What is New Generation Warfare?

Introduction New generation warfare (Russian: Война нового поколения) is a Russian theory of unconventional warfare which prioritises the psychological and people-centred aspects over traditional military concerns, and emphasizes a phased approach of non-military influence such that armed conflict, if it arises, is much less costly in human or economic terms for the aggressor than it… Read More

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What is Fifth-Generation Warfare?

Introduction Fifth-generation warfare (5GW) is warfare that is conducted primarily through non-kinetic military action, such as social engineering, misinformation, cyberattacks, along with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and fully autonomous systems. Fifth generation warfare has been described by Daniel Abbot as a war of “information and perception”. There is no widely agreed upon definition… Read More

What is Fourth-Generation Warfare?

Introduction Fourth-generation warfare (4GW) is conflict characterised by a blurring of the lines between war and politics, combatants and civilians. The term was first used in 1980 by a team of United States analysts, including paleoconservative William S. Lind, to describe warfare’s return to a decentralised form. In terms of generational modern warfare, the fourth… Read More

What are the Generations of Warfare?

Introduction The concept of four “generations” in the history of modern warfare was created by a team of United States analysts, including William S. Lind (1989), for the purpose of an argument for “the changing face of war” entering into a “fourth generation”. The generations of warfare are sometimes dubbed as “4GW” (DTIC, 2007), although… Read More