1. The Non-State Soldier in History
Click to edit Master subtitle style
Martin Scott Catino, Ph.D.
Instructor
American Military University
2. Some Basic Terminology
• 1. There was no “state”: Prior to the rise of nation states in modern history
(Europe, 19th century), societies were ruled by kings, warlords, tribal
chiefs, dictators, oligarchs, aristocrats, and occasionally democratically
elected leaders.
• 2. “Non-State soldiers”: Let us not get to caught up in this term: state.
Modern states support terrorists and non-state soldiers. Moreover, the non-
state soldier of today may be the state soldier of tomorrow (ex: The Taliban
had a state in Afghanistan during the 1990s).
• 3. “Soldier”: This term is used as part of our definition in that the Tactics,
Techniques, and Procedures of the non-state soldier (NSS) are far more
developed, skilled, organized, and properly executed than other violent
actors: criminals, terrorists, rioters, protestors, etc. However, the NSS may
use some or all of the aforesaid tactics and peoples in order to achieve the
designated goal.
3. The Non-State Soldier
Definition:
“This course is a study of
militant foreign
ethnic/religious groups not
outwardly affiliated with a
sovereign state.”
A broad definition allows us to
study the many groups, their
context, and their
characteristics—individually
and collectively. Female Tamil Tigers operating in Sri Lanka
4. Main Objective: Control the State
The main objective of
the non state soldier is to
control the state. The
destruction, degradation,
or defeat of the state is
essential.
5. Historical Periods*
1. The pre-modern period: revolts,
civil wars, revolutions, and
guerrilla wars (prior to the 20th
century).
2. The Partisan fighter in History
(18th to the 20th century)
3. The terrorist as a modern
phenomenon (19th and 20th
century)
4. The Age of the Communist Robert the Bruce,
revolutionary (post-WWII era) circa AD1300
5. The modern non-state soldier
(present)
* Note that these time periods are arbitrary and capture
general trends and developments.
6. Common Characteristics in All
Historical Periods
The following characteristics of the non-state soldier can be
found in all historical periods.
1. Survivability. Avoidance of direct contact and conflict with
superior forces.
2 Deception, concealment, and spying. Reliance on the covert
realm for survival, information, and operations.
3. Exploitation of terrain. Using terrain effectively in sanctuary,
operations, and exfiltration.
4. Population leverage. Using the population as a force multiplier
and a foil against the enemy. Using the population as an effective
network of communication, supply, sanctuary, information, and
recruitment.
7. Pre-Modern and Ancient Period
1. Sun Tsu. Ancient Chinese
military general (722 -481 BC)
who wrote The Art of War
2. Profound influence on Mao
Zedong and his development of
guerrilla warfare
3. Emphasized the art of
asymmetrical warfare:
psychological operations and
effects, elusiveness, intelligence
and spying, deception,
avoidance of direct contact with
superior forces, maximizing
terrain and environmental
conditions, and survivability.
8. Partisan Period (18-20th century)
1. Standing Armies. Large, well-trained,
organized, and professional armies in the
18th to 20th centuries dominated
conflicts as the main elements and
instruments of policy and force.
2. Partisan fighters. Small units or
bands conducted guerrilla warfare
alongside and supporting these main
armies. Although similar to the modern
guerrilla, the partisan was a minor player,
considered far secondary in importance.
3. Success: sometimes these
combatants in the “little war” (guerrilla)
had huge effects, such as defeating Juan Martin Diez
Napoleon Bonaparte in Spain. (see Juan
Martin Diez)
9. The Terrorist as a Modern Phenomenon
19th and 20th Centuries
1. Popular discontent with industrialization and rapidly changing
social and economic conditions created unrest in Western Europe
and the transatlantic world, which radicals exploited to their
benefit.
2. Growing media, communications, technology, and travel
networks furthered the ability of radicals to spread their ideology
and organizations.
3. Karl Marx and his Communist Manifesto provided the
ideological impetus and cohesion for radical and terrorist activity.
4. Major shift in targeting based upon the notions of collective
guilt, collective punishment, and positive effects of targeting
women, children, and civilians. These groups/targets became
main efforts of terrorists such as Communists, radical socialists,
anarchists, and Syndicalists.
12. Historical Context of the Rise of
Communism in the Post WWII Era
1. Decline of imperial powers (British,
French, Dutch, Portuguese, etc.) created
a power vacuum that the Communist
stepped into globally.
2. The Soviet Union provided enormous
resources for guerrilla movements
around the globe.
3. Weaponization. The availability of
weapons, training, sanctuary, and supply
aided non state soldiers and often gave
them a qualitative edge over the state.
[For example, the availability of the AK-
47 and Rocket Propelled Grenade
(RPG) ]
13. Refinement of the military tactics of the
Non State Soldier
Arguably, Mao Zedong’s guerrilla
warfare tactics were a revolution in
military thought, particularly for
the non state soldier.
Mao’s Thought created a practical
and deadly plan for non state
soldiers to defeat the state.
TTPs. Intelligence, operations,
supply, information operations
(propaganda), and kinetic targeting,
all advanced exponentially and that
against the state.
14. The Modern Non State Soldier: (Present)
1. No major preparation stage needed for an insurgency (unlike the
Communist revolutions)
2. No hierarchical command structure or fixed command structure.
Insurgent commanders can move about without remaining in a fixed
location.
3. Small unit/cell activity. No need to mobilize large numbers or
transition to large conventional army (classic war of the flea)
4. Hybrid threat: Use of conventional, asymmetrical, criminal, and
terrorist methods and groups as force multipliers. Exploitation of
natural and man made disasters.
5. Reliance on criminal, black market, social, youth, and other networks
that penetrate society vertically and horizontally.
6. Utilization of low-risk tactics such as Improvised Explosive Devices
(IEDs) and Indirect Fire (IDF).
15. Conclusion
1. Each period of history was unique in that the “non-state
soldier/guerrilla operated against established authority with
varying degrees of ability, leadership, and success, an
outcome determined by context, skill, and leadership.
2. In general, the non-state soldier has increased in
capacity, operability, and effectiveness due to the access to
technology, refinement of skill, and decline of the monopoly
of power held by the state.
3. Common characteristics are evident in all anti-
government elements (non state soldiers): secrecy,
exploitation of terrain and environment, reliance on the
population for sanctuary, intelligence, and supply, and
avoidance of direct contact with superior forces
(survivability).
16. Suggest Readings
1 Macabbees, http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/
1maccabees.html
Lenin, V.I. Guerrilla Warfare, http://www.marxists.org/
archive/lenin/works/1906/gw/index.htm
Mao Zedong, On Guerrilla Warfare,
http://www2.marines.mil/news/publications/Documents/FMFRP
%2012-18%20%20Mao%20Tse-tung%20on%20Guerrilla
%20Warfare.pdf
Marighella, Carlos, Minimanual of the Urban Guerrilla, http://
www.marxists.org/archive/marighella-
carlos/1969/06/minimanual-urban-guerrilla/
Sun Tsu, The Art of War, http://suntzusaid.com/ (accessed 3 Aug
2011)
17. Contact Information
Martin Scott Catino, Ph.D.
American Military University
School of Security and Global Studies
Email: martin.catino0@mycampus.apus.edu
