Guerrilla Strategy
By Che Guevara

Note from OPM: As a multinational worker or foreign investor, you may be working in current guerrilla areas. Understanding guerrilla strategy may save your life. Who better to teach you about guerrilla tactics than the renowned guerrilla warfare master, Che Guevara. For this reason, we have selected the following work by this author and revolutionary leader to help you better understand how guerrilla armies function and to protect you from guerrillas in countries where you may be conducting business.

The tactics and strategies of guerrilla warfare according to guerrilla leader Che Guevara

In guerrilla terminology, strategy means the analysis of the goals to achieve, considering the total military situation and ways to achieve these objectives overall.
To properly evaluate the strategy, from the point of view of a guerrilla, it is ultimately necessary to analyze the enemy´s course of action. If, at any given time, the evaluation of the final goal to completely destroy the opposition is valid, as in the case of the civilian force of this type one will find a classic example; the enemy will have to attempt the total destruction of each one of the constituents of the guerrilla group and the guerrilla, conversely, one must analyze the resources available to the opposition in order to try to reach a solution, the means with which men count on, in mobility, in popular help, in arms, in leadership, we should adapt our strategy to these studies, always considering the final objective to destroy the enemy´s army.
There are fundamental aspects to study: arms, for example, and how to use these arms. To analyze exactly what is the value of a tank or an airplane in this kind of fight is an important aspect. It´s fundamental to analyze the enemy´s arms, their fleet, and their habits because the most important assistance offered to a guerrilla force is precisely in being aware of its enemy’s arms. If it is possible to choose, the guerrilla force should choose the same type used by the enemy. For this reason, the guerrilla’s greatest enemy is its lack of fleet, which the opponent should provide. 
Once this is done, as in the objectives to be reached are analyzed, one must continue by studying the order of the steps to be taken for the attainment of the final objective, which must be planned, but that will continue changing during the course of the fight and adapting to the series of unforeseen circumstances that can come up at the same time.
At first, the most essential aspect for the guerrilla is to not let oneself get destroyed. Step by step, it will get easier for the members of the guerrilla to adapt to the way of life and to get used to the daily actions, and as such, easily fleeing and through off the forces that are released in their pursuit. By achieving this goal, taking positions whose inaccessibility impedes the enemy from reaching them, or getting forces to deter attack, a gradual weakening of the enemy forces should proceed. This weakening will occur, at first, in the places closest to the points of active struggle against the guerrilla army and later will continue going deeper into the enemy territory, attacking their communications, and later attacking, or disturbing, the bases of operations and the central bases, and in general harassing them as much the guerrilla forces possibly can.
The pounding can be constant. The enemy soldier that is at his place of operations shouldn´t be allowed to sleep, the posts should be attacked and wiped out systematically. One should give, at all times, the impression that a complete blockade is surrounding the adversary: in forest areas and rivers, during the day, and then, during the night, in flat areas or areas easily invaded by the adversary’s troops. To do all of this, total cooperation from the townspeople and perfect knowledge of the terrain are necessary. The absolute necessity of these two conditions appears in each moment of guerrilla life. For this reason, it´s important to establish study centers in the areas of operation and intensive work for the people, while at the same time explaining the motives of the revolution and disseminating the incontrovertible truth, that ultimately can´t be overcome if against the people. Whoever doesn´t understand this indubitable truth, can´t be a guerrilla.
The work with the people should be concentrated, from the beginning, around discretion, meaning that every farmer and every member of the society where action takes place, should be asked to not comment on anything they see or hear. Later, the help of habitants should be looked for from those whose loyalty to the revolution would offer the most guarantee. Afterwards, these people should be used in contact tasks, to transport merchandise or arms, and to show the areas that they know. Then later on, they can join the masses already organized in the workplaces, whose final result will be the general strike.
The general strike is very important in a civil war, but to get to this point a series of complements are necessary, that are not always given and that, voluntarily, are given very few times. The necessary factors must be created and this creation is based in the explanation of the motives of the revolution, and in the demonstration of the strengths of the people and their possibilities.
One can also appeal to certain homogenous groups by demonstrating to them previous efficacy in less dangerous work to do sabotage, which is another one of the terrible arms of a guerrilla army. A guerrilla army can stop an entire army or detain the industrial production of an area, leaving the habitants in a city without industry, light, water, or any kind of communication, and without being able to risk safely going out at certain times, or traveling by a highway. If this is achieved, the enemy morale will get weaker, as well as the morale of the combat units and finally the will fruit will ripen in order to be achieved at the right time.
All of this depends on an increase of territory contained by the guerrillas, but never should there be a too exaggerated increase of this territory. A fertile base of operations must always be conserved and it should be continually fortified during the course of the war. It´s important to use indoctrination methods on the inhabitants of the area, stabilization methods against irreconcilable enemies of the revolution and to perfect all the purely defensive systems, like trenches, mines and communication inside the territory.
When the guerrilla army has reached a respectable power in arms and in number of combatants, then the army should begin forming new columns. It’s similar to the beehive that a new queen releases when going to another region with part of the swarm. The mother beehive, with the most notable guerrilla boss, stays in the least risky place, while the new beehives invade other enemy territories, continuing the aforementioned cycle. The moment arrives in which the territory occupied by the files of troops is small enough to be able to contain them and in their advance on the regions defined by the enemy, they should confront powerful forces. At this time, the troops get together, present a compact fighting front, get into their fighting positions, and carry out a war like a regular army. However, the original guerrilla army can´t leave its base, and new guerrilla troops should be formed behind the enemy, that will act in the same way that the first ones acted in the other territory and they will continue penetrating them until they dominate them.
The attack thus arrives by blockading the squares, defeating the reinforcements, acting each time more aggressively all of the masses in the territory of the nation, until the final objective is achieved: the victory.