ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Espionage, Intelligence, and Security Volume ...

Asymmetric Warfare❚ K. LEE LERNERAsymmetric WarfareIn contrast to traditional warfare or ”linear warfare,“ asymmetricwarfare refers to operations that do not rely onmasses of troops or munitions to destroy and/or controlan enemy. Asymmetric warfare most commonly refers towarfare between opponents not evenly matched wherethe smaller or weaker force must exploit geography, timing,surprise, or specific vulnerabilities of the larger andstronger enemy force to achieve victory.At the tactical level, asymmetric warfare doctrine—first formally proposed by the ancient military strategistSun Tzu—oftens attempts to specifically avoid a confrontationwith the enemy’s strengths, preferring instead todisrupt or impair command functions (intelligence gatheringand communications) or logistics (supply and medicalcare) so as to prevent the larger enemy from effectivelybringing their larger force to bear in an effective manner.At a strategic level, asymmetric war is designed todiscourage and demoralize enemy forces and politicalleaders of those forces from using their greater strength.The high effectiveness and low cost of asymmetricwarfare has led to the inclusion of smaller and more agileunits within large power forces that can specifically disengagefrom the larger force so as to allow larger forcecommanders to use asymmetric techniques.Terrorist organizations have embraced many of theconcepts of asymmetric warfare—particularly when planningoperations against Western power forces. After theAmerican-led invasion of Afghanistan following the September11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States,enemy Taliban forces utilized local tribal forces to attackcivilian populations and destroy food supply infrastructurein an attempt to create a humanitarian aid crisis that wouldslow Western coalition forces.Because of the superpower status of United States,enemy small state and terrorist groups must utilize asymmetricwarfare techniques to bolster hopes of achievinglimited victories. For example, terrorist organizations hopeto exploit the vulnerabilities of a free and open society inthe United States and Europe. By attacking infrastructureand civilian populations, terrorist groups hope to causepolitical turmoil, dissent, and ultimately to change UnitedStates and European foreign policy without exposing themselvesto the might of Western military forces.❚ FURTHER READING:BOOKS:Bailey, Kathleen C. Iraq’s Asymmetric Threat to the UnitedStates and U.S. Allies. Fairfax, VA: National Institute forPublic Policy, 2001.Rogers, Paul. Political Violence and Asymmetric Warfare.(U.S.-European Forum Paper) Washington, D.C.:Brookings Institution, 2001.SEE ALSOBiological WarfareChemical WarfareElectronic WarfareGuerilla WarfareInformation WarfareTerrorism, Philosophical and Ideological Origins❚ JUDSON KNIGHTATF (United States Bureauof Alcohol, Tobacco,and Firearms)In accordance with the Homeland Security Act of 2002, onJanuary 24, 2003, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, andFirearms (ATF or BATF) was transferred from the Departmentof the Treasury to the Department of Justice. There itbecame the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, andExplosives, but retained the initials ATF.ATF is responsible for enforcing federal law withregard to the sale and use of alcohol, tobacco, firearms,and explosives. Although the ATF itself was created in1972, at that time making it the youngest tax-collectingoffice of the Treasury Department, its roots go back to thefounding days of the Republic. The order of items in itsname corresponds to the order in which Treasury beganto assume control over the items themselves: alcohol inthe post-Revolutionary War era, tobacco around the timeof the Civil War, and firearms during the Great Depression.Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the Treasury,suggested that Congress impose a tax on importedspirits to pay a portion of the debt incurred in the War ofIndependence. Congress passed a resolution calling forsuch a tax, and in 1789 gave Treasury responsibility forcollecting it. An act passed in 1862 created the Office ofInternal Revenue, whose responsibilities included the collectionof taxes on spirits and tobacco products. Renamedthe Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in 1877, in 1886 itestablished a laboratory that in time would assume responsibilityfor analyzing a variety of alcohol and tobaccoproducts, as well as firearms and explosives.Following the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment,which banned the sale, distribution, and consumptionof alcohol, Treasury in 1920 established the ProhibitionUnit. The deeds of “revenuers” and “T-men” such asEliot Ness in the years that followed would become legendary,as would the less admirable exploits of gangsterssuch as Al Capone. Nationwide concern over the violence66 Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security