How could North Vietnam survive a decade of massive American military might? How could the Taliban survive not only Russian but also Western military efforts to control the terrain in Afghanistan?
As governments in the West including in Europe worry about their dependence on increasingly uncertain deliveries of sophisticated military and technical components, the issue of resilience comes to the fore: Should we try make ourselves less vulnerable both in keeping our societies functioning in war time and make our military resilience less interdependent as well?
That we need to learn from Ukraine is obvious but there are also modern day examples of resilience which need to be studied.
The Houthis’ remarkable resilience stems from a multifaceted approach that combines asymmetric warfare, flexible governance, ideological adaptability, diverse alliances, continuous learning, and geographical advantages. These factors create a resilient system that can absorb conventional military pressure while maintaining operational capabilities and territorial control.
Traditional defense actors, with their reliance on expensive platforms, fixed infrastructure, and conventional doctrine, face fundamental challenges when confronting such adaptable non-state actors. The Houthis demonstrate how relatively small forces can effectively resist vastly superior military powers through strategies that exploit the weaknesses inherent in conventional military approaches. Their continued ability to threaten international shipping in the Red Sea despite repeated military interventions underscores the limitations of traditional military responses to this new model of resilient non-state actors.
The implications extend beyond Yemen, providing important lessons for understanding other persistent non-state actors and the evolution of modern conflict. Future security frameworks may need to develop more comprehensive approaches that address the multidimensional nature of such resilient organizations rather than relying primarily on conventional military solutions.