Insurgents require the same combatant gear to perform their mission as the friendly forces; however, insurgents do not usually have the same equipment. Theirs is obtained from a variety of sources through a complex logistic system. Weapons, food, medicine, and other supplies are obtained by one of the following methods: black market, captured, stolen, or provided by second-party sources.
Much of the equipment is obtained from government forces through raids on isolated outposts or ambushes on military units and convoys; additional guerrilla supplies and arms come from other countries. Some equipment is purchased abroad with money obtained through terrorist activities (kidnapping and robbery).
A more popular and practical means of obtaining military supplies is by capturing government weapons; this ensures an abundant supply of ammunition and repair parts is available. The three essential requirements of insurgent weapons are availability, simplicity, and efficiency.
Usually, each combatant has the following equipment:
Each unit has a radio (probably commercial type, AM or FM) to keep the insurgents informed of the news.
An insurgent unit may have one or more of the following weapons:
Artillery
Artillery is the principal fire power for some insurgent forces. Insurgents use it because of its range, volume of fire, and accuracy. The principal mission for an artillery unit is to neutralize or destroy the enemy and their means of combat. Mortars and recoilless weapons are usually the preferred artillery pieces used by the guerrilla, probably due to their mobility and portability.
Guerrillas can and will use captured heavier weapons. They will transport them by commercial vehicles into the battle area or abandon them, if necessary, if they impede their withdrawal from the area. Artillery is classified according to:
It is important to note that some of this equipment is homemade, such as uniforms, pistol belts, and harnesses. Insurgent camps sometimes contain factories where Molotov cocktails, booby traps, claymore type mines, grenades, and ammunition, including mortars, can be produced at little cost in a short time.
Types and Sources of Supplies
The guerrilla, by necessity, uses a wide variety of weapons, some self-manufactured, some captured, and some supplied from outside sources. In the earlier stages of a war, the weapons are usually primitive, homemade rifles, hand grenades, and claymore type mines; trails are crudely booby-trapped with Punji stakes and shallow pits lined with nail boards.
Nearly every guerrilla war has produced ingenious improvisations, both from necessity and to avoid a cumbersome logistic supply system. Nothing can be simpler to construct and use than a Molotov cocktail or a plastique bomb; and under certain conditions, nothing can be more effective.
Arms and Ammunition
All types of arms are needed for a guerrilla movement. However, there are three important factors which insurgents have to keep in mind when arms are selected: weight, range, and rate of fire. Guerrillas carry their weapons for long periods of time, thus the weapon must be as light as possible. The weapons must be effective both at short and long range. Maximum rate of fire is critical since guerrillas need to place a large amount of fire in a short amount of time. With a variety of weapons comes the need for different types of ammunition. Individuals responsible for acquiring ammunition must be able to distinguish between the different types and caliber rounds needed.
Food
Just as with arms and ammunition, food is a basic necessity for a guerrilla movement. It must be easy to carry, nutritious, and not perishable (such as chocolate, condensed milk, dried fish or meat, rice, beans, cereals, sugar, coffee). The main sources for food are local villages, supplies left behind by government troops, warehouses, stores, and the land itself.
Explosives
Explosives are the key to guerrilla operations due to their destructive power. They are used to destroy bridges, railroad lines, airports of military value, communication lines, and electrical towers. To acquire explosives, clandestine groups are formed which operate in areas where explosives are used. By attacking vehicles which transport the explosives, they are able to obtain the explosives needed.
Hand Grenades
These can be industrially or domestically manufactured. There are two types of hand grenades:
It also serves to disorganize the enemy, as well as cause casualties.
External Supplies
Nicaragua has been the main source of external supplies since the start of insurgences in Central America. While in South America, Cuba has been the primary source guaranteeing the guerrillas a sustained rate of supply and resupply. Supplies are carried by aircraft, small boats, trucks with false bottoms, stolen buses, or pack animals. It depends on the terrain and on the control exercised by the guerrillas in the area in which they are operating.
Internal Supplies
On the local level, if the guerrillas have funds, they purchase food and medicine. However, this is rare, and these are primarily acquired by stealing and pillaging from villages and towns temporarily occupied by guerrilla groups. Known as “war taxes,” farmers and merchants are threatened with death if they fail to pay (comply).
In the cities, safe houses serve as storage and distribution points for the guerrilla’s supply network. Large caches of weapons and ammunition are kept at convenient, centrally located, and relatively safe geographic locations.
In regions controlled by the guerrillas, the noncombatant camp followers are required to cultivate the land for cereals and basic food grains, with the guerrillas taking half of the harvest. In some areas, sugar mills and slaughter houses are operated by collaborators of the guerrillas. Basic food stuffs such as beans, rice, cooking oil, salt, sugar, and corn are collected and stored before an insurgent offensive. When not in combat, guerrillas are able to obtain supplies with money almost anytime, anywhere.
Communications
It is impossible to direct a war without communications. Among the most important forms of communication for the guerrillas is the radio. There are two types of radio communications: tactical and operative communications and strategic communications.
Tactical and Operative
These are the radio signals used by leaders to command their units in operations, marches, and encampments. Due to the need for maneuverability and agility, radios used include walkie-talkies, citizen band, and PRC-77.
These are radio signals used by strategic commands in order to have an overall vision of all the fronts of the war and to direct the war. In long distance communications, a variable selection of ham radios are used.
When setting up a base camp, the radio operator seeks a high location to establish effective communications. Radio waves require LOS so it is important that the radio operators set up operations at the highest point to avoid natural or artificial objects. The radio is always set upright with the antenna in a vertical position directed towards the receiver with whom the insurgent wishes to communicate. Messages are brief.
Relay stations bridge stations that do not have direct communication because of topographic obstacles or too long a distance. There are two types of relay station: manual (operated by an individual) and automatic (signal is sent out automatically when received).