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  • Essay / Insurrection and Asymmetric Warfare in the American War for Independence

    A historic special operation that lays the foundation for the growing nature of asymmetric warfare on a global scale would be the American Revolution. I will discuss two particular battles, Bunker Hill and the Battle of Saratoga. Throughout the revolution, American insurgents received aid from Spain and France. The American War of Independence was fought over seven years between the thirteen American colonies and Great Britain. The colonies wanted independence from Britain after the Stamp Act in which they chanted "no tax without representation", because the British Parliament did not provide the colonies with a proper governing body to represent their interests. Immediately, other riots, protests and mass uprisings followed, denouncing the unfair treatment reserved for the British colonies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The American War of Independence is a good example to show how insurgency and asymmetric warfare developed over the years. The American insurgents operated as a basic military force with leadership, operational, tactical and strategic plans and an end state. They also benefited from the assistance of state actors, without whom the insurgency would likely have failed. Despite having a superior force in the early stages of the conflict, it was the lack of proper use of intelligence, making the right assumptions, understanding the geographical lay of the land, understanding the population and trying to win over "the hearts and minds,” while maintaining the loyalty of the few Americans who wanted to remain under British rule ultimately led to their defeat at the hands of the insurrection. Britain had a modest idea of ​​what it wanted to achieve by invading the thirteen colonies; however, there was no clear plan on how to end the insurrection, knowledge of the enemy's forces, geography and public perception or how to restore the loyalty of the Thirteen Colonies towards Great Britain. Britain also believed that a large naval force combined with a superior land force would end the insurgency. Britain sent three British generals to Boston, Howe, Clinton and Burgoyne to the Americas to quell the insurrection. The Thirteen Colonies, although outnumbered in military strength, capabilities, and weapons, waged unlimited war and ultimately defeated the superpower Great Britain. In April, British Commander Gage called on his troops to stop fortifying Bunker Hill, believing that American insurgent forces would not use Bunker Hill to attack British forces in Boston. Clinton and Howe rallied and ordered their British forces to mount an attack on Bunker Hill in order to drive the insurgents from Cambridge and eventually the remaining fighters from Roxbury. Believing that this strategy would work, the three generals embarked on a three-day campaign against the insurgents. Surprisingly, American insurgents fortified Breed's Hill and opened fire on the unsuspecting British opponent, forcing them to retreat. Britain was eventually able to regain the ground, but the gains were not worth the loss it suffered in terms of casualties and time. As Sun Tzu says: “If you know the enemy and yourself, you need not fear the outcome of a hundred battles. . If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory won you.