At the end of World War II, the Army developed the concept of unconventional warfare, or UW, based largely on the experiences of Soldiers who had worked with resistance movements during the war. The concept was formally introduced into doctrine in 1955, specifically to convey a wider responsibility than simply working alongside guerrilla forces. UW is currently defined as: Activities conducted to enable a resistance movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt or overthrow a government or occupying power by operating through or with an underground, auxiliary or guerrilla force in a denied area. From the beginning, UW has been a mission of Special Forces, and the JFK Special Warfare Center and School has been the proponent for UW training and doctrine. Our operating environment has been less constant since the 1950s, however. We no longer face the threat of major combat operations, as during World War II. The dominant form of warfare that now confronts the United States and will likely do so for the remainder of the 21st century is irregular warfare. The five components of irregular warfare -- counter-terrorism, foreign internal defense, stability operations, counterinsurgency and UW -- will increasingly involve all elements of the U.S. military and other elements of national power. UW thus presents a challenge to conventional forces and special-operations forces alike. This handbook, although it is not doctrine, is intended to introduce a new generation of Soldiers to the concept, the history and the techniques of UW. It is intended to be the first in a series of papers published to inform readers and provoke thought on a number of topics that are of interest to members of the special-operations community and, in some cases, general-purpose forces as well. This handbook is presented in easy to read 5x8 paperback format. For more like this, look for the distinctive OCP camouflage covers.

Unconventional warfare is a unique and important part of US Special Forces. Aimed at exploiting hostile forces' economic, psychological, and political vulnerabilities, its tenacious and brutal tactics infiltrate, erode, and exhaust the enemy from many angles. Special Forces personnel spreading subversion deep behind enemy lines must be prepared to navigate and survive bone-chillingly dangerous situations at any moment; knowing how to handle, improvise, and modify incendiary devices is a crucial component of their training. US Army Special Forces Guide to Unconventional Warfare: Devices and Techniques for Incendiaries surveys the multifaceted and varied design of incendiary systems. Intended for use by Army Special Forces in the field, this concise and informative manual covers a wide range of incendiary devices and materials, initiators, ignitors, improvised constructions and material sources, delay mechanisms, and just about anything else you'd need to know about turning a cigarette and a matchbox into a delay or a shoelace into a fuse.Technical information is also provided about incendiary materials such as napalm, gelled gasoline, fire fudge, sugar-chlorate, thermite, paraffin-sawdust, and more. Jam-packed with detailed information, The US Army Special Forces Guide to Unconventional Warfare is a fascinating read for the curious mind and a fascinating glimpse into the high-stakes, clandestine world of Special Forces ops.

Unconventional warfare is a unique and important part of US Special Forces. Aimed at exploiting hostile forces' economic, psychological, and political vulnerabilities, its tenacious and brutal tactics infiltrate, erode, and exhaust the enemy from many angles. Special Forces personnel spreading subversion deep behind enemy lines must be prepared to navigate and survive bone-chillingly dangerous situations at any moment; knowing how to handle, improvise, and modify incendiary devices is a crucial component of their training. US Army Special Forces Guide to Unconventional Warfare: Devices and Techniques for Incendiaries surveys the multifaceted and varied design of incendiary systems. Intended for use by Army Special Forces in the field, this concise and informative manual covers a wide range of incendiary devices and materials, initiators, ignitors, improvised constructions and material sources, delay mechanisms, and just about anything else you'd need to know about turning a cigarette and a matchbox into a delay or a shoelace into a fuse.Technical information is also provided about incendiary materials such as napalm, gelled gasoline, fire fudge, sugar-chlorate, thermite, paraffin-sawdust, and more. Jam-packed with detailed information, The US Army Special Forces Guide to Unconventional Warfare is a fascinating read for the curious mind and a fascinating glimpse into the high-stakes, clandestine world of Special Forces ops.

U.S. Army Special Forces Guide to Unconventional Warfare contains incredibly detailed information and visuals provided by the U.S. Army. With this guide, you will be able to easily apply its material to understand and create initiators, igniters, and incendiary materials. This is an anarchist cookbook of sorts by army guys. It is an improvised munitions handbook made from U.S. Army intelligence. The table of contents includes gelled gasoline, fire fudge, napalm, silver nitrate, concentrated sulfuric acid, fuse cords, spontaneous combustion, and delay mechanisms. Brimming with special forces secrets, this guide is a critical tool for any provocateur-in-training and provides insight into how American special forces are fighting our enemies overseas.

Colonel Paddock traces the origins of Army special warfare from 1941 to 1952, the year the Armys special warfare center was established. While the Army had experience in psychological warfare, the major recent U. S. experience in unconventional warfare had been in the Office of Strategic Services, a civilian agency, during World War II. Many army leaders, trained and experienced in conventional warfare, hesitantly accepted psychological warfare as a legitimate weapon in the Armys wartime arsenal, but questioned the validity and appropriateness of the Armys adoption of unconventional operations. The continuing tensions of the cold war and hostilities in Korea resolved the ambivalence in favor of coordinating in a single operation the techniques of both types of warfare. Colonel Paddocks extensively documented work traces a portion of a brief episode in our Nations military hisotyr, but an instructive one. For the historian and military scholar, it provides the necessary backdrop for understanding the subsequent evolution of the Armys special warefare capability. For the national security policymaker, it suggests the value of the innovative impulse and the need for receptivity to new ideas and adaptability to change. John S. Pustay Lieutenant General, United States Air Force President, National Defense University