ASYMMETRIC WARFARE IN PERSPECIVE OF BANGLADESH (BD) AND

PREPAREDNESS
If he (the enemy) is superior in strength, evade him. If his forces are united, separate
them. Attack him where he is unprepared; appear where you are not expected. i
Sun Tzu
Introduction
1.

At the very outset, it is essential to understand the meaning of Warfare.

Warfare is the mechanism, method, or modality of armed conflict against an enemy. It

is the how of waging war. Warfare continues to change and be transformed by society,
diplomacy, politics, and technology. Warfare has two forms, i.e. Traditional Warfare and
Irregular or Asymmetric Warfare. Joint Publication1, Doctrine for the Armed Forces of
the United States, 25 March 2013. The concept of Asymmetric Warfare has existed
since the history of mankind. Almost all wars fought by mankind have been associated
with some sort of asymmetry. Asymmetric warfare is a warfare in which opposing
groups or nations have unequal military resources and the weaker opponent uses
unconventional weapons and tactics to exploit the vulnerabilities of the enemy.
http://www.globalmilitarycommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Theasymmetric-warfare.pdf Strategists define asymmetric warfare as conflict deviating from
the norm, or an indirect approach to affect a counter-balancing of force ii. Asymmetric
warfare is best understood as a strategy, a tactic, or a method of warfare and conflict.
When asymmetric methods are used, usually in the form of maneuver or technological
advantage, they have a dramatic effect.
2.

In asymmetric warfare, an adversary seeks to exploit vulnerabilities of the

stronger opponent. There is need for flexibility to deal with such kind of threats, which
does not have symmetry and also use unconventional techniques. Tactics are employed
against an asymmetric opponent but there can be no set of checklists of tactics to fight
the asymmetric warfare, since each application is unique. Tactics are whatever we do
against an asymmetric opponent when we arrange forces to counter that opponent .
1

3.

In general perception, asymmetric warfare is the preferred tools of the weaker

force to counter-balance its deficiencies to achieve a level playing field. For a nation like
Bangladesh, facing a superior adversary, asymmetric warfare could turn out to be
strength rather than threat. But the flavor of unfairness associated with it forbids us to
adopt asymmetric tactics in its entirety as war-fighting methods. Unconventional
Warfare is one of the tools of asymmetric warfare and Bangladesh Army has already
adopted it as war fighting doctrine. On the other hand, there also persists a threat of
armed groups in Chittagong Hill Tracts and few terrorist activities of so called Islamic
extremist around the country. These are all asymmetric threat to the national security.
Different forms of asymmetric techniques are adopted by the asymmetric threats during
peace time as well as in war time. Therefore, it is imperative for us to study asymmetric
warfare, to be able to comprehend the intricacies of the subject and devise methods to
combat this threat.
4.

This paper will render an endeavour to discuss the concept of asymmetric

warfare, instruments of asymmetric warfare, forms and causes of asymmetric warfare,

analyse the threats, discuss the preparedness of BD Army and finally few
recommendations for effective preparedness.
Aim
5.

The aim of this paper is to study the Asymmetric Warfare in the perspective of

Bangladesh and recommend suitable preparatory measures for BD Army.

Overview of Asymmetric Warfare
6.

General.

In order to better understand the concept of asymmetry, little

explanation on the symmetry of warfare is relevant. US Joint Publication 1 describes,

Symmetric engagements are battles between similar forces where superior correlation
of forces and technological advantages are important to ensure victory and minimize
losses1. Thus the examples could be land versus land warfare or sea versus sea
1 Joint Warfare of the Armed Forces of the United States, US Joint Pub 1, (US
Government Printing Office, 1995), Chapter-IV, P-10.
2

warfare. On the other hand, Asymmetric engagements are battles between dissimilar
forces2. Examples are land versus air or sea. In the present context, engagement
between dissimilar forces is very common. It is, therefore, pertinent to mention much
specific definition of the asymmetric warfare. Steven Metz and Johnson of the US Army
War College offer another definition of asymmetry: "In the realm of military affairs and
national security, asymmetry is acting, organizing, and thinking differently than
opponents in order to maximize ones own advantages, exploit opponents weaknesses,
attain the initiative, or gain greater freedom of action. It can be political-strategic,
military-strategic, operational, or a combination of these. It can entail different methods,
technologies, values, organizations, time perspectives, or some combination of these. It
can be short-term or long-term. It can be deliberate or by default. It can be discrete or
pursued in conjunction with symmetric approaches. It can have both psychological and
physical dimensions.
7.

Is Asymmetry Important?

In a war, confronting parties always wanted to

achieve asymmetric advantage over one another. The traditional practice had been
having numerical superiority. As the war itself evolved into new dimension, the
asymmetric advantage now focussed towards achieving qualitative or technological
superiority of arsenals. The present American military superiority bears the testimony of
achieving technological superiority. The numerical and qualitative asymmetry achieved
is very short lived, as the opponent also strives to attain parity. Only the doctrinal and
strategic asymmetry can serve for long term. A balanced and equal opponent can never
win a war by itself. It can at best bring stalemate. The examples are enormous in the
history. Whereas, the success stories are in their favour who had some sort of
asymmetric advantage. America took advantage of the atomic bomb to end World War
II. The North Vietnamese took advantage of the United States lack of will to win. These
examples show, asymmetric warfare is, using something extraordinary or never before
seen to gain advantage. Asymmetric warfare therefore, is a legitimate way for any
adversary to gain advantage over her enemy.
2 Ibid.

Examples of Asymmetric Warfare from Historical Perspective

8.

Afghan War.

The war between Afghan Mujahidin and the Red Army

(1979-89) was a classical example of asymmetric warfare. Here the weaker adversary
prevailed, because the stronger i.e. the Soviet Union could not sustain the attrition, the
casualties,

and

the

economic

cost

of

the

war.

http://www.defencejournal.com/2002/february/terrorism.htm
9.
14.

Characteristics of Asymmetric Warfare.

Characteristics

of

asymmetric

warfare can be summarized as follows:

a.

In most asymmetric environments there is an element of politico military

confrontation with enemy.

b.
Political considerations will restrict use of weapon and conventional
forces.
c.
Enemy is invisible and does his best to blend with the local population.
Added to this, enemy constantly tries to convey his message to the people.
d.
The asymmetric warriors seek the media coverage by attacks on soft
target.
e.

Psychological warfare is an element of this conflict.

f.

The asymmetric warriors have the advantage of surprise and variety of

targets.
g.

Most asymmetric attacks are of protracted nature. Only military action will

not suffice to solve the problem. Political, social and economic initiatives are
essential.
h.
Since the asymmetric warfare is supported covertly, the people or
asymmetric warriors mostly sustain themselves off the land through primitive
means.
j.

It mostly involves civilian casualties.

15.

Factors Promoting Asymmetric Methods.

The favourable conditions

which contribute towards the rise of asymmetric methods are:

a.

A Cause.

A highly appealing cause is the starting point of any

asymmetric movement. The cause is the fountainhead and the motivation force.
Apart from giving it a start, it is also the mainstay of the activities.
b.

Political Frustration.

Mal-administration with corrupt administrators

topped by corrupt politicians produce contempt and hatred against the system
and the government. In the absence of a remedial mechanism, people tend to
take the law in their own hands. Hence, the political frustration can provide the
breeding ground for asymmetric warfare.
c.

Economic Disparities.

Economic

disparities

even

in

developed

countries lend themselves to discontent and develop a feeling of economic

exploitation by the rich or poor.
d.

Weak Administration.

The state of administration has a direct bearing

on the beginning and subsequent course of an asymmetric movement. An

administration otherwise functional but lacking the will to assert its authority will
be conducive to the growth of asymmetric attacks.
e.

Foreign Support. Certain elements within a country can easily be

motivated to cause unrest by a foreign force interested in causing damage with

support in term of finances and weapons.
Forms of Asymmetric Warfare
13.

Some forms of asymmetric warfare are described as follows:

a.

Non-Conventional Operations. Though there are numerous examples

of asymmetry in 20th century warfare, its use was not as pronounced between
the Vietnam War were termed guerilla warfare. These asymmetric actions,
however,

did

not

produce

the

dramatic,

day-to-day

effects

on

operations. Conventional organized warfare - at least in the Developed World 5

between conventional powers is rapidly being superseded by low intensity

conflicts using asymmetric methods.
(1)

Nuclear Weapons. They inflict mass casualties, they cause terror

and they degrade morale. Nuclear weapons are perhaps the asymmetric
weapon of choice. It is also possible for some of these weapons to be
produced by individuals, a factor that increases the scope of the potential
threat. Rather than being weapons of deterrence, as they were during the
Cold War, they are increasingly becoming the weapons of choice for
'second-rate' military powers and non-state groups. The threatened use of
weapons of mass destruction (WMD) can produce strategic and political
effects that may overshadow their military utilityiii.
(2)

Use of Biological and Chemical Weapons.

Chemical weapons

will proliferate and will be widely used because they are the easiest to
develop and they are inexpensive iv. They are easy to weaponize, deploy,
and hide. Biological weapons technology is also widely available and
spreading. However, biological agents are more difficult to handle and
weaponize than chemical agents. Further, they are generally more lethal,
which makes them harder to defend against. Biological agents can cause
casualties on a scale similar to that of nuclear weapons, or threaten the
food supply. Their relatively low cost of production is within the capabilities
of basic civil biotechnologists.
b.

Economic Asymmetry.

Perpetrated by mercenaries, ideological or

religious zealots, it doesn't matter which corporations and business networks will
undoubtedly become future targets of asymmetric warfare. More enlightened
terrorists have discovered, or will discover soon, that the path to the fear and
chaos that they crave most may be more easily achieved by a wide-scale attack
on infrastructure/ economic targets, thus causing a general breakdown in society
and facilitating civil unrest and rioting v. There is even a possibility that the terrorist
acts could be paid for by legal or extralegal multinational corporations that would
benefit from the destruction of existing business competitors in a given city or
6

region, or by less scrupulous business concerns that want to subvert or cause

destabilization of an existing (and unfriendly) governmental system. Some
evidence of these phenomena is already in evidence in Colombia, Pakistan,
Burma and parts of the former Soviet Union.
c.

Cyber Asymmetry.

The fourth-generation enemies have become

very adept at using the asymmetric tactics of information warfare. The

information sphere has become a new battleground suited for asymmetric attack
from across the globe. It is generally understood to mean unlawful attacks and
threats of attack against computers, networks, and the information stored therein
to intimidate or coerce a government or its people in furtherance of political or
social objectivesvi. These attacks are facilitated with increasingly powerful and
easy-to-use software tools, which are readily available for free from thousands of
Web sites on the Internet. Many of the attacks are serious and costly. The next
generation asymmetric warriors would grow in a digital world with ever more
powerful and easy-to-use hacking tools at their disposal. Hackers and insiders
might be recruited by terrorist organizations for cyber asymmetry.
d.

Terrorism.

Terrorism is more a cowardly criminal act than a military

action. Yet, it can achieve military-like results against a superior force relatively
cheaply and with little friendly bloodshed. The tools of violence comprising high
technology weapons, ammunition, explosive and other gadgetry meant for
destruction of an adversary on the battlefield are equally devastating against
society at the hands of terrorist. Terrorism is not random, undirected, purposeless
violence. It has definite goals and it uses violence as a tool to create an
atmosphere of fear. Terrorism is a tactics that can be used either in war or in low
intensity conflict. It is a political and psychological weapon directed at innocent
parties who neither caused nor are able to solve the problem that motivates the
terrorists. Terrorism influences an audience beyond the immediate victim.
Immediate victims are bargaining chips used to influence the real target, usually
government. Going back into history, it would be found that terrorism is not new
to the mankind. It is as old as the human society itself. History is replete with
7

instances of terrorism through the ages. In 50 BC, Julius Caesar encouraged

taking hostages to ensure the obedience of conquered tribes. The sea pirates,
Viking of the North Sea, Thugs and Pindaris of India to quote a few well-known
examples, were all terrorists of varying categories belonging to ancient medieval
eras. The French revolution stands out in history as having given an ideological
stance to terrorism as means of struggle for politico-social objectives for the first
time.
Different Features of Asymmetric Warfare
10.

Some of the significant features of asymmetric warfare can be summarized as

follows:
a.

In most asymmetric environments there is an element of politico-military

confrontation with enemy.

b.

Political considerations will restrict use of weapon and conventional

forces.
c.

Enemy is invisible and does his best to blend with the local population.

Added to this, enemy constantly tries to convey his message to the people.
d.

The asymmetric warriors seek the media coverage by attacks on soft

target.
e.

Psychological warfare is an element of this conflict.

f.

The asymmetric warriors have the advantage of surprise and variety of

targets.
g.

Most asymmetric warfare is protracted in nature. Only military action will

not suffice to solve the problem. Political, social and economic initiatives are
essential.

Causes of Asymmetric Warfare

Previously considered stable countries are

experiencing religious, ethnic and other internal conflicts with increasing numbers of
separatist movements trying to carve up larger countries into smaller and more
tightly focused ethnic areas. Some of these conflicts are ancient and have been the
cause of fighting for hundreds of years. Others are more recent and the result of
demographic shifts, changing political regimes, or religious/ ideological shifts.
Because of conflicting ideologies, presumptive religious and ethnic diversity has not
materialized in many societies, for this reason, the concept of vertical ethnic and
religious integration has given way to horizontal migration and factional polarization
within these societies. This situation results in ethnic and religious migration to both
geographic and political positioning within the existing society. Any perceived threat
to the incumbent ideology will always be met with resistance, deflection, threat or
illusion compliance. In some cases, a "preemptive defense" is commonly employed,
whereby on one or more pretext, estranged factions are exterminated. Employing
this methodology, the incumbent ideology is insured passage from one class of
rulers to the next, while those deemed unworthy or contemptible by the "powers
that be" are manipulated, bypassed or ignored. This marginalization is often the
motivation for violent acts.

Threat Perception
13.

General

In order to develop an effective response against the asymmetric

warfare, it is imperative for us to make an assessment of the threat that the country is
confronted with. These are in fact the areas, which provide the soft underbelly to our
enemies to achieve their ulterior motives. The threats to Bangladesh are both from
outside and from within. The existence of internal vulnerabilities allows the external
factors to build upon them and capitalize the discontent of masses towards the
achievement of their own nefarious aims. Some of the potential vulnerabilities are
discussed in succeeding paragraphs.

Facets of Asymmetric Warfare

9

Threat Analysis
Preparedness of BD Army
Conclusion
Recommendations

10

i Translated from the Chinese By LIONEL GILES Sun Tzu on the Art of War, The Oldest
Military Treatise in the World at http://www.chinapage.com/sunzi-e.html.

ii National Strategy Forum Review Winter 2000.

iii http://www.nci.org/nuketerror.htm
iv http://www.amsc.belvoir.army.mil/asymmetric_warfare.htm
v http://www.emergency.com/srilnk98.htm
vi http://www.globalprofile.co.uk/27