Unconventional Warfare Led by Special Operations Forces is an Essential Component of Small State Defense Strategy
Abstract
This thesis investigates the feasibility of employing unconventional warfare (UW) to safeguard Estonia's sovereignty and territorial integrity from the Russian Federation. Considering Estonia's proximity to Russia and the latter's aggressive foreign policy, this research focuses on the geographical factors in northeastern Europe and their impact on Estonia's Comprehensive Defense strategy, specifically with the utilization of unconventional warfare. The central question addressed is: How the Estonian Special Operations Forces (ESTSOF) can effectively employ the Estonian Defense League (EDL) units, a voluntary national defense organization, to carry out successful unconventional warfare against the Russian Armed Forces in the event of an invasion. This study adopts a qualitative approach, examining theories on asymmetric conflicts, doctrines of unconventional warfare, and historical case studies from the Second World War featuring comparable geographical and conflict scenarios. The findings indicate that despite their numerical inferiority, the EDL fighting groups could disrupt the communication systems of the Russian Federation Armed Forces by capitalizing on the forests, wetlands, and climate of Estonia and Western Russia. This disruption would enhance Estonia's strategic depth, facilitating maneuverability for the Estonian Defense Forces and NATO Allies in case of a Russian invasion.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1213600
Entities
People
- Raiver Pitkve
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School