Is anyone familiar with the 4GW theory?

[The Whiskey Priest]

Just became familiar with the concept even though it is several years old. One of the more interesting points that I have uncovered so far was made in the Marine Corp Digest, October 1994…..in discussing 4GW, an LIC with a sub-national adversary the author said:

” National security decision makers must demand a higher standard of proof before committing a nation's resources to face a threat that may or may not be valid.”

4GW seems to be very pertinent to the Iraq conflict…anyone else interested in the concept with further reading that they could recommend?

[leveymg]

1. 4th Generation Warfare, otherwise known as asymmetrical warfare

or low-intensity conflict, or counter-terrorism operations, or counter-insurgency, depending upon the guise of the opponent and the political context of the engagement.

There's been a large body of literature developed on the subject of 4GW during the last 20 years, but guerilla warfare is as old as war itself.

Here's a place to start:http://www.d-n-i.net/second_level/fourth_generation_warfare.htm

Fourth Generation Warfare

March 23, 2005

It has been said that "fourth generation warfare" (4GW) includes all forms of conflict where the other side refuses to stand up and fight fair. Smart commanders throughout history, however, have tried to deceive, trick, and confuse their opponents. Is anything really new?


The answer begins by examining how 4GW literature uses the term, "generation." Specifically, it refers to the world since the mid-17th Century, when firearms began to dominate the battlefield and when nation-states began to exercise a legal monopoly on the use of armed force.
4GW Case Studies:

al-Qa'ida / Afghanistan

al-Aqsa Intifada



That world is breaking down. We appear to be returning to the situation that characterizes most of human experience, where both states and non-states wage war. In 4GW, at least one side is something other than a military force organized and operating under the control of a national government, and one that also transcends national boundaries. For a graphical depiction of how the "generations" evolve, please download The Evolution of Conflict (169 KB PowerPoint slideshow.) Note that as with human generations, several may be alive and functioning simultaneously. The word "generations," though, is just an analogy to help gain new insights, and it is wise not to push it too far.

One way to tell that 4GW is truly new is that we don't even have a name for its participants—typically dismissing them as "terrorists," "extremists," or "thugs."

Name calling, though, is not often an effective substitute for strategy.

If we look at the development of warfare in the modern era, we see three distinct generations … Third generation warfare was conceptually developed by the German offensive in the spring of 1918 … Is it not about time for the fourth generation to appear? Lind, Nightengale, Wilson, et. al., Marine Corps Gazette, October 1989

The attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center dispelled the notion that 4GW is simple "terrorism." But one can sympathize with our political and military leaders, because 4GW is a strange form of warfare, one where military force plays a much smaller role than in earlier generations, supporting initiatives that are more political, diplomatic, and economic

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

2. Yes. The Theory States That Anybody Who Is 4GW Have Been Exposed At

Some Point To Blunt Brain Trauma.


:)

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Nice zing.

[The Whiskey Priest]

5. "Zing"

Was I suppose to have take offense to the post?

[The Whiskey Priest]

4. Not sure I understand the statement.

The theory is of interest to me because it invalidates Bush's strategy.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

6. I know nothing about it. See my explanation below

It was a joke

"Yes. The Theory States That Anybody Who Is For George W. Has Been Exposed At Some Point To Blunt Brain Trauma."

It was a pun hehe

[Jackpine Radical]

7. And I was responding to the joke.

I thought it twas a lovely twist on 4GW.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

8. I know you were silly. The Whiskey Priest didn't get it though

[Jackpine Radical]

10. Well, despite the fact that I was technically responding to you,

the message was intended for WP, who thought I was applauding a zinger at him.

[bemildred]

9. No expert, I follow it loosely.

Spent some time here before the current Iraq war started posting on the thesis that it would come out the way it has, on that basis, using some of the sources at your link. I think that whatever Mr. Rumsfeld has written on the subject, we have a case that he doesn't get it, since the conduct of the war has been exemplary of what not to do, from the beginning. Of course you can argue that that is because of defects in the military culture and history of the US, and thus not Mr. Rumsfeld's fault, I suppose.

[Jackpine Radical]

11. Who was it that said that we always fight the last war?

i.e. that our strategic thinking s always 1 war behind.

[bemildred]

12. Near as I can figure, we're still fighting WWII.

And if the current conflict doesn't fit, we pretend it's like WWII anyway. The Bushites even explicitly like to make that comparison, even with "The War Against Terror(TWAT)(r)".