Josef Schröfl Knihy

Current and future adversaries are expected to employ a mix of warfare types simultaneously. While non-state actors typically engage in irregular warfare, they may also support conventional conflicts when beneficial. Likewise, nation-states may resort to irregular tactics alongside conventional warfare to achieve their objectives. The rise of hybrid and cyber-warfare illustrates this evolving landscape, which transcends national borders, social classes, and political ideologies. In this context, the lines between enemies and allies have blurred. A "comprehensive approach" emerges as a conceptual response to these challenges, yet it requires further refinement and analysis for effective application. Achieving this necessitates a coordinated strategy and regular interaction among all involved actors. These developments will significantly impact the future structure and training of armed forces globally and influence international security politics and defense policy, posing challenges to existing theories of politics and international relations. This volume gathers insights from leading international experts across various schools of thought to provide a comprehensive overview of these pressing issues.

The study of asymmetrical warfare extends from the earliest known writings of man to the present day. While the term «asymmetrical warfare» may be unfamiliar to the lay person, the concept is by no means strange to any who have even minimal exposure to historical events. From the biblical story of David and Goliath to Herodotus’ account of the Battle of Thermopylae to the American Revolution asymmetrical warfare has been recounted or documented throughout human history. Latest since 9/11 the phenomenon of asymmetric warfare has become a subject within the international relations. The essays in the book offer a detailed look at various aspects of asymmetrical warfare from the theoretical to the practical to manifestations of asymmetry in recent history. While not a comprehensive list of all the contemporary avenues of research on the subject, the authors provide a sample of the broad range of approaches to the study of asymmetrical warfare.

At the latest since 9/11 the phenomenon of the «asymmetry» or, more common, the «asymmetric warfare» has become a subject within International Relations. So, highly unequal parties face each other in asymmetric warfare, with one of them trying to inflict major damage on the other by making only a minor effort. Since the time when interstate wars started to disappear, the traditional ideas of wars have become useless and obsolete as a basis for political decision-making. For several years policy-makers, officials, and writers on defence and foreign policy have employed the terms «asymmetric» or «asymmetry» to characterize everything from the nature of the threats we face to the nature of war and beyond. Labelling current and future threats as «asymmetric» diminishes our understanding of the threat environment. In the age of globalization, of new threats, new and even revolutionary technologies, and new forms of military operations, the requirement for clear thinking increases commensurately. Authors from four continents will follow this new way of thinking.

Das Phanomen der "Asymmetrischen Kriegsfuhrung" ist nicht neu; erste Hinweise finden sich bereits im Alten Testament. Aktuellere Beispiele sind der Vietnam-Krieg oder der Krieg der Mujaheddin gegen die sowjetischen Truppen in Afghanistan. Von den nach 1945 gefuhrten Kriegen waren allenfalls ein Drittel zwischenstaatliche Kriege im herkommlichen Sinne ("Symmetrische Konfliktentwicklung"). In der asymmetrischen Kriegfuhrung stehen sich sehr ungleiche Gegner gegenuber, wobei die eine Seite der Anderen mit minimalem Aufwand einen maximalen Schaden zufugen mochte. Diese Form der Kriegsfuhrung wird in Zukunft die Norm militarischer Auseinandersetzungen werden. Dies hat nicht nur Konsequenzen auf die kunftige Struktur und Ausbildung der Streitkrafte sowie deren Einsatzdispositive, sondern auch auf die (internationale) Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspolitik allgemein. Die Studie gibt einen umfassenden Uberblick zu dieser komplexen Thematik, die dem state-of-the-art entspricht, und welche sowohl theoretische Aspekte als auch Fallbeispiele umfasst. Ebenfalls wird ein Ausblick auf die weitere Entwicklung von asymmetrischer Kriegsfuhrung gegeben, der nicht nur weitere Forschungsfragen beinhalten wird, sondern auch als Orientierungshilfe und Background fur politische und militarische Entscheidungstrager dienen soll.