Global Insurgency and the Future of Armed Conflict

Global Insurgency and the Future of Armed Conflict
Author: Regina Karp
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2010-04-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 1134124147

This volume covers a timely debate in contemporary security studies: can armed forces adjust to the rising challenge of insurgency and terrorism, the greatest transformation in warfare since the birth of the international system? Containing essays by leading international security scholars and military professionals, it explores the Fourth-Generation Warfare thesis and its implications for security planning in the twenty-first century. No longer confined to the fringes of armed conflict, guerrilla warfare and terrorism increasingly dominate world-wide military planning. For the first time since the Vietnam War ended, the problems of insurgency have leapt to the top of the international security agenda and virtually all countries are struggling to protect themselves against terrorist threats. Coalition forces in Afghanistan and Iraq are bogged down by an insurgency, and are being forced to rely on old warfare tactics rather than modern technologies to destroy their adversaries. These theorists argue that irregular warfare—insurgencies and terrorism—has evolved over time and become progressively more sophisticated and difficult to defeat as it is not centred on high technology and state of the art weaponry. Global Insurgency and the Future of Armed Conflict will be of interest to students of international security, strategic studies and terrorism studies.

Fourth-generation War and Other Myths

Fourth-generation War and Other Myths
Author: Antulio Joseph Echevarria
Publisher: Strategic Studies Institute
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2005
Genre: Asymmetric warfare
ISBN:

In an era of broad and perhaps profound change, new theories and concepts are to be welcomed rather than shunned. However, before they are fully embraced, they need to be tested rigorously, for the cost of implementing a false theory and developing operational and strategic concepts around it can be greater than remaining wedded to an older, but sounder one. The theory of Fourth Generation War (4GW) is a perfect example. Were we to embrace this theory, a loose collection of ideas that does not hold up to close scrutiny, the price we might pay in a future conflict could be high indeed. In this monograph, Dr. Echevarria II provides a critique of the theory of 4GW, examining its faulty assumptions and the problems in its logic. He argues that the proponents of 4GW undermine their own credibility by subscribing to this bankrupt theory. If their aim is truly to create positive change, then they- and we - would be better off jettisoning the theory and retaining the traditional concept of insurgency, while modifying it to include the greater mobility and access afforded by globalization.

Fourth Generation Warfare: the Need for a Comprehensive Approach

Fourth Generation Warfare: the Need for a Comprehensive Approach
Author: Infantry Maj Leroy D Benton
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 52
Release: 2012-09-30
Genre:
ISBN: 9781480022546

This study explores whether the current United States military strategy should focus more on a comprehensive interagency approach as a more efficient way of focusing all elements of national power to defeat our enemies in the Long War on Terrorism. The method used to determine this question is initially accomplished by framing the scope of the current operating environment in the context of Fourth Generation Warfare. The definition of Fourth Generation Warfare is developed based on Col. Thomas X. Hammes' writings and then is further developed to show relevance and applicability to current operations in the Long War on Terrorism. A comparative analysis is conducted by utilizing a single case study of the United States experience during Vietnam. This is done to develop an understanding of the Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (CORDS) program in order to gain an understanding of the lessons learned while conducting interagency operations during the Vietnam conflict. The analysis identifies how the collaboration and coordination of all governmental agencies was used to conduct operations during Vietnam. These lessons are then compared to the current written policy and guidance and then assessed to determine if an appropriate level of synchronization and coordination are currently being utilized to meet our National objectives in the Long War on Terrorism within the context of the current operating environment. The findings of this study are that the current United States military strategy is making considerable progress within this context. This study also concludes that the national strategy, however, should focus even more on a comprehensive interagency approach as a more efficient way of focusing all elements of national power to defeat our enemies in the Long War on Terrorism.

From Fourth Generation Warfare to Hybrid War

From Fourth Generation Warfare to Hybrid War
Author: Steven C. Williamson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2009
Genre: United States
ISBN:

In the late 1980s, Fourth Generation Warfare (4GW) theorists began to recognize a shift in warfare which they assumed was both in the character and nature of war. Their ideas and publications triggered a captivating dialogue on how warfare was changing. This debate helped prompt the U.S. military to recognize the change and egin its transformation. However, over the ensuing years, a number of military thinkers and strategists demonstrated that the 4GW theorists did not get it all right. They set the stage for a generation of subsequent theorists to follow with their own predictions of future warfare. Frank Hoffman entered the scene near the end of the future war debate. He compellingly argued that warfare is converging, blending into a hybrid form, wherein adversaries will use all capabilities at their disposal. The key to success in such a period of change and persistent conflict is an agile strategic approach that relies on a wide array of capabilities. Accordingly, the U.S. must review and adjust its national strategies, warfighting concepts, and force structures. The nation must be able to adaptively and effectively combine these new capabilities to prevail in the hybrid conflicts that will dominate the near to mid-term.

Fourth-Generation Warfare

Fourth-Generation Warfare
Author: The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research
Publisher: Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research
Total Pages: 21
Release: 2021-04-15
Genre: Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN: 9948245385

The concept of Fourth-Generation Warfare (4GW) goes beyond the narrow military concept of war. Conflicts are no longer centralized, due to the ever-changing principles of warfare today. On one hand, the state is confronted with militarized militias and terrorist groups; on the other, the media is being utilized to serve the agendas of those organizations and militias. These methods are combined to systematically weaken the opposition and divide public opinion. Not only do these tactics aim to destroy an opponent’s military capabilities, they also aim to foster unrest and create instability in societies. Amid the expansion of transnational networks, new actors have emerged, able to project their influence beyond conventional borders through the use of modern communications and advanced technologies. In light of these developments, the need to study 4GW is critical. Given the significance of the issue, the papers presented examine the concept in detail, in the context of the widespread unrest, in regional and international arenas, that has fuelled instability in some Arab states. Throughout the chapters of this book, experts in the field address the changing face of war and examine the theoretical and strategic dimensions of 4GW, focusing on its tactics, techniques and procedures. The book also discusses 4GW trajectories and future warfare, and the extent to which the ethics of war and international treaties will be respected amid the changes in conflict to come.

Fourth Generation Warfare: The Need for a Comprehensive Approach

Fourth Generation Warfare: The Need for a Comprehensive Approach
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 51
Release: 2008
Genre:
ISBN:

This study explores whether current United States military strategy should focus more on a comprehensive interagency approach as a more efficient way of focusing all elements of national power to defeat its enemies in the Long War on Terrorism. The method used to resolve this issue was to frame the scope of the current operating environment in the context of Fourth Generation Warfare. A definition of Fourth Generation Warfare is developed, based on Col. Thomas X. Hammes' writings. The definition is further developed to show relevance and applicability to current operations in the Long War on Terrorism. A comparative analysis is conducted utilizing a case study of the United States' experience during Vietnam. The case study examines the Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (CORDS) program to gain an understanding of the lessons that were learned from interagency operations during the Vietnam War. These lessons are compared to current written policy and guidance and then assessed to determine if an appropriate level of synchronization and coordination are being used to meet national objectives in the Long War on Terrorism within the context of the current operating environment. The findings show that current U.S. military strategy is making considerable progress in interagency coordination, but that national strategy is still weak in this area.

4th Generation Warfare Handbook

4th Generation Warfare Handbook
Author: William S. Lind
Publisher:
Total Pages: 134
Release: 2016-05-23
Genre: History
ISBN: 9789527065754

Written by the author of the Maneuver Warfare Handbook and an active-duty USMC officer with experience in Iraq, 4th Generation Warfare Handbook is the doctrine for a new generation of war. Over the last 40 years, the world has gradually entered into a post-Clausewitzian state where the wars are undeclared, the battlefields can be anywhere, the uniforms are optional, and the combatants as well as the targets are often "civilian." Conventional militaries have repeatedly attempted to utilize technology to meet the new challenges posed, but even the most advanced technology has provided little more than meaningless short-term victories rendered futile in months, if not weeks. This inability of Western governments and militaries to come to terms with the changing nature of modern warfare has led to failed interventions, failed occupations, and now even failed states everywhere from Eastern Europe to Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. And with the recent mass movement of peoples around the world, 4th Generation Warfare can be safely expected to appear in Western Europe and the United States before long. Drawing on their decades of experience with military history and military action, the authors have distilled 4GW theory into a short, concise, easily accessible handbook that provides the soldier, the military analyst, and the civilian observer with a guide to understanding and responding to the changing realities of this challenging new form of war.

Transformation Under Fire: A Historical Case Study with Modern Parallels

Transformation Under Fire: A Historical Case Study with Modern Parallels
Author: Raymond a. Kimball
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 42
Release: 2014-06-23
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9781312301740

The ideas of military transformation have been percolating within the U.S. military for more than a decade. Proponents of both "net-centric" and "fourth-generation" warfare have been arguing for specific force constructs to meet what they perceive to be the unique demands of a new type of war. The heavy demands of current operations add to the pressure to bring some kind of closure to this debate. In this Letort Paper, Major Raymond Kimball, a veteran of both peacekeeping operations and high-intensity warfare, examines the case of the Red Army, which attempted similar military transformation under fire during the Russian Civil War. He argues that many of what were intended to be temporary fixes became permanent and defining institutions of the force, and a myopic fixation on one type of enemy had disastrous results when fighting a very different foe. He cautions against similar errors perhaps pending in our own transformational processes.