The Ground Battle Doctrine in the Asymmetric Warfare Environment with a Total Defense Approach

Considering the environmental uncertainty conditions and the conceivable military and security threats faced by the Islamic Republic of Iran which are different from the war conditions in the past in asymmetric environments, and despite the gross gap between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the adversary’s military forces in terms of military technology, this article was written as an applied-developmental research using an analytical-descriptive method via collecting data in a library style. Also, it has employed the author’s working and research backgrounds and expert views and experiences in this field. This process also included making a comparative study of the data collected, and explaining the fundamental considerations, rules and principles of ground battle with emphasis on total defense in proportion with the operational requirements of the possible future battlefield in an asymmetric battle environment. Answering the research question of “What are the fundamental considerations, rules and principles of ground battle?”, it found that the existing rules and principles of ground battle will not be able to fully meet the operational requirements in the possible future battlefield. It follows that it seems inevitably necessary to replace the ground battle doctrine with emphasis on total defense in territorial defense operations such as regional fixed defense, anti-heliborne defense, moving defense, night attacks, and especial operations with an approach to asymmetric warfare.