This manual provides guidance in Special Forces and unconventional warfare operations for commanders and staffs at all levels. The basic concepts of unconventional warfare are presented in a manner designed to acquaint the reader with Special Forces organization, concepts, and methods of operations to fulfill the Army's responsibility for the conduct of unconventional warfare.
2024 Paperback Reprint of Government Publication FM-31-21, Guerrilla Warfare and Special Forces Operations, by the 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: Offensive combat operations Interdiction Defensive operations Psychological operations in support of unconventional warfare Demobilization And more! 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.
1. Purpose and Scope a. This manual provides guidance in Special Forces and unconventional warfare operations for commanders and staffs at all levels. The basic concepts of unconventional warfare are presented in a manner designed to acquaint the reader with Special Forces organization, concepts, and methods of operations to fulfill the Army's responsibility for the conduct of unconventional warfare. b. Thorough understanding of the ideas established within this manual will prepare the commander and staff officers for subsequent decisions and staff actions which affect special forces planning and operations. c. Detailed methods and techniques of Special Forces operations are discussed below. Classified information pertaining to all levels of Special Forces operations is found in FM 31-21A. 2. Definition of Unconventional Warfare Unconventional warfare consists of the interrelated fields of guerrilla warfare, evasion and escape, and subversion against hostile states (resistance). Unconventional warfare operations are conducted in enemy or enemy controlled territory by predominately indigenous personnel usually supported and directed in varying degrees by an external source. 3. Delineation of Responsibilities for Unconventional Warfare a. The responsibility for certain of these activities has been delegated to the service having primary concern. Guerrilla warfare is the responsibility of the United States Army. b. Within certain designated geographic areas-called guerrilla warfare operational areas-the United States Army is responsible for the conduct of all three interrelated fields of activity as they affect guerrilla warfare operations.
The first documented, systematic study of a truly revolutionary subject, this 1937 text remains the definitive guide to guerrilla warfare. It concisely explains unorthodox strategies that transform disadvantages into benefits.
You don’t need to be a trained soldier to fully appreciate this edition of the U.S. Army Improvised Munitions Handbook (TM 31-210). Originally created for soldiers in guerilla warfare situations, this handbook demonstrates the techniques for constructing weapons that are highly effective in the most harrowing of circumstances. Straightforward and incredibly user-friendly, it provides insightful information and step-by-step instructions on how to assemble weapons and explosives from common and readily available materials. Over 600 illustrations complement elaborate explanations of how to improvise any number of munitions from easily accessible resources. Whether you’re a highly trained solider or simply a civilian looking to be prepared, the U.S. Army Improvised Munitions Handbook is an invaluable addition to your library.
With fiercely detailed information and visuals provided by the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Special Forces Guide to Unconventional Warfare is meant for experienced soldiers and novices alike. With this guide, you will be able to apply its material to understand and create initiators, igniters, and incendiary materials. The vast table of contents includes coverage on napalm, gelled gasoline, fire fudge, silver nitrate, concentrated sulfuric acid, fuse cords, delay mechanisms, and spontaneous combustion. Filled with special forces secrets, U.S. Guide to Unconventional Warfare is an invaluable tool for any provocateur-in-training and an invitation to look at how our special forces are fighting our enemies overseas. Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a range of books for readers interested in military tactics and skills. We publish content provided by or of interest to the U.S. Army, Army Rangers, the U.S. Navy, Navy SEALs, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the Department of Defense. Our books cover topics such as survival, emergency medicine, weapons, guns, weapons systems, hand-to-hand combat, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Field Manual (FM) 3-05.130, Army Special Operations Forces Unconventional Warfare, establishes keystone doctrine for Army special operations forces (ARSOF) operations in unconventional warfare (UW). It is based on lessons learned from both historical and contemporary UW operations. It is also based on existing, long-standing Army Special Forces (SF) UW doctrine; recently developed doctrine, such as counterinsurgency (COIN); and emerging affiliated concepts, such as irregular warfare (IW).
Field Manual (FM) 3-05.130, Army Special Operations Forces Unconventional Warfare, establishes keystone doctrine for Army special operations forces (ARSOF) operations in unconventional warfare (UW). It is basedon lessons learned from both historical and contemporary UW operations. It is also based on existing, long-standing Army Special Forces (SF) UW doctrine; recently developed doctrine, such as counterinsurgency (COIN); and emerging affiliated concepts, such as irregular warfare (IW).Since 11 September 2001 and the onset of the War on Terrorism (WOT), existing UW doctrinal publications have undergone intense scrutiny and timely revision. A majority of existing ARSOF manuals have incorporated recent lessons learned and updated tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) of immediate utility to the conductof war. For this reason, the Army has classified most of these revised manuals. UW remains an enduring and effective means of warfighting and is recognized as a central effort in the WOT. Although the classification of existing doctrine is prudent for operational security, it limits the distribution of concepts necessary for aneffective joint, interagency, and multinational effort. ARSOF and other audiences require an unclassified conceptual manual useful to understanding the nature of UW and its role in the nation's application of power.This manual provides that unclassified conceptual treatment.ARSOF execute and are the functional proponent for UW under United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Directive 10-1, Terms of Reference for Component Commanders, and other authorities. Currently, there exists no authoritative interagency or joint doctrine specifically for UW-although sufficient joint doctrine does exist for general campaign design and execution of joint and Army operations. This manual is the overarching doctrinal reference that specifically addresses UW as conducted by ARSOF. Detailed TTP for UWcan be found in FM 3-05.201, (S/NF) Special Forces Unconventional Warfare (U). The first chapter establishes what UW is and includes a comparison of traditional and emerging concepts withwhich UW is sometimes confused. Chapter 2 discusses the international environment and United States (U.S.) instruments of national power within which all military operations-including UW-occur. Chapter 3 addresses policy and doctrine that define, enable, and constrain UW. Chapter 4 outlines planning considerations for UW.The next three chapters provide a more focused operational discussion of ARSOF's three main component disciplines: SF operations, Psychological Operations (PSYOP), and Civil Affairs operations (CAO). Chapter 8, which concerns supporting elements and activities of UW, concludes the basic manual. The appendixes contain useful supplemental information. The first seven appendixes (A-G) provide expanded and detailed information on U.S. instruments of national power within the broader context of the international environment. Appendix H is a survey of definitions and current academic considerations concerning historical and cultural concepts usefulto the assessment of human environments. Appendix I provides a historical survey of UW. Appendix J contains an outline sketch of change and constancy in the definition of UW. Current doctrinal references and an expanded bibliography provide a guide for further reading and mature understanding of UW within the endeavor of war.Both the text and the Glossary identify terms that have joint or Army definitions. FM 3-05.130 is the proponent field manual (the authority) for UW, but is not the proponent for any other Army term.
In every respect, this is an exact reprint of the famous Army Field Manual 31-20. Covers improvised weapons, intelligence, psychological ops, communications, logistics, survival, infiltration, Special Forces field maneuvers, demolition, raids and ambushes, amphibious air ops and more.
