Fourth-generation warfare (4GW) is conflict characterized by a blurring of the distinction between war and politics and between combatants and civilians, fought increasingly by decentralized non-state or hybrid actors rather than by opposing state armies. The term was first used in 1980 by a team of American analysts including William S. Lind.
Facts
Core ClaimWar increasingly blurs the line between combatant and civilian and between state and non-state actor, fought by decentralized networks rather than by opposing armies alone. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Fourth-Generation Warfare
Wikipedialead paragraphQuote, lead paragraph
Fourth-generation warfare (4GW) is conflict characterized by a blurring of the distinction between war and politics, and of the distinction between combatants and civilians.
1. Wikipedia: Fourth-Generation Warfare
Wikipediahistory sectionQuote, history section
The term was first used in 1980 by a team of United States analysts, including William S. Lind, to describe warfare's return to a decentralized form.
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