5GW Theory Timeline

Categories

Chronological Listing:

The Changing Face of War: Into the Fourth Generation

Oct 1, 1989
This is the origin of the GMW, Generations of Modern Warfare, concept. It outlines in some detail 1GW through 3GW and even gives some detail for 4GW while leaving 4GW open to further discovery.William Lind wrote this with Colonel Keith...
Unrestricted Warfare

Feb 1, 1999
[A pdf version of Unrestricted Warfare can be found on Scribd.com @ http://www.scribd.com/doc/5714/Unrestricted-Warfare]A book written by Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui, two colonels in the People's Liberation Army of China, Unrestricted Warfare outlines weaknesses in the U.S. military strategy --...
5th Generation Warfare

Aug 19, 2003
An apparent press release from OSS.net, through PRNewswire, in Windows .doc format, detailing need for fifth-generation tactics to create "the necessary new national security paradigm," as described by Robert David Steele."5th Generation "holistic" warfare requires a coherent global security strategy...
Fifth Generation Warfare?

Feb 3, 2004
William S. Lind, co-author of "The Changing Face of War: Into the Fourth Generation" which for the first time modeled modern warfare as a generational framework, and generally considered the "father" of the generational model, answers building speculation of a...
The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century

Sep 12, 2004
The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Centuryby USMC, Colonel Thomas X. Hammes From the publisher's site: Ongoing events in Iraq show how difficult it is for the world's only remaining superpower to impose its will upon...
Unto the Fifth Generation of War

Jul 17, 2005
Early and detailed consideration of aspects which might constitute fifth generation warfare, beginning with concepts of 4GW and building from there. Key trends mentioned: Superempowerment Fluidity Multidimensional Battlespace Autonomous Surrogates Key technologies and sciences mentioned: Artificial Intelligence Genomics Alternative Fuels...
Orientation and Action, Part I: The OODA Loop

Jul 18, 2005
Building off a post written by Mark Safranski of ZenPundit -- "successive generations of warfare tend to drive 'deeper' into enemy territory" -- Dan tdaxp utilizes Boyd's OODA loop to show how the fifth generation of warfare "goes deeper" into...
Fifth Generation War in the OODA Loop

Jul 19, 2005
Mark Safranski reponds to Dan tdaxp's conceptualization of the "deeper" aspects of each succeeding generation of warfare vis-a-vis John Boyd's OODA Loop.Whereas Mark Safranski had earlier conceived of a shift in battlespace deeper into enemy territory, he now concedes that...
5GW

Jul 19, 2005
Early note of discussions of 5GW theory which links to the blogs ZenPundit and tdaxp, including excerpts from those....
Comment: 5GW

Jul 19, 2005
In a comment at the blog Coming Anarchy, Curtis Gale Weeks links early consideration of a possible 5GW theory of warfare with the book Unrestricted Warfare....
Boot on Unrestricted War

Jul 20, 2005
A look at the book Unrestricted Warfare which also references the blog tdaxp and links the blog Coming Anarchy which had recently noted discussion of 5GW theory at tdaxp and the blog ZenPundit.[Note: the blog Phatic Communion is now defunct;...
Dreaming 5th Generation War

Jul 20, 2005
A follow-up to an earlier post which extends consideration of the "deeper" aspects of fifth generation warfare as it relates to John Boyd's OODA Loop.A reiteration of earlier points argued -- "5th Generation of War would focus on [the enemy's]...
Dreaming 5th Generation War: Comment

Jul 21, 2005
Curtis Gale Weeks comments on the post "Dreaming 5th Generation War" published by Dan tdaxp on the blog tdaxp.The comment ponders "a scenario in which multiple, seemingly unrelated events hurt one nation (or a group of nations) repeatedly, as if...
Emerging NetWar / SecretWar Tactic: Stealth Shareholder Activism

Jul 22, 2005
A look at how shareholder activism may be one method by which a 5GW organization can operate secretly (although said activism may also be used for 4GW) which concludes with two points: Major Benefit of Shareholder Activism for 5GW: SecretWarrior...
SecretWarriors Walk Without Rhythm, Won't Attract the Worm

Jul 23, 2005
This post uses John Boyd's OODA loop to stress the importance of secrecy in fifth generation warfare efforts:In SecretWar, or 5GW, the fighter tries to hurt without being hurt -- at all. If the world knows the SecretWarrior exists, she...
Blog Notice

Jul 23, 2005
Among other things, this blog post contemplates the changing world and whether pre-5GW styles of fighting will quickly grow cost-ineffective:The present question is whether we are approaching a time when the costs of pre-5GW types of wars will far outweigh...
SecretWar: Plain Jane Tries to Kill the Yakuza Boss

Jul 25, 2005
The metaphor of a "Plain Jain" who tries to kill a Yakuza Boss is utilized to argue that "randomness is very attractive" and would severely reduce the secrecy of a 5GW operation:For a woman crossing the dance floor, tripping is...
5GW Reloaded: Reflecting on 5th Generation War Concepts

Jul 25, 2005
A link fest linking to many more items than can be displayed below.Mark Safranski ponders two ideas introduced by Dan tdaxp of the blog tdaxp: that 5GW will target an enemy's intellectual strength, and that secrecy will be key in...
5th Generation Thumbnail Sketches

Jul 26, 2005
A guest post at the blog tdaxp which examines two points recently offered by two other bloggers -- that 5GW is a war on the enemy's "intellectual strength" that 5GW will go "deeper" into a target's society -- and combines...
5GW Effectors

Jul 26, 2005
(Originally appeared on the defunct blog Phatic Communion, republished at Dreaming 5GW.)A post dissecting what kind of activity the 5GWarrior would utilize. Specifically, a consideration of "rhythm" and "randomness" leads to a questioning of the secrecy aspect assumed to exist...
Limitations of 5GW

Aug 2, 2005
(Originally appeared on the defunct blog Phatic Communion, republished at the blog Dreaming 5GW.)A blog post that considers fifth generation war waged against whole societies: what features should be considered? Would small 5GW forces be able to defeat a large...
Limitations of 5GW: Comment

Aug 3, 2005
Curtis Gale Weeks responds to a comment left by Alan Sullivan, who suggested that 9/11 fits the description of a fifth-generation attack:The present insurgency in Iraq, the followup bombings in Madrid and London, the bombings in Egypt (and the abduction...
Limitations of 5GW: Comment

Aug 3, 2005
Alan Sullivan suggests that 9/11 fits the prevailing description of fifth generation war. Some responses to the attack on the WTC, vis-a-vis the airline industry, were horribly bad and in fact hurt the U.S. Furthermore, such knee-jerk reactions solidified al-Qaeda's...
On “Fifth Generation” Warfare?

Aug 6, 2005
[No publication date given or found; listed date is an approximation based on the date of a blog post first-reference of "On 'Fifth Generation' Warfare?"] The world is composed of a psychological terrain that has less and less to do...
SecretWar (5GW)

Aug 6, 2005
Dan tdaxp responds to a blog post published on Phatic Communion and further embellishes the idea that fifth generation war is "Secret War." Points made: Economy of force improves with each succeeding generation of warfare; so 5GW targeting a society...
Revisiting 5th Generation War

Aug 7, 2005
Mark Safranski references Thomas P.M. Barnett's thoughts on "system perturbation" and "cascading effects" when contemplating Bryce Lane's article "On 'Fifth Generation' Warfare?" while agreeing with Lane that geography no longer serves to define "the Logospheric state of 5GW conflict."A consideration...
Personal Equals Political

Aug 9, 2005
"The Chimeras", a poem by W. H. Auden, is related to 5GW.Speculation of a label given to the effort to either pre-empt a 5GW attack or defend against one: "The War on Confusion."The label is drawn from the present taxonomy...
Comic Book Warning: An Unlikely Insight into Warfare's 5th Generation

Oct 1, 2005
[Online version of the article can be found @ http://smallwarsjournal.com/documents/swjmag/v3/cole.htm (Accessed 14 January 2011)]Myke Cole first suggests that science fiction literature may in general provide insights into developing or future trends and then utilizes Alan Moore's "V for Vendetta" to...
5GW Revolutions

Oct 27, 2005
Mark Safranski utilizes a consideration of anti-state 5GW goals suggested by Myke Cole at Small Wars Journal, in "Comic Book Warning: An Unlikely Insight into Warfare's 5th Generation", to draw a potential response to 5GW by states beset by internal...
5GW: Soundless + Formless + Polished + Leading

Feb 4, 2006
I won't say that between Sun Tzu, Musashi, and tdaxp, you shall learn everything you need to about 5GW.... But add VNV Nation's Matter + Form, and you probably will. Soundless, formless, polished, leading: These are attributes of a 5GW...
Truly formless 5GW

Mar 10, 2006
A consideration of two blog posts on tdaxp, followed by an alternative speculation of what will constitute fifth-generation warfare. Emergent communities, or emergent networks, may be examples of 5GW organization, particularly since these groups may form around an idea or...
Truly Formless 5GW: Comment

Mar 10, 2006
A description of xGW is offered which stresses the viability of each succeeding generation of war with respect to prior generations: Every generation of war is a qualitative shift. One way of thinking that is that it allows an opponent...
Truly Formless 5GW: Comment

Mar 11, 2006
From the idea that each successive generation within the xGW framework is developed to respond to, and to defeat, the previous generation, Arherring considers the possibility that by definition wouldn't 5GW be the next logical step for a National /...
Truly Formless 5GW: Comment

Mar 11, 2006
John Robb, responding to a comment left by Arherring that states might use 5GW to combat 4GW networks -- through the use of viral memes? -- offers an alternative interpretation: fifth-generation warriors, called here by John Robb "GG's" ("global guerrillas"),...
Truly Formless 5GW: Comment

Mar 12, 2006
Responding to various other comments, and particularly considering comments left by Arherring and Dan tdaxp, Curtis Gale Weeks suggests the necessity of reconsidering 5GW from a "nuts and bolts" perspective:Dan's broad characterization of the effectiveness of 5GW forces who are...
Initiating 5GW

Mar 14, 2006
(Originally posted at the now defunct blog Phatic Communion.)Building upon conversations on the blogs tdaxp and Coming Anarchy, CGW expands upon a comment he left on Coming Anarchy by considering how in fact 5GW forces will operate in a "nuts...
5GW Will Hide in the Sea of Conspiracy Theories to Avoid Discovery

May 30, 2006
PurpleSlog suggests the 5GW potential of utilizing conspiracy theory in order to either hide the 5GW operation or at the very least to reduce interest in the possibility of the existence of that 5GW operation, as a strategy for maintaining...
Observing the Maturing World

Jul 5, 2006
(Originally published at the now-defunct blog Phatic Communion.)A mapping of the xGW framework onto John Boyd's OODA theory utilizing a Revised OODA developed by Curtis Gale Weeks. Part 3 of a 3-part series on the OODA, following "Rethinking the OODA"...
Comment: War Doesn't Work

Aug 1, 2006
A comment left under a blog post at the blog The Useless Tree, "War Doesn't Work", in which the blog author, Sam Crane, points out that U.S. and Israeli styles of fighting are no longer effective against certain foes. The...
5GW Thought: Would a Goal of a 5GW Organization Be To Reduce the Resiliency of the Target State?

Aug 23, 2006
PurpleSlog utilizes a blog post from Mark Safranski's blog ZenPundit, in which Safranski proposes State Resilience as the best defense against 4GW, to contemplate one method by which 5GW organizations could co-opt 4GW forces. Excerpt: Assuming ZenPundit's thoughts are correct...
Fifth Generation Warfare: 4GW No Longer Applies

Sep 26, 2006
Mr. Langbert seems to envision 5GW as the evolution of nationalistic 4GW (Mao, Ho Chi Min) to that of the purely ideologically driven (al Qaeda, the Arab Mujahadeen) 4GW (or, in Langbert's view, 5GW.) In essence the absence of jingoism...
Can Georgia become a MicroPower?

Oct 7, 2006
The idea is that small states can protect themselves if they are willing to use economic systems disruption as a strategic weapon. Said systems disruption, and the Global Guerrilla dynamic, are called fifth-generation warfare. Scenarios involving the Ukraine, Georgia, and...
The sandwich generations-of-war strategy

Oct 8, 2006
"[W]orking off my SysAdmin force/Department of Everything Else concepts," and off a comment left by RevG, Thomas Barnett discusses the importance of the 3GW Leviathan.The advent of nuclear weapons failed to achieve a new generation of war, although it did...
5GW and Ruleset Automation

Oct 8, 2006
A consideration of ideas found in Thomas P. M. Barnett's post, "The sandwich generations-of-war strategy" (although not actually linking it). Development-in-a-Box is part of the work of Enterra Solutions, Barnett's (and Steve DeAngelis's employer) -- a firm that focuses on...
A Strategic Dagwood

Oct 9, 2006
An exploration ideas from Thomas P. M. Barnett's post "The sandwich generations-of-war strategy", with agreement than the U.S Leviathan helps to keep Old Core and New Core powers from re-inaugurating the era of great 3GW war between powers; i.e., that...
Lots of discussion of what 5GW is

Oct 9, 2006
It's clear we are in a phase transition from classic 4GW guerrilla warfare to something worse. That something worse is: "the super-empowered individual that can use the technologies of self-replication to collapse/kill on a grand scale" -- which John Robb...
5GW And Beyond

Oct 9, 2006
Building off a thought published by John Robb on his personal weblog, that the destructive technologically superempowered fighter defines fifth-generation warfare, Shlok offers his reasons why this will be so while offering a glimpse at "6GW" and "7GW": Technological Singularity...
Dreaming 5GW: In Surround Sound

Oct 9, 2006
Original inaugural post of the blog Dreaming 5GW. (Others, earlier web posts, were eventually imported from the defunct site Phatic Communion.)An initial consideration of secrecy leads into a broad outline of how fifth generation warfare may play out, building upon...
Micropowers and the Art of 5GW

Oct 14, 2006
A blog post considering how "micropowers" might utilize 5GW to conduct warfare in the future.The post begins with a look at a discussion on the blogs Coming Anarchy and Global Guerrillas, concerning the issue of micropowers and how Georgia (the...
My own personal 5GW dream

Oct 16, 2006
Thomas P. M. Barnett lays out his own personal 5GW dream, building from a post that appeared at Dreaming 5GW:I was going to post there, on Weeks' site, but then I started to feel proprietary about it, meaning I was...
THE CHANGING FACE OF WAR: Into the 5th Generation (5GW)

Oct 16, 2006
Citing William Lind's "The Changing Face War: Into the Fourth Generation", John Robb expands the xGW framework from Lind's stopping point and into a consideration of fifth generation warfare. Much of this new generation was derived and accelerated in cauldron...
Totally unreal

Oct 16, 2006
John Robb believes Thomas P. M. Barnett "is trying to refashion global guerrillas as his big idea" after the latter has discussed PNM and BFA as his own type of 5GW....
A thousand flowers will bloom on 5GW, and countless more weeds

Oct 17, 2006
Responding to John Robb's accusation that he is attempting "to refashion global guerrillas as his big idea", Thomas P. M. Barnett affirms that he did not "employ" 5GW in his books but thought that his own published ideas correlate with...
5GW is Closed Source (and Global Guerillas Theory is Incoherent)

Oct 17, 2006
An attack on John Robb's concept of Global Guerrillas, particularly Robb's linking of Global Guerrillas to 5GW theory. Dan tdaxp resonds, 5GW is not open source. 5GW is closed source. Primarily, secrecy -- which will be important for fifth generation...
Barnett and Robb

Oct 17, 2006
A consideration of John Robb's and Thomas P. M. Barnett's recent explorations of fifth generation warfare. On Thomas Barnett's 5GW speculation: "Not very secret, is it?" -- It would inspire domestic and foreign opposition; this is a nod to the...
Nonkinetic "War" is called "Politics"

Oct 20, 2006
After referencing a discussion that occurred at John Robb's Weblog, Dan Abbott draws a line between war and politics, suggesting that the two ideas or types of conflict should remain separate to avoid confusion. Also, the suggestion is made that...
The Super Empowered Individual

Oct 29, 2006
Although not specifically referencing 5GW within the main body of the blog post, Mark Safranski outlines various concepts of "The Super Empowered Individual" while examining both the potential effects of the existence of SEIs and potential countermeasures or strategies for...
Against William Lind, Against John Robb, in favor of 5GW

Oct 30, 2006
Dan of the blog tdaxp, contributor to the blog Dreaming 5GW, suggests two problems with the way 5GW theory has been approached, singling out William Lind and John Robb as examples.In the first case, "worthless academic philosophy" may swamp the...
War in the next generation

Nov 12, 2006
A consideration of the "next generation of analysts and collectors which must confront these challenges" arising with the advent of 5GW.The view is circumspect as the author contemplates previous contemplation inspired by various others writing about fifth generation warfare: Much...
The unbearable lightness of the bench

May 17, 2007
A UK legal case involving the prosecution of terrorist activities is used as an example of the failure of the legal system to operate in a 4GW/5GW environment. This however underscores even more clearly the abject failure of the legal...
Possible 5GW Archetype: The Puppet Master 5GW

May 23, 2007
The first in a series of blog posts written by PurpleSlog and outlining different general archetypes, or styles, of 5GW, this entry in the series focuses upon a "Puppet Master" style of 5GW operations.The archetype will resemble the classic fictional...
The Importance of 5GW

Jul 5, 2007
Excerpt:While America cannot win a 4GW, she can win a 5GW -- a war of hidden movements. America won the Cold War because, in spite of losing popular support for the struggle against Communism, she created institutions that kept the...
Describing the Military-Industrial-Sysadmin-Complex: How We Will Win the 5GW to Shrink the Gap

Jul 7, 2007
Dan Abbott postulates a "Military-Industrial-Sysadmin-Complex," or MISC, as a potential state-centric 5GW force structure that could be developed by the U.S. in order to win "the long war" against America's current enemies.Linking MISC to Thomas P. M. Barnett's PNM theory,...
Orientation and Action, Part II: The OODA-PISRR Loop

Jul 16, 2007
Dan Abbott utilizes John Boyd's OODA LOOP and PISRR (Penetrate-Isolate-Subvert-Reorient-Reharmonize) to suggest an OODA-PISRR Social Loop which will shed light on the generations of modern warfare by showing that each succeeding generation of warfare is less kinetically intense than the...
The Generations of War without the Jargon

Aug 7, 2007
Dan of the blog tdaxp gives a summary of the Generations of Modern Warfare model, in simple, plain English....
Comment: The Generations of War in the Context of Realms and Kinetics

Aug 8, 2007
In a comment under the blog post "The Generations of War in the Context of Realms and Kinetics," written by Dan Abbott and cross-posted on the blog Dreaming 5GW (originally titled "Orientation and Action, Part II: The OODA-PISRR Loop" as...
Found on Wikipedia: “The Dulles Plan”

Aug 23, 2007
An alleged secret plan to overthrow the Soviet government through ideological manipulation. Does it relate to 5GW? (Summary by subadei)...
Architects of the Future: The Socio-Political Entrepreneurship Style of 5GW

Aug 27, 2007
In the second blog post of a series of blog posts exploring potential archetypes, or styles, of 5GW, PurpleSlog suggests a "Socio-Political Entrepreneurship" style of 5GW.Unlike the first archetype explored in the series ("The Puppet Master"), the Socio-Political Entrepreneurs will...
Pre-Modern Wars on a Pre-Modern Continent

Sep 6, 2007
Dan of the blog tdaxp highlights a blog post written by Steve Pampinella in which the question is asked whether the African wars should be considered 4GW-style wars.Dan answers that, no, "The African wars tend not to be state-centered, but...
XGW: Left of Boom - Right of Boom

Oct 21, 2007
Arherring explores the relationship of xGW theory to the idea of "Boom" (kinetic action), using the following diagram to map out the generations:...
X vs X: Boom and the Generations in Conflict

Oct 24, 2007
A post which looks at each generation in relationship to "Boom" or the operative kinetics occurring in each generational style of conflict.Additionally, each generation is compared to the generation before it and the generation after it, in order to show...
Shrinkwrapped on Conspiracy Theories

Mar 30, 2008
PurpleSlog looks at blog posts written by blogger Shrinkwrapped on the subject of the psychology of conspiracy theory and concludes, "Nonsense contaminates and warps the observational ability of an actor. A 5GWer can make use of that."...
Of the People, By The People: The Strategic Citizen 5GW Style

May 2, 2008
In his third blog post in a series exploring different archetypes or styles of 5GW operations, PurpleSlog gives a lengthy list of characteristics of The Strategic Citizen 5GW Style.In general, The Strategic Citizen style of 5GW will resemble "open-source conspiracies": ...
5GWhat? The Meaning of “Warfare” in 2008

May 22, 2008
Through several stages, the blog author examines whether fifth generation warfare can be called "warfare." Is blogging warfare? The author mentions the DoD concept of information operations, answering affirmatively. Is activism warfare? The author alludes to the White House at...
5GW as the Event Horizon

May 23, 2008
Dan tdaxp links to a comment under a blog post at Skilluminati Research in which the commenter ponders the way fifth generation warfare will be a blending of warfare with "everything else": I agree 100% that 5GW is an event...
XGW as a System for the Classification of Doctrines

May 26, 2008
Arherring outlines the xGW framework following discussions elsewhere concerning the differences between GMW (Generations of Modern Warfare) and xGW (Gradient Warfare) models....
The Terminology of XGW

May 27, 2008
Responding to recent discussion concerning the distinguishing factors that might be made between William Lind's Generations of Modern Warfare theory (GMW) and its successor theory, xGW, Dan Abbott suggests an abandonment of the use of the term "generation" for "G",...
The XGW Framework: Classification and Creation of Doctrines for Conflict and Confrontation

Jan 6, 2009
Arherring, on the blog Dreaming 5GW (and cross-posted to Red Herrings), first notes the distinction between GMW (Generations of Modern Warfare) and xGW; second, outlines five broad subject areas which must be considered for an understanding of the xGW model:Premise...

5GW Theory Timeline

Chronological Listing:

The Changing Face of War: Into the Fourth Generation

Oct 1, 1989This is the origin of the GMW, Generations of Modern Warfare, concept. It outlines in some detail 1GW through 3GW and even gives some detail for 4GW while leaving 4GW open to further discovery.William Lind wrote this with Colonel Keith...

Unrestricted Warfare

5th Generation Warfare

Fifth Generation Warfare?

Feb 3, 2004William S. Lind, co-author of "The Changing Face of War: Into the Fourth Generation" which for the first time modeled modern warfare as a generational framework, and generally considered the "father" of the generational model, answers building speculation of a...

The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century

Sep 12, 2004The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Centuryby USMC, Colonel Thomas X. Hammes From the publisher's site: Ongoing events in Iraq show how difficult it is for the world's only remaining superpower to impose its will upon...

Unto the Fifth Generation of War

Orientation and Action, Part I: The OODA Loop

Jul 18, 2005Building off a post written by Mark Safranski of ZenPundit -- "successive generations of warfare tend to drive 'deeper' into enemy territory" -- Dan tdaxp utilizes Boyd's OODA loop to show how the fifth generation of warfare "goes deeper" into...

Fifth Generation War in the OODA Loop

Jul 19, 2005Mark Safranski reponds to Dan tdaxp's conceptualization of the "deeper" aspects of each succeeding generation of warfare vis-a-vis John Boyd's OODA Loop.Whereas Mark Safranski had earlier conceived of a shift in battlespace deeper into enemy territory, he now concedes that...

5GW

Jul 19, 2005Early note of discussions of 5GW theory which links to the blogs ZenPundit and tdaxp, including excerpts from those....

Comment: 5GW

Jul 19, 2005In a comment at the blog Coming Anarchy, Curtis Gale Weeks links early consideration of a possible 5GW theory of warfare with the book Unrestricted Warfare....

Boot on Unrestricted War

Jul 20, 2005A look at the book Unrestricted Warfare which also references the blog tdaxp and links the blog Coming Anarchy which had recently noted discussion of 5GW theory at tdaxp and the blog ZenPundit.[Note: the blog Phatic Communion is now defunct;...

Dreaming 5th Generation War

Jul 20, 2005A follow-up to an earlier post which extends consideration of the "deeper" aspects of fifth generation warfare as it relates to John Boyd's OODA Loop.A reiteration of earlier points argued -- "5th Generation of War would focus on [the enemy's]...

Dreaming 5th Generation War: Comment

Jul 21, 2005Curtis Gale Weeks comments on the post "Dreaming 5th Generation War" published by Dan tdaxp on the blog tdaxp.The comment ponders "a scenario in which multiple, seemingly unrelated events hurt one nation (or a group of nations) repeatedly, as if...

Emerging NetWar / SecretWar Tactic: Stealth Shareholder Activism

Jul 22, 2005A look at how shareholder activism may be one method by which a 5GW organization can operate secretly (although said activism may also be used for 4GW) which concludes with two points: Major Benefit of Shareholder Activism for 5GW: SecretWarrior...

SecretWarriors Walk Without Rhythm, Won't Attract the Worm

Jul 23, 2005This post uses John Boyd's OODA loop to stress the importance of secrecy in fifth generation warfare efforts:In SecretWar, or 5GW, the fighter tries to hurt without being hurt -- at all. If the world knows the SecretWarrior exists, she...

Blog Notice

Jul 23, 2005Among other things, this blog post contemplates the changing world and whether pre-5GW styles of fighting will quickly grow cost-ineffective:The present question is whether we are approaching a time when the costs of pre-5GW types of wars will far outweigh...

SecretWar: Plain Jane Tries to Kill the Yakuza Boss

Jul 25, 2005The metaphor of a "Plain Jain" who tries to kill a Yakuza Boss is utilized to argue that "randomness is very attractive" and would severely reduce the secrecy of a 5GW operation:For a woman crossing the dance floor, tripping is...

5GW Reloaded: Reflecting on 5th Generation War Concepts

Jul 25, 2005A link fest linking to many more items than can be displayed below.Mark Safranski ponders two ideas introduced by Dan tdaxp of the blog tdaxp: that 5GW will target an enemy's intellectual strength, and that secrecy will be key in...

5th Generation Thumbnail Sketches

Jul 26, 2005A guest post at the blog tdaxp which examines two points recently offered by two other bloggers -- that 5GW is a war on the enemy's "intellectual strength" that 5GW will go "deeper" into a target's society -- and combines...

5GW Effectors

Jul 26, 2005(Originally appeared on the defunct blog Phatic Communion, republished at Dreaming 5GW.)A post dissecting what kind of activity the 5GWarrior would utilize. Specifically, a consideration of "rhythm" and "randomness" leads to a questioning of the secrecy aspect assumed to exist...

Limitations of 5GW

Aug 2, 2005(Originally appeared on the defunct blog Phatic Communion, republished at the blog Dreaming 5GW.)A blog post that considers fifth generation war waged against whole societies: what features should be considered? Would small 5GW forces be able to defeat a large...

Limitations of 5GW: Comment

Aug 3, 2005Curtis Gale Weeks responds to a comment left by Alan Sullivan, who suggested that 9/11 fits the description of a fifth-generation attack:The present insurgency in Iraq, the followup bombings in Madrid and London, the bombings in Egypt (and the abduction...

Limitations of 5GW: Comment

Aug 3, 2005Alan Sullivan suggests that 9/11 fits the prevailing description of fifth generation war. Some responses to the attack on the WTC, vis-a-vis the airline industry, were horribly bad and in fact hurt the U.S. Furthermore, such knee-jerk reactions solidified al-Qaeda's...

On “Fifth Generation” Warfare?

Aug 6, 2005[No publication date given or found; listed date is an approximation based on the date of a blog post first-reference of "On 'Fifth Generation' Warfare?"] The world is composed of a psychological terrain that has less and less to do...

SecretWar (5GW)

Aug 6, 2005Dan tdaxp responds to a blog post published on Phatic Communion and further embellishes the idea that fifth generation war is "Secret War." Points made: Economy of force improves with each succeeding generation of warfare; so 5GW targeting a society...

Revisiting 5th Generation War

Personal Equals Political

Aug 9, 2005"The Chimeras", a poem by W. H. Auden, is related to 5GW.Speculation of a label given to the effort to either pre-empt a 5GW attack or defend against one: "The War on Confusion."The label is drawn from the present taxonomy...

Comic Book Warning: An Unlikely Insight into Warfare's 5th Generation

5GW Revolutions

Oct 27, 2005Mark Safranski utilizes a consideration of anti-state 5GW goals suggested by Myke Cole at Small Wars Journal, in "Comic Book Warning: An Unlikely Insight into Warfare's 5th Generation", to draw a potential response to 5GW by states beset by internal...

5GW: Soundless + Formless + Polished + Leading

Feb 4, 2006I won't say that between Sun Tzu, Musashi, and tdaxp, you shall learn everything you need to about 5GW.... But add VNV Nation's Matter + Form, and you probably will. Soundless, formless, polished, leading: These are attributes of a 5GW...

Truly formless 5GW

Mar 10, 2006A consideration of two blog posts on tdaxp, followed by an alternative speculation of what will constitute fifth-generation warfare. Emergent communities, or emergent networks, may be examples of 5GW organization, particularly since these groups may form around an idea or...

Truly Formless 5GW: Comment

Mar 10, 2006A description of xGW is offered which stresses the viability of each succeeding generation of war with respect to prior generations: Every generation of war is a qualitative shift. One way of thinking that is that it allows an opponent...

Truly Formless 5GW: Comment

Mar 11, 2006From the idea that each successive generation within the xGW framework is developed to respond to, and to defeat, the previous generation, Arherring considers the possibility that by definition wouldn't 5GW be the next logical step for a National /...

Truly Formless 5GW: Comment

Mar 11, 2006John Robb, responding to a comment left by Arherring that states might use 5GW to combat 4GW networks -- through the use of viral memes? -- offers an alternative interpretation: fifth-generation warriors, called here by John Robb "GG's" ("global guerrillas"),...

Truly Formless 5GW: Comment

Mar 12, 2006Responding to various other comments, and particularly considering comments left by Arherring and Dan tdaxp, Curtis Gale Weeks suggests the necessity of reconsidering 5GW from a "nuts and bolts" perspective:Dan's broad characterization of the effectiveness of 5GW forces who are...

Initiating 5GW

Mar 14, 2006(Originally posted at the now defunct blog Phatic Communion.)Building upon conversations on the blogs tdaxp and Coming Anarchy, CGW expands upon a comment he left on Coming Anarchy by considering how in fact 5GW forces will operate in a "nuts...

5GW Will Hide in the Sea of Conspiracy Theories to Avoid Discovery

May 30, 2006PurpleSlog suggests the 5GW potential of utilizing conspiracy theory in order to either hide the 5GW operation or at the very least to reduce interest in the possibility of the existence of that 5GW operation, as a strategy for maintaining...

Observing the Maturing World

Jul 5, 2006(Originally published at the now-defunct blog Phatic Communion.)A mapping of the xGW framework onto John Boyd's OODA theory utilizing a Revised OODA developed by Curtis Gale Weeks. Part 3 of a 3-part series on the OODA, following "Rethinking the OODA"...

Comment: War Doesn't Work

Aug 1, 2006A comment left under a blog post at the blog The Useless Tree, "War Doesn't Work", in which the blog author, Sam Crane, points out that U.S. and Israeli styles of fighting are no longer effective against certain foes. The...

5GW Thought: Would a Goal of a 5GW Organization Be To Reduce the Resiliency of the Target State?

Aug 23, 2006PurpleSlog utilizes a blog post from Mark Safranski's blog ZenPundit, in which Safranski proposes State Resilience as the best defense against 4GW, to contemplate one method by which 5GW organizations could co-opt 4GW forces. Excerpt: Assuming ZenPundit's thoughts are correct...

Fifth Generation Warfare: 4GW No Longer Applies

Sep 26, 2006Mr. Langbert seems to envision 5GW as the evolution of nationalistic 4GW (Mao, Ho Chi Min) to that of the purely ideologically driven (al Qaeda, the Arab Mujahadeen) 4GW (or, in Langbert's view, 5GW.) In essence the absence of jingoism...

Can Georgia become a MicroPower?

Oct 1, 1989
This is the origin of the GMW, Generations of Modern Warfare, concept. It outlines in some detail 1GW through 3GW and even gives some detail for 4GW while leaving 4GW open to further discovery.William Lind wrote this with Colonel Keith...

Feb 3, 2004
William S. Lind, co-author of "The Changing Face of War: Into the Fourth Generation" which for the first time modeled modern warfare as a generational framework, and generally considered the "father" of the generational model, answers building speculation of a...

Sep 12, 2004
The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Centuryby USMC, Colonel Thomas X. Hammes From the publisher's site: Ongoing events in Iraq show how difficult it is for the world's only remaining superpower to impose its will upon...

Jul 18, 2005
Building off a post written by Mark Safranski of ZenPundit -- "successive generations of warfare tend to drive 'deeper' into enemy territory" -- Dan tdaxp utilizes Boyd's OODA loop to show how the fifth generation of warfare "goes deeper" into...

Jul 19, 2005
Mark Safranski reponds to Dan tdaxp's conceptualization of the "deeper" aspects of each succeeding generation of warfare vis-a-vis John Boyd's OODA Loop.Whereas Mark Safranski had earlier conceived of a shift in battlespace deeper into enemy territory, he now concedes that...

Jul 19, 2005
Early note of discussions of 5GW theory which links to the blogs ZenPundit and tdaxp, including excerpts from those....

Jul 19, 2005
In a comment at the blog Coming Anarchy, Curtis Gale Weeks links early consideration of a possible 5GW theory of warfare with the book Unrestricted Warfare....

Jul 20, 2005
A look at the book Unrestricted Warfare which also references the blog tdaxp and links the blog Coming Anarchy which had recently noted discussion of 5GW theory at tdaxp and the blog ZenPundit.[Note: the blog Phatic Communion is now defunct;...

Jul 20, 2005
A follow-up to an earlier post which extends consideration of the "deeper" aspects of fifth generation warfare as it relates to John Boyd's OODA Loop.A reiteration of earlier points argued -- "5th Generation of War would focus on [the enemy's]...

Jul 21, 2005
Curtis Gale Weeks comments on the post "Dreaming 5th Generation War" published by Dan tdaxp on the blog tdaxp.The comment ponders "a scenario in which multiple, seemingly unrelated events hurt one nation (or a group of nations) repeatedly, as if...

Jul 22, 2005
A look at how shareholder activism may be one method by which a 5GW organization can operate secretly (although said activism may also be used for 4GW) which concludes with two points: Major Benefit of Shareholder Activism for 5GW: SecretWarrior...

Jul 23, 2005
This post uses John Boyd's OODA loop to stress the importance of secrecy in fifth generation warfare efforts:In SecretWar, or 5GW, the fighter tries to hurt without being hurt -- at all. If the world knows the SecretWarrior exists, she...

Jul 23, 2005
Among other things, this blog post contemplates the changing world and whether pre-5GW styles of fighting will quickly grow cost-ineffective:The present question is whether we are approaching a time when the costs of pre-5GW types of wars will far outweigh...

Jul 25, 2005
The metaphor of a "Plain Jain" who tries to kill a Yakuza Boss is utilized to argue that "randomness is very attractive" and would severely reduce the secrecy of a 5GW operation:For a woman crossing the dance floor, tripping is...

Jul 25, 2005
A link fest linking to many more items than can be displayed below.Mark Safranski ponders two ideas introduced by Dan tdaxp of the blog tdaxp: that 5GW will target an enemy's intellectual strength, and that secrecy will be key in...

Jul 26, 2005
A guest post at the blog tdaxp which examines two points recently offered by two other bloggers -- that 5GW is a war on the enemy's "intellectual strength" that 5GW will go "deeper" into a target's society -- and combines...

Jul 26, 2005
(Originally appeared on the defunct blog Phatic Communion, republished at Dreaming 5GW.)A post dissecting what kind of activity the 5GWarrior would utilize. Specifically, a consideration of "rhythm" and "randomness" leads to a questioning of the secrecy aspect assumed to exist...

Aug 2, 2005
(Originally appeared on the defunct blog Phatic Communion, republished at the blog Dreaming 5GW.)A blog post that considers fifth generation war waged against whole societies: what features should be considered? Would small 5GW forces be able to defeat a large...

Aug 3, 2005
Curtis Gale Weeks responds to a comment left by Alan Sullivan, who suggested that 9/11 fits the description of a fifth-generation attack:The present insurgency in Iraq, the followup bombings in Madrid and London, the bombings in Egypt (and the abduction...

Aug 3, 2005
Alan Sullivan suggests that 9/11 fits the prevailing description of fifth generation war. Some responses to the attack on the WTC, vis-a-vis the airline industry, were horribly bad and in fact hurt the U.S. Furthermore, such knee-jerk reactions solidified al-Qaeda's...

Aug 6, 2005
[No publication date given or found; listed date is an approximation based on the date of a blog post first-reference of "On 'Fifth Generation' Warfare?"] The world is composed of a psychological terrain that has less and less to do...

Aug 6, 2005
Dan tdaxp responds to a blog post published on Phatic Communion and further embellishes the idea that fifth generation war is "Secret War." Points made: Economy of force improves with each succeeding generation of warfare; so 5GW targeting a society...

Aug 9, 2005
"The Chimeras", a poem by W. H. Auden, is related to 5GW.Speculation of a label given to the effort to either pre-empt a 5GW attack or defend against one: "The War on Confusion."The label is drawn from the present taxonomy...

Oct 27, 2005
Mark Safranski utilizes a consideration of anti-state 5GW goals suggested by Myke Cole at Small Wars Journal, in "Comic Book Warning: An Unlikely Insight into Warfare's 5th Generation", to draw a potential response to 5GW by states beset by internal...

Feb 4, 2006
I won't say that between Sun Tzu, Musashi, and tdaxp, you shall learn everything you need to about 5GW.... But add VNV Nation's Matter + Form, and you probably will. Soundless, formless, polished, leading: These are attributes of a 5GW...

Mar 10, 2006
A consideration of two blog posts on tdaxp, followed by an alternative speculation of what will constitute fifth-generation warfare. Emergent communities, or emergent networks, may be examples of 5GW organization, particularly since these groups may form around an idea or...

Mar 10, 2006
A description of xGW is offered which stresses the viability of each succeeding generation of war with respect to prior generations: Every generation of war is a qualitative shift. One way of thinking that is that it allows an opponent...

Mar 11, 2006
From the idea that each successive generation within the xGW framework is developed to respond to, and to defeat, the previous generation, Arherring considers the possibility that by definition wouldn't 5GW be the next logical step for a National /...

Mar 11, 2006
John Robb, responding to a comment left by Arherring that states might use 5GW to combat 4GW networks -- through the use of viral memes? -- offers an alternative interpretation: fifth-generation warriors, called here by John Robb "GG's" ("global guerrillas"),...

Mar 12, 2006
Responding to various other comments, and particularly considering comments left by Arherring and Dan tdaxp, Curtis Gale Weeks suggests the necessity of reconsidering 5GW from a "nuts and bolts" perspective:Dan's broad characterization of the effectiveness of 5GW forces who are...

Mar 14, 2006
(Originally posted at the now defunct blog Phatic Communion.)Building upon conversations on the blogs tdaxp and Coming Anarchy, CGW expands upon a comment he left on Coming Anarchy by considering how in fact 5GW forces will operate in a "nuts...

May 30, 2006
PurpleSlog suggests the 5GW potential of utilizing conspiracy theory in order to either hide the 5GW operation or at the very least to reduce interest in the possibility of the existence of that 5GW operation, as a strategy for maintaining...

Jul 5, 2006
(Originally published at the now-defunct blog Phatic Communion.)A mapping of the xGW framework onto John Boyd's OODA theory utilizing a Revised OODA developed by Curtis Gale Weeks. Part 3 of a 3-part series on the OODA, following "Rethinking the OODA"...

Aug 1, 2006
A comment left under a blog post at the blog The Useless Tree, "War Doesn't Work", in which the blog author, Sam Crane, points out that U.S. and Israeli styles of fighting are no longer effective against certain foes. The...

Aug 23, 2006
PurpleSlog utilizes a blog post from Mark Safranski's blog ZenPundit, in which Safranski proposes State Resilience as the best defense against 4GW, to contemplate one method by which 5GW organizations could co-opt 4GW forces. Excerpt: Assuming ZenPundit's thoughts are correct...

Sep 26, 2006
Mr. Langbert seems to envision 5GW as the evolution of nationalistic 4GW (Mao, Ho Chi Min) to that of the purely ideologically driven (al Qaeda, the Arab Mujahadeen) 4GW (or, in Langbert's view, 5GW.) In essence the absence of jingoism...

Oct 7, 2006
The idea is that small states can protect themselves if they are willing to use economic systems disruption as a strategic weapon. Said systems disruption, and the Global Guerrilla dynamic, are called fifth-generation warfare. Scenarios involving the Ukraine, Georgia, and...

Oct 8, 2006
"[W]orking off my SysAdmin force/Department of Everything Else concepts," and off a comment left by RevG, Thomas Barnett discusses the importance of the 3GW Leviathan.The advent of nuclear weapons failed to achieve a new generation of war, although it did...

Oct 8, 2006
A consideration of ideas found in Thomas P. M. Barnett's post, "The sandwich generations-of-war strategy" (although not actually linking it). Development-in-a-Box is part of the work of Enterra Solutions, Barnett's (and Steve DeAngelis's employer) -- a firm that focuses on...

Oct 9, 2006
An exploration ideas from Thomas P. M. Barnett's post "The sandwich generations-of-war strategy", with agreement than the U.S Leviathan helps to keep Old Core and New Core powers from re-inaugurating the era of great 3GW war between powers; i.e., that...

Oct 9, 2006
It's clear we are in a phase transition from classic 4GW guerrilla warfare to something worse. That something worse is: "the super-empowered individual that can use the technologies of self-replication to collapse/kill on a grand scale" -- which John Robb...

Oct 9, 2006
Building off a thought published by John Robb on his personal weblog, that the destructive technologically superempowered fighter defines fifth-generation warfare, Shlok offers his reasons why this will be so while offering a glimpse at "6GW" and "7GW": Technological Singularity...

Oct 9, 2006
Original inaugural post of the blog Dreaming 5GW. (Others, earlier web posts, were eventually imported from the defunct site Phatic Communion.)An initial consideration of secrecy leads into a broad outline of how fifth generation warfare may play out, building upon...

Oct 14, 2006
A blog post considering how "micropowers" might utilize 5GW to conduct warfare in the future.The post begins with a look at a discussion on the blogs Coming Anarchy and Global Guerrillas, concerning the issue of micropowers and how Georgia (the...

Oct 16, 2006
Thomas P. M. Barnett lays out his own personal 5GW dream, building from a post that appeared at Dreaming 5GW:I was going to post there, on Weeks' site, but then I started to feel proprietary about it, meaning I was...

Oct 16, 2006
Citing William Lind's "The Changing Face War: Into the Fourth Generation", John Robb expands the xGW framework from Lind's stopping point and into a consideration of fifth generation warfare. Much of this new generation was derived and accelerated in cauldron...

Oct 16, 2006
John Robb believes Thomas P. M. Barnett "is trying to refashion global guerrillas as his big idea" after the latter has discussed PNM and BFA as his own type of 5GW....

Oct 17, 2006
Responding to John Robb's accusation that he is attempting "to refashion global guerrillas as his big idea", Thomas P. M. Barnett affirms that he did not "employ" 5GW in his books but thought that his own published ideas correlate with...

Oct 17, 2006
An attack on John Robb's concept of Global Guerrillas, particularly Robb's linking of Global Guerrillas to 5GW theory. Dan tdaxp resonds, 5GW is not open source. 5GW is closed source. Primarily, secrecy -- which will be important for fifth generation...

Oct 17, 2006
A consideration of John Robb's and Thomas P. M. Barnett's recent explorations of fifth generation warfare. On Thomas Barnett's 5GW speculation: "Not very secret, is it?" -- It would inspire domestic and foreign opposition; this is a nod to the...

Oct 20, 2006
After referencing a discussion that occurred at John Robb's Weblog, Dan Abbott draws a line between war and politics, suggesting that the two ideas or types of conflict should remain separate to avoid confusion. Also, the suggestion is made that...

Oct 29, 2006
Although not specifically referencing 5GW within the main body of the blog post, Mark Safranski outlines various concepts of "The Super Empowered Individual" while examining both the potential effects of the existence of SEIs and potential countermeasures or strategies for...

Oct 30, 2006
Dan of the blog tdaxp, contributor to the blog Dreaming 5GW, suggests two problems with the way 5GW theory has been approached, singling out William Lind and John Robb as examples.In the first case, "worthless academic philosophy" may swamp the...

Nov 12, 2006
A consideration of the "next generation of analysts and collectors which must confront these challenges" arising with the advent of 5GW.The view is circumspect as the author contemplates previous contemplation inspired by various others writing about fifth generation warfare: Much...

May 17, 2007
A UK legal case involving the prosecution of terrorist activities is used as an example of the failure of the legal system to operate in a 4GW/5GW environment. This however underscores even more clearly the abject failure of the legal...

May 23, 2007
The first in a series of blog posts written by PurpleSlog and outlining different general archetypes, or styles, of 5GW, this entry in the series focuses upon a "Puppet Master" style of 5GW operations.The archetype will resemble the classic fictional...

Jul 5, 2007
Excerpt:While America cannot win a 4GW, she can win a 5GW -- a war of hidden movements. America won the Cold War because, in spite of losing popular support for the struggle against Communism, she created institutions that kept the...

Jul 7, 2007
Dan Abbott postulates a "Military-Industrial-Sysadmin-Complex," or MISC, as a potential state-centric 5GW force structure that could be developed by the U.S. in order to win "the long war" against America's current enemies.Linking MISC to Thomas P. M. Barnett's PNM theory,...

Aug 7, 2007
Dan of the blog tdaxp gives a summary of the Generations of Modern Warfare model, in simple, plain English....

Aug 8, 2007
In a comment under the blog post "The Generations of War in the Context of Realms and Kinetics," written by Dan Abbott and cross-posted on the blog Dreaming 5GW (originally titled "Orientation and Action, Part II: The OODA-PISRR Loop" as...

Aug 23, 2007
An alleged secret plan to overthrow the Soviet government through ideological manipulation. Does it relate to 5GW? (Summary by subadei)...

Aug 27, 2007
In the second blog post of a series of blog posts exploring potential archetypes, or styles, of 5GW, PurpleSlog suggests a "Socio-Political Entrepreneurship" style of 5GW.Unlike the first archetype explored in the series ("The Puppet Master"), the Socio-Political Entrepreneurs will...

Sep 6, 2007
Dan of the blog tdaxp highlights a blog post written by Steve Pampinella in which the question is asked whether the African wars should be considered 4GW-style wars.Dan answers that, no, "The African wars tend not to be state-centered, but...

Oct 21, 2007
Arherring explores the relationship of xGW theory to the idea of "Boom" (kinetic action), using the following diagram to map out the generations:...

Oct 24, 2007
A post which looks at each generation in relationship to "Boom" or the operative kinetics occurring in each generational style of conflict.Additionally, each generation is compared to the generation before it and the generation after it, in order to show...

Mar 30, 2008
PurpleSlog looks at blog posts written by blogger Shrinkwrapped on the subject of the psychology of conspiracy theory and concludes, "Nonsense contaminates and warps the observational ability of an actor. A 5GWer can make use of that."...

May 2, 2008
In his third blog post in a series exploring different archetypes or styles of 5GW operations, PurpleSlog gives a lengthy list of characteristics of The Strategic Citizen 5GW Style.In general, The Strategic Citizen style of 5GW will resemble "open-source conspiracies": ...

May 22, 2008
Through several stages, the blog author examines whether fifth generation warfare can be called "warfare." Is blogging warfare? The author mentions the DoD concept of information operations, answering affirmatively. Is activism warfare? The author alludes to the White House at...