for independence, as our own history demonstrates - twice, if you count the American Civil War. Religion can also be a catalyst, as the long conflict on the island of Ireland demonstrates. Or the reason can be economic, like a rebellion in a breakaway province in one of the countries of Equatorial Africa. And such a cause doesn’t necessarily have to be associated with rebellion; defeating Fascism was a pretty compelling reason for World War II.

But no matter how motivated the populace or compelling the cause, there also has to be strong and competent leadership. We were fortunate to have George Washington, plus some of the greatest intellectual minds of the 18th century in the Continental Congress. In the 20th century, there have been a number of charismatic leaders: Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Ho Chi Minh to name a few.

If one side has a clear technological disadvantage, especially during a rebellion, it helps to have outside assistance. This can be active, that is, direct intervention like France did in the American Revolution. Or it can be more passive, like having a sanctuary for retreating, as the countries of Laos and Cambodia were to the North Vietnamese during the 1960s and 1970s.

Finally, it helps to be creative. In a shooting war, it becomes imperative to get the most out of your available resources, like designing homemade bombs or using captured weapons against the enemy.

Next I went to my bookshelf and found “Wars That Changed the World” by Charles Messenger. Of the 25 wars that Mr. Messenger examines, 16 were before the

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