Austrian Warfare Expert Compares Iran's Strategy to Viet Cong Guerrilla Tactics
Austrian aerial warfare analyst and historian Tom Cooper has asserted that Iran's persistent missile launches, despite ongoing airstrikes, demonstrate a remarkable level of redundancy and resilience within its military infrastructure. This observation raises significant concerns about the potential for a prolonged and drawn-out conflict in the region.
Drawing Parallels to Historical Guerrilla Warfare
In response to inquiries about whether the current situation signals a shift towards a war of attrition, Cooper explicitly likened Iran's approach to guerrilla tactics employed in past conflicts. "Look, Iranians are fighting like Viet Cong in South Vietnam of the '60s," he stated during an interview with ANI. He elaborated that, similar to the extensive tunnel networks utilized during the Vietnam War, Iran has developed sophisticated underground systems to sustain its military operations.
"Nowadays, Iranians are doing that but for their missiles and UAVs. That means they have so many missile bases under the ground," Cooper noted, emphasizing the scale of this hidden infrastructure.
Challenges in Targeting Underground Facilities
While these subterranean facilities can often be identified through advanced satellite reconnaissance, Cooper highlighted that destroying them remains an immense challenge. "They are obviously easy to find with help of satellite reconnaissance—but penetrating and destroying them has proven next to impossible with usually available means, or the means in hands of Israelis and Americans," he explained.
He further cautioned that even the deployment of advanced weaponry does not guarantee success. "They could theoretically destroy them using this giant... GBU-57 super bunker-buster... but even that is not certain," Cooper said, pointing to the limited availability of such specialized munitions.
Redundancy and the Prospect of a Prolonged Conflict
Highlighting the depth of Iran's military preparedness, Cooper stressed the extensive redundancy built into its systems. "Iran has... so much built-in redundancy that they can really continue like this for weeks longer," he emphasized, suggesting a capacity for sustained engagement.
These remarks follow a significant escalation in West Asia that erupted after US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026. Those strikes resulted in the death of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior military figures. This event prompted retaliatory drone and missile strikes by Iran against Israeli and US assets in Gulf nations, intensifying regional tensions.
Cooper's analysis underscores a critical military dynamic: Iran's adoption of guerrilla-style resilience, reminiscent of historical conflicts, could fundamentally shape the trajectory of the current confrontation, potentially leading to a protracted war of attrition with far-reaching implications for regional stability.
