Armaments provision and nature
We cannot
talk about a militant group while omitting the primary action course of it:
armed confrontations. The paramilitary nature of the network imposes on it a
constricted weaponry range and military tactics. Besides the early stages of Al
Qaeda where thanks to the American advanced weapons the network could almost
rival conventional armies, nowadays the modus operandi has been stagnating in
favor of a militia warfare style which is not only outdated but undermined by
the armaments of the network opponents.
Making use of the AK 47 and mortars as
standard artillery has proven to be redundant in fighting US troops in
Afghanistan, with few casualties ever scored on bases storming and military
compounds shelling. The suicide bombings, on the other hand have gained the bad
reputation of overlooking military personnel and instead, inflicting heavy
civilian losses with no value for the military equation of power in the region.
A quick insight on Al Qaeda’s major weapons with actual impact on foreign
troops tops IEDs as the deadliest of all. The Improvised explosive devices are
inflicting major losses to coalition forces in Afghanistan, with hundreds of
victims in the last years flying back to the US either in coffins or missing
body parts. What makes these bombs efficient and reliable are aspects which are
worth considering: non-confrontational and remote. 
Applying these features to
the broad armament capabilities of Al Qaeda while getting rid of the other
weapon sets will allow a concentration of expertise, logistics and finance into
a weapon sector counting numerous achievements in its archives. What else besides IEDs could Al Qaeda opt
for? The popular choice is, as further confirmed by eminent militant groups
around the world such as Hezbollah and Hamas, the usage of short range missiles
and katyusha rockets. The shift of target allows a full usage of such
technology which, besides being cheap and affordable in the black market, is of
a destructive effect. Boosting the rocket launch capabilities of Hamas and
collaborating with the group to carry out strikes inside Israel will spare Al
Qaeda more human resources while increasing its recruitment process due to the
achievements it ought to publicize and take advantage of. The possession and acquiring
of these types of weapons is not demanding, especially in the recent circumstances
of the chaos post Arab spring. After a flow of weapons from Pakistan and Asian neighbors,
the chart of displacement of weapon stocks is now displaying a whole different
picture. Libya has become the primary source of non-state regulated weapon
transfer to the Middle East in the latest months, and the recent instance of
seizure of weapons in Egypt declared by the prime minister as the biggest of
its kind in Egypt history, is no more than a confirmation of the new reality enclosing
the fruitful business of arms trade. With Syria on the edge of collapse, Al
Qaeda ought to secure already strongholds in Opposition tows in order to
establish the necessary contacts for future smuggling of weapons out of Syria
which, it is worth remembering, is one of the major importers of Russian missiles
in the region. 
Besides the
arms with physical reach onto the enemy, it is now becoming a fashionable trend
to turn for the new warfare measures in the cyberspace, as it is an effective
mean of selective destruction with no costs involved. The increasing reliance
of infrastructure networks, electricity and water grids as well as military,
energetic and nuclear industries on the electronic communication lines of
execution makes them a perfect target for wide scale attacks with potential effects
on whole regions if not the whole country. Be it through the misuse of water
grids, the deflection of drones and GPS navigated rockets or through the
disturbance of nuclear power facilities, Al Qaeda has all to win from investing
heavily in developing operational teams specifically trained to carry cyber-attacks
on governments and groups. The affordability of electronic resources for cyber
training, and the the rise of skilled and qualified human resources in the
domain of communications and electronics will enable Al Qaeda to exploit the
fragile cyberspace defense system of major nations who came to invest in the
domain of countering cyber-attacks recently with the emergence of the virus
cases of Stuxnet and flame.
To be continued...
Next: Human Resources and Recruitment
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