Ulster Volunteer Force - Aim and Strategy

Aim and Strategy

The UVF's goal was to combat Irish republicanism – particularly the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) – and maintain Northern Ireland's status as part of the United Kingdom. Most of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians, who were often chosen at random. Whenever it claimed responsibility for its attacks, the UVF usually claimed that those targeted were IRA members or IRA sympathisers. Other times, attacks on Catholic civilians were claimed as "retaliation" for IRA actions, since the IRA drew most of its support from the Catholic community. Such retaliation was seen as both collective punishment and an attempt to weaken the IRA's support; it was thought that 'fear of retaliation' would make the Catholic community rein in the IRA. Many retaliatory attacks on Catholics were claimed using the covername "Protestant Action Force" (PAF).

Like the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), the UVF's modus operandi involved assassinations, mass shootings, bombings and kidnappings. It used sub machine-guns, assault rifles, pistols, grenades (including homemade grenades), incendiary bombs, booby trap bombs and car bombs. Bomb attacks were usually made without warning. They always signed their statements with the fictitious name "Captain William Johnston, UVF Chief of Staff". Like other loyalist paramilitaries, most UVF operations were gun attacks rather than bombings.