Concept of Operations Against an Irregular Adversary
Violence, crises and war remain aspects of a geostrategic
environment confronted with geopolitical forces and
globalization. These tensions are expressed both by normally
constituted political entities but also by players who clearly
have no regard for the rule of law and civilized standards. In
the field of confrontation, many ongoing or potential conflicts
appear a combination or succession of crises between
communities or states or within states.
These non state purveyors of violence however are not totally
without territorial or cultural attachments. They always exist
within the specific political, social, cultural or customary
realities of a territory or a region. They operate in areas
belonging to fragile, weak or failed states. Their cause and
their actions interact with the interests of regional powers. As is
the case with states, they are a factor within the geopolitical
equation; their cause may echo a regional or international
security issue.
When directly confronted with a stronger military opponent,
they can transform and hide part or all of their assets within
physical and human environments with which they are very
familiar. Then they are free to use for their cause various forms
of violence and show no reluctance in ignoring universal ethical
rules governing their objectives and methods. They are able to
export, this confrontation, both physically and virtually.
Relying on a variety of local, regional or international violent
players, they may enjoy financial and military power and an
external support network which is far removed from the
traditional image of a lightly-armed freedom fighter. Some are
able to lead local defensive or offensive actions which can
properly be described as high-intensity conventional military
combat.
Globalization, socialization of violence and the globalization of
information have given these adversaries an added dimension
even though their preferred strategy is hardly new1. Described
as irregulars, they are a form of opposition encountered by the
international community in its efforts to pursue the stabilization
of fragile states or the restoration of failed states. They also
constitute a direct threat to our national interests outside our
own borders. They may also be associated with or succeed
state threats.
Confronted with an irregular adversary, traditional military
manoeuvres are of little or no use. They are not directed at a
single front or an easily identifiable enemy; destruction is no
longer a goal in itself. Aimed at both the adversary and his
local, regional and international environments, military action is
aimed at weakening the capabilities, will, legitimacy and
credibility of the adversary. It operates in the physical and
psychological fields. It is integrated within an overall strategy
organized at interagency and very often international level.
Taking and keeping initiative over this kind of adversary also
requires that strategic and operational references be
formalized for our armed forces.
DEFINITION, SCOPE AND AMBITION
1.1 Definition of an irregular adversary
For us, the labelling of irregular adversary (IRAD2) is
first and foremost political – in reference to his status
which allows him to exploit the asymmetry it enjoys in
relation to legality and rationality – rather than
operational (for an approach based on types of action
such as terrorism or guerrilla warfare).
Many military theorists have studied irregular adversaries (Trinquier, Gallula, Callwell…). They highlighted certain principles, some of
which remain current (separating the good – the population, from the bad – the irregular adversary; etc.). However, new factors must also be
taken into account (sophistication of weapons, information control, globalization of confrontation, etc.) and the references they have described
must be studied within a very different strategic context.
2
Generic French abbreviation.
1
Legal asymmetry is related to the impossibility of
establishing a clear definition with regards to the
standards and status of international law.
Rationality asymmetry is related to the lack of respect for
international ethics, codes or standards, in using violence
for political aims against others.
The definition of irregular adversary is mostly related to armed
non state actors. These organizations seek to challenge or
control local power. They may or not be sponsored by a violent
backer who may or not have acquired the status of a state, or
by the armed wings of governmental factions.
- In the first case, irregular adversary is part of the indirect
strategy followed by a state or another organization, for political
or economical reasons.
- In the second case, irregular adversary is more commonly a
faction in a civil war with a specific set of political demands.
Private military bodies which occasionally back these
organizations are not usually considered irregular adversaries.
The understanding of irregular adversary must also take
account of two entities, whose aims may be of a very different
nature, but who are often indistinguishable from its support
organization:
 Transnational terrorist movements which have a vision
of the world and its social organization at odds with that of
western nations. These movements have an ambivalent
relation with globalization which they oppose, but from
which they benefit, for instance when spreading their
ideas and widening their field of action;
 Criminal organizations which seek profits, such as
organized crime, which base their operations in weak of
failed states, or local armed bands.
In an open theatre, confrontation with these organizations
may take place during the initial entry phase or during the
stabilization phase if an armed resistance appears. This
concept deals principally with operations directed against
irregular adversaries in the legal framework of the law of
armed conflict.
1.2 Ambition of military operations against irregular adversaries
The twin asymmetries – legal and rationality – which
characterize the irregular adversary bring him a degree of
strategic impunity and a tactical advantage.
On the one hand, they restrict the possibilities of using political
and operational mechanisms for the resolution of crisis and
conflicts between states, or reduce their efficiency.
On the other hand, they allow him to consider principles of
uncertainty and sudden strikes in much wider space, time and
information domains (bypassing, unnatural alliances,
involvement in many and varied domains, terrorism, etc).
To a large extent unrealistic, the destruction of an irregular
adversary is not a goal in itself. The use of force, alone, does
not lead to a decisive victory.
The overall end state sought when combating an irregular
adversary is first of all intended to diminish his power, his will
and limit his influence, through the use of various instruments
of power, military – whether standard or not – and non military.
In these conditions, the action of armed forces must be centred
on irregular adversary’s strategy, by seeking first of all its
dislocation (damaging his credibility, separating him from his
physical and psychological supports, blocking access to a
major constituent of his power, etc). Direct action on his
physical potential is not a goal in itself, but must be framed
within this overall plan.
Parts of an overall coercion, cooperation and integration
manoeuvre, military operations directed against an
irregular adversary are intended to break his strategy
rather than his potential in order to set up the favourable
conditions required for a local political solution.
DESCRIPTION OF AN IRREGULAR ADVERSARY
The development and implementation of military operations
against an irregular adversary must take into account a
number of intrinsic and permanent characteristics.
2.1 Intrinsic Characteristics
2.1.1 Dissimulation and obfuscation
The irregular adversary weaves himself into various physical
environments3 and human activities4 which facilitates his
dissimulation and make it harder to identify its setup. His actions,
and his organization, are part of a tangle of informal, disguised
or clandestine networks. His combat forces are only partially and
occasionally visible. It is difficult to determine his intentions and
identify his centre of gravity.
2.1.2 A constant need for support in relation with its environment
To last, the irregular adversary must benefit from local5, regional
or transnational6 support. The financial and material resources it
uses originate from predatory, trafficking or corrupt activities it
undertakes in its main area of implementation, from local
donations, investments in local economic activities, or from
exterior support, whether from states or not. Populations and
human activities are normally his main survival and growth
strategic tool.7
2.1.3 Existential cause and unconstrained methods
Irregular adversary may include components which would
appear to originate from an unnatural because of the differences
in motivation (political, ideological…), objectives (take over,
control of a resource, wiping out an ethnic group …) or means
3
Urban and rural areas, jungles, mountainous areas, etc.
All kinds of companies or businesses.
5
The state or remnants of the state, the power in place (political, religious, economic, administrative, cultural, tribal…), media and information
vectors.
6
State or non-state regional or extra-regional players may, whether openly or not, provide support to the irregular adversary for political,
strategic, economic or ideological interests.
7
Depending on circumstances, he may seek to enslave the local population to exploit it, prefer a benevolent indifference or bring it to the verge
of chaos, by creating the greatest level of disorder and breaking down all social connections including family links (child soldiers). Part of the
population may be direct victims of the actions carried out by irregular adversaries. Another part may on the other hand show a real loyalty and
support to the irregular adversary, because of nationalistic or religious reasons, or because of the material support provided by him. When a
majority of the local population is convinced of the righteousness of the actions carried out by the irregular adversary, the situation becomes
extremely delicate for the deployed force.
4
and devices (militias, networks, armed bands…). This local level
may be reinforced by foreign violent players, who joined through
conviction or interest.
Guided by the preservation or conquest of an interest he
considers vital, the use of terror, violence or coercion by the
irregular adversary is not constrained when choosing objectives
and methods. Even, he can sacrifice his own partisans and their
immediate environment for the cause. He believes his methods
legitimate due to the material superiority enjoyed by his
adversary. He is adept at presenting his own suffering and
commitment in the media to influence the international
community.
2.1.4 Actions with both tactical and strategic objectives
The irregular adversary uses classical means, although they may
be used in unusual ways, and non classical means whose
tactical effects are mostly physical but have a strategic effect in
the immaterial domain. He may, at least in theory, use non
conventional means – such as NRBC attacks – whose
psychological effects are considerable.
The growing commercial availability of communication and
information systems8, of high-performance land, air and maritime
transport systems9, the uncontrolled distribution of certain
weapon systems10 allow him to achieve significant tactical
actions, or bold actions against specific objectives. Their
symbolic value may have direct strategic effects, due in part to
the multiplying effect of the media11, opinion and influential
players.
2.2 Principal characteristics of confrontation
2.2.1 An approach based on avoidance and wearing down
The irregular adversary will shy away from a direct and general
confrontation and systematically avoid the decisive battle, as
8
Non-state adversaries now have access to high bandwidth communication tools, encrypted mobile phones, and high resolution pictures of any
place in the world as well as navigation tools.
9
All terrain vehicles, GOFAST deep-sea vessels, micro jets or long-range twin-engined planes.
10
Ground-air MANPADS, etc. alongside old fashioned or apparently obsolete weapons.
11
The media operates according to its own dynamics and offers amplification and multiplication capabilities.
defined in the traditional military sense. He employs general
strategy of avoidance12 and wears down his opponent, exploiting
his weaknesses and vulnerabilities and using primarily
psychological factors. His longer timetable allows him to wear
down and then delegitimize his opponent’s intervention. He will
attempt to inflict over time a level of casualties13 which is high
enough to influence the political will of the states which oppose
him.
The irregular adversary seeks to widen, both physically and
virtually, the area of direct confrontation, by exporting the
confrontation outside his borders if necessary. At the local level,
he favours areas he knows well and which he has been able to
prepare and in which military action must operate under the
highest level of constraints14 and risks. He seeks to favour the
cycle of provocation – repression – revenge, by encouraging the
undiscriminating military riposte.
2.2.2 The recourse to sudden strikes designed to engender
uncertainty without constraints related to ethics or morality
To hurt, to scare, to foster doubt and to advertise his actions are
the governing principles which guide the actions undertaken by
the irregular adversary. He implements them by choosing very
high value-added targets. He systematically favours the element
of surprise. Through his real knowledge of military modes of
action and his ability to adapt to military actions and reactions, he
is able to do neither the unexpected nor the expected, but
something different altogether so that military authorities are
unable to discern the logic underlying his actions. Furthermore,
he makes the best use of the media, in particular the impact of
images, to mobilize his own camp, weaken his opponent’s
political and military will and influence national and international
public opinions.
12
Avoidance at the strategic, tactical, technical and space levels and of our intellectual constructs.
Human, material, financial, etc.
14
Physical, psychological, legal.
13
2.2.3 Use of methods of action: ubiquity and dilution, opportunism and
pragmatism
By posing a danger from all angles against the military array sent
to oppose him, in unexpected areas and domains, ubiquity15 is
intended to paralyse the opposing manoeuvre, and induce a
psychological impact. Dilution is intended to deny targets for
military action, by constantly reorganizing, reappearing under
different guises and in different places when discovered or
threatened16.
Autonomy and action and pragmatism allow the irregular
adversary to provoke and exploit opportunities in a selected
environment while remaining faithful to aforementioned general
strategy, optimising the use of assets for the greatest effect.
BASIS OF OPERATIONS CONDUCTED AGAINST AN
IRREGULAR ADVERSARY.
Each irregular adversary is a specific case requiring specific types
of military action, both in nature and intensity, according to local
and overall circumstances. These types of action must however
rest on the following basic principles.
3.1 Identify the players, distinguish the adversary
In most cases, irregular adversary does not correspond to a
simple model based on a hierarchical structure. He is not a
homogeneous entity, but an aggregate system or combination of
elements. For the most part, the irregular adversary as a system
is self-regulating, with various violent players acting within their
own respective frame of reference and logic, but each benefiting
from the other’s activities. Furthermore, irregular adversary
system rests upon, evolves and interacts directly with various
constituents of local, regional or even international communities of
interest. This networking provides active or passive support.
15
His ubiquity is due to his ability to reconfigure himself and act without a clearly organized and hierarchical structure of control.
Deployed over the widest possible surface, he is able to hold down military assets using a loose cover for harassment. This harassment uses
actions designed to wear down led by numerous light elements spread out over the whole area (needle attacks) and sporadic use of force
designed to temporarily disorganize the military apparatus (lightning raid).
16
Faced with this level of complexity, it is vital to present the most
exhaustive catalogue possible of antagonists, first of all by
mapping local systemic background, then extending it to the
regional and extra-regional level. The next step involves
identification and designation of irregular adversary or its main
systemic components. This designation process allows an
understanding of all the potential points and domains for strategic
actions against irregular adversary system, which will often go
well beyond the main areas of violence for which it is responsible.
This designation is a prerequisite for assessing the strategic
options which may be used against him, whose implementation
will normally require coordinated, or even synchronized use of
military and non military – such as diplomatic or economic tools –
assets. They also allow a greater level of assurance for describing
the conflict, identifying the legal framework for military
operations17, and differentiate between combatants and non
combatants.
3.2 Understand the adversary and anticipate his adaptations
The irregular adversary links the ways and means he uses with
the objectives he has set. This specific rationale must be clarified.
An in-depth knowledge of both protagonists and their environment
is required but alone, it is insufficient. Strategic action requires the
understanding of behaviour and motivation. The socio-cultural,
socio-economic and socio-political aspects are particularly
important for understanding the characteristics of the linkage
between irregular adversary and anthropological realities of any
given territory or region.
The preparation of strategic options requires a wider
understanding of theatres for which intelligence and knowledge
prepared in a multidisciplinary framework will play an important
part.
17
The law of armed conflict governs operations aimed at an irregular adversaries. Coercive measures, up to
the use of lethal force, may be taken against those directly involved in the conflict.
The process of identifying and understanding adversary and his
environment relies on several complementary analyses
(systemic18, socio-political19, capability20, criminal), conducted in
cooperation with the relevant agencies and departments. If
necessary, a specific intelligence manoeuvre will be required to
assist in validating the parameters and objectives which would
result in a significant operational impact.
Operations carried out against an irregular adversary require the
permanent updating of the situation of this particular type of
adversary who, when confronted with a standard superior force,
will seek to widen the theatre and space for confrontation and
reorganize itself in an asymmetric format. At the tactical level, the
efficiency of primary and secondary effects resulting from military
action against adversary and his environment must be subjected
to exacting assessment in order to guide the required adjustments
and reorganisations. A permanent anticipation and immediate
action capability must be opposed to the irregular adversary’s
dynamic.
3.3 Become part of a multidimensional response and adopt a realistic and
coherent manoeuvre
Strategic action against an irregular adversary goes beyond the
strictly military realm. Military operations are part of a global
approach and are tied to clearly-specified political objectives. They
are linked to the diplomatic, economic and security processes
involved in implementation of the chosen strategy.
In accordance with the political objectives, the armed forces
should ensure they are involved in defining and development of
strategic options. They must share thoughts about the constraints
and limitations of a diplomatic, legal21 and military nature. The aim
is to ensure coordination of the respective expectations of military,
diplomatic and security actions as well as the limitations
Describe the adversary’s system of systems and determine its centre(s) of gravity if applicable and vulnerabilities (where
and how to strike quickly), looking for revealing indications which will make it easier to understand the irregular adversary.
19
Decipher the irregular adversary; his origins; his behaviour; the ‘message received and understood” by the population
part.
20
Study the ability of the irregular adversary to reconstitute himself (he favours a logic dictated by the ultimate aim over a
capabilities logic).
21
It is worth noting that confrontation concerns a player without a clear legal identity.
18
concerning various related subjects, such as the management of
prisoners and detainees.
Apart from ensuring that coherence and realism are used when
specifying the determining factors of military action within the
overall project, thought must also be given to the timescale of the
engagement from the point of view of political acceptability at all
levels of the intervention. The timescale will determine the modes
of military action as it will impact the modes of action for non
military instruments. It is preferable not to divulge this information,
since knowledge of the timescale will only benefit the adversary.
In the military field, interventions intended to counter insurrection
or secession across a territory will often require further
engagement over time. In this regard, the local population is a
major factor and the footprint on the ground will be sizeable. For
the interventions born of a more localized or targeted defence of
national interests, the local population do not necessarily
constitute a primary factor. In that case, a limited timescale and
footprint on the ground should be favoured, in order to avoid
exposing the operation to wearing down by the adversary.
3.4 Contain and modulate, in order to compromise if required
Because the irregular adversary often enjoys a strategic
advantage, military and non military actions will usually involve
two closely related objectives. On the one hand, the object is to
preserve or reacquire physical and cognitive operational areas,
while on the other acting within these areas to place him into
situations where political, military, legal and diplomatic tools are
more solidly implanted and have greater impact.
Thus, any strategic action aimed at an irregular adversary will
normally be based on two main complementary operational
modes, contain and modulate, which can be applied against the
entire irregular adversary’s system. Their implementation rests on
two requirements.
 It is vital that they be understood with regard to an
adversary as a dynamic system, and who operates in the
physical and psychological realms. To contain and
modulate him thus covers a wide range of actions which
depending on his current configuration will be aimed at
diverting, disrupting, slowing down, unmasking, isolating
as well as protecting, seizing or destroying.
 These operational modes must be applied simultaneously
to the environment in which the irregular adversary acts,
and in particular with regards to populations and human
activities in which he is based. The object being in
particular to limit the rallying of support they might provide
while favourably influencing their evolution towards the
generally shared vision of a political resolution of the
crisis.
This dialectic between irregular adversary and local
populations is particularly complex. Experience has shown
that solutions were virtually impossible without indigenous
intelligence and capabilities, which must be reorganized or
reconstituted when necessary. In any case, indigenous
capabilities will be tolerated by local populations much longer
than foreign forces, while they also symbolise, even when
their legitimacy is somewhat relative, a real local desire for a
solution to the issue.
GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR MILITARY ACTION
The armed forces will act, in the physical and psychological
realms, against the irregular adversary’s strategy and his
support system. Their actions are based on a general strategy
which frames, guides and facilitates the use of force. They are
aimed at restricting the room for manoeuvre enjoyed by the
irregular adversary and restrict him to areas where political,
military, legal and diplomatic tools are more solidly implanted
and have greater impact.
Depending on the situation, military action will combine a
confinement approach (to contain him) with a moulding
approach (to shape him) leading potentially to transaction
(negotiation). It may also seek to create links with local
populations (by constructing an area of influence).
A specific intelligence manoeuvre aimed at acquiring
knowledge and understanding of the irregular adversary and
his human environment, followed by understanding their
impact and their reading of external actions, is absolutely
necessary when deciding these counter-manoeuvres22. This
manoeuvre may include targeted23 operations, undertaken
over time with military and non military players.
In all cases, strategic action against an irregular adversary
requires acting simultaneously on twin axes. The external axis
is concentrated on the local, regional or international
environments. The object is to deprive the irregular adversary
of his resources, both material and non material. The internal
axis is directly aimed at the adversary. The objective is to
weaken simultaneously his willpower and ability to act, by
combining various operational modes, classical or counterinsurrection or counter-terrorism.
5.1 Leading an external counter-manoeuvre
Combating an irregular adversary whose survival depends in
part on physical and moral support will require that he has to
be isolated from his resources, separated from his supports
and ensuring that within the external environment there is
ample freedom of action for military actions. This is the
objective of the external counter-manoeuvre which is aimed at
the international community, peripheral players and the local
population. Armed forces are only one of the components for
executing this external counter-manoeuvre.
In this framework, it is necessary to take account of the
opponent’s vulnerabilities, by visualising things within the
22
The capabilities of units and intelligence sections rest for the most part on military know-how, the recourse to
external expertise in or out of theatre will usually be necessary to lead the external and internal counter-manoeuvres described here, in
particular when it comes to expertise in subjects like: sociology, psychology, ethnology, culture and religion, economics and linguistics, etc.
23
Gathering background, situation, warning or targeting intelligence.
conceptual or cultural framework of the adversary rather than
one’s own. It is essential to determine its approach to violence.
5.1.1 Winning the battle of perception and meaning
In most cases, the irregular adversary has a well defined cause
which allows him to compensate for his weaknesses. Military
Influence Operations24 therefore play a major part in conflicts
where irregular adversaries play the principal part. These
operations are intended to influence the perceptions,
representations and attitudes of the designated information
targets, in order that they are led to work in favour of the
mission or at least to prevent them from taking steps opposed
to the action of our armed forces. The goal is to shape the
battlefield in the psychological, emotional or intellectual realms
in order to create and exploit opportunities likely to favour the
desired end state.
5.1.2 Containing the irregular adversary within a wider regional
organization
Military action must also take account of the flows of material
and people entering or leaving the main area where irregular
adversaries operate and contribute to supplying their ability to
act (trafficking, foreign combatants, etc).
In addition to, and in keeping with, the actions centred on a
given area, the armed forces must be able to carry out
interdiction operations in various environments, in partnership
with those sovereign nations which these flows go through or
in international areas. This peripheral system, which reinforces
regional stability, makes it easier for regional players to
understand the issue posed by the irregular adversary,
reinforces the legitimacy of the military presence in the region
and gives it a more flexible access and footprint in the
immediate area of action25.
5.1.3 Building an area of influence intended for local populations
The battle for information within the local population is one of
the primary characteristics of operations directed against an
24
25
PIA 03.253.
Depending on the situation : force projection, power projection, etc.
irregular adversary. Although not an final objective, the battle
for the hearts and minds is intended to alter the local support
enjoyed by the irregular adversary, which is vital for his survival
and development, while reinforcing the links between
legitimate security forces (local or external) and the locals. To
this end, their expectations must be taken into account - they
mostly concern issues of security – but the object is also to
influence at the same time the irregular adversary and make
him react in ways which serve our objectives, damage his
image and reinforce favourably the mindset of neutral and non
aligned parties. Raising doubts about his legitimacy and his
ability to win are among the main tools to break down the links
between irregular adversary and the local population.
Building the area of influence for the local population requires a
knowledge of local cultural environments at all levels,
publishing and explaining our intentions clearly vis-à-vis local
authorities and populations, in addition to using a proactive
approach intended to gain the upper hand in terms of
legitimacy and rationality. The idea being of presenting a
counter-cause, based on a renewed state of security. The
break between irregular adversary and the local population,
build on the support of the latter, will be the clearest sign of the
loss of strategic initiative suffered by the opposing party.
5.2 Leading an internal counter-manoeuvre
The internal counter-manoeuvre is aimed at irregular
adversaries. Duplicity and surprise come together around
coercive actions and the confrontation of perceptions.
In the framework of crisis management, the internal countermanoeuvre is intended to neutralise the irregular adversary’s
strategy and organization. Determining the balance between
links with local population – an effect multiplier and those
directed against the organization, between leading public
(security) and underground (unravelling networks) actions is
imperative26. In the framework of the defence of national
26
It is vital to identify the actions required to maintain or restore minimal functions to a failed state, and to check they are
proportionate with the actions intended to neutralise the irregular adversary (maintaining a police force, supplying civilians, etc). .
interests, this manoeuvre is intended to create a counter
strategy which can serve as a basis for negotiations. In all
cases, these manoeuvres must be synchronised with the
external counter-manoeuvre. They will be paralleled by military
influence operations directed at the irregular adversary and the
local populations as well as operational communication
actions.
5.2.1 Neutralizing the irregular adversary’s armed organization
The implementation of this principle is intended to halt the
violence perpetrated by the irregular adversary and to remove
him from local networks by involving the local population. It will
be long term and the conquest concerned is more
psychological than territorial. It requires significant human
assets, with the military force engaged playing a principal role.
Depending on the stakes and the situation, several approaches
may be chosen or combined. They rest on the modelling of
players. One approach is to encourage the adversary to
organize himself as a regular army, to force dissymmetry upon
him (obvious vulnerabilities) in order to facilitate his
neutralization. Another may be to try to break him down after
confining him, using the appropriate organization of the
components of the contact forces27. To do this, the object must
be to avoid being outflanked by the adversary’s surface
manoeuvre by ensuring the protection28 of persons and
belongings limited to areas of high population density and
considered important for the country, while closing off the
borders. Simultaneously, the object is to bring insecurity to
irregular adversary in order to reduce the freedom of action he
requires to survive. Ultimately, the goal is to force him to
regroup, and then gradually seek his suffocation, break down
the links between his various components, weaken him by
increasing his internal dysfunctions, or even destroy his
political and administrative organization.
27
28
The object being for part of the Force or allied militia to adopt an organization mirroring that of the adversary (totally or partially) while
having visible units (presence).
Grid/community policing; census; the object is to live with and within the local population.
Relying on indigenous armed forces and then delegating
combat29 (training, materiel, and advice) should constitute the
general policy. From a security point of view, local forces
should be armed and entrusted with operational areas after the
local elite has been identified and won over. The armed forces
engaged will focus their combat actions on the most sensitive
areas, if possible by night. During the day, support will be
provided to the local population, the armed forces on the
ground should maintain a discrete presence in order to
minimise xenophobia, while the indigenous forces should
maintain a visible presence. This method will help in avoiding
the tag of invader by giving the local population the task of
ensuring their own future. By removing his most favoured
targets, the irregular adversary is placed in the framework of an
internal conflict with military inferiority and the increased
vulnerability of his popular support.
5.2.2 Surprising or countering with a “fait accompli”
Threatening what the adversary cannot afford to lose, this
principle is intended to surprise the irregular adversary by
means of a strategic raid30. Using surprise and speed, the aim
is to present him with an undeniable fait accompli, which can
serve as starting point for negotiations. It is more often
applicable to the defence of national interests.
It is important that the irregular adversary not be in a position to
set the pace, one should refuse unfavourable interactions but
seize the initiative and dictate the most favourable rules. To
this end, one should always seek the maximum operational
flexibility; by alternating, if need be, between combat31 and
negotiations, while displaying patience and restraint.
Traditional strikes and engagements should be aimed at
limited objectives which the international community will
accept, accompanied by counter-subversion actions and
deterrence manoeuvres32.
29
To take no action, impose an action, to preclude any action.
Placing the Force outside the area of armed activity by the irregular adversary and remote action combined if needed with a sporadic
action on the ground offers few targets to the irregular adversary.
31
Targeted action to apply pressure or destroy.
32
In the defence of national interests, when the sponsor of the irregular adversary has been identified, the use
of a deterrence dialogue should be envisaged.
30
Our armies are now confronted with adversaries designated as
irregulars because of their status and the methods they favour.
These adversaries are now the main type of opposition
encountered on exterior theatres of operation.
This concept presents the main references for a military
contribution for the definition of these strategies and the
operational basis for their implementation.