Fourth - generation warfare Fourth - generation warfare ( 4GW ) is conflict characterized by a blurring of the lines between war and politics , soldier and civilian . The term was first used in 1989 by a team of United States analysts , including William S . Lind , to describe warfare ' s return to a decentralized form . In terms of generational modern warfare , the fourth generation signifies the nation state s ' loss of their near - monopoly on combat forces , returning to modes of conflict common in pre - modern times . The simplest definition includes any war in which one of the major participants is not a state but rather a violent non - state actor . Classical examples , such as the slave uprising under Spartacus or the assassination of Julius Caesar by members of the Roman Senate , predate the modern concept of warfare and are examples of this type of conflict . Elements . Fourth generation warfare is defined as conflicts which involve the following elements : History . The concept was first described by the authors William S . Lind , Colonel Keith Nightengale ( US Army ) , Captain John F . Schmitt ( USMC ) , Colonel Joseph W . Sutton ( US Army ) , and Lieutenant Colonel Gary I . Wilson ( USMCR ) in a 1989 " Marine Corps Gazette " article entitled “ The Changing Face of War : Into the Fourth Generation ” . In 2006 , the concept was expanded upon by USMC Colonel Thomas X . Hammes ( Ret . ) in his well - received book , " The Sling and The Stone " . The generations of warfare described by these authors are : The use of fourth generation warfare can be traced to the Cold War period , as superpowers and major power s attempted to retain their grip on colonies and captured territories . Unable to withstand direct combat against bomber s , tank s , and machine gun s , non - state entities used tactics of education / propaganda , movement - building , secrecy , terror , and / or confusion to overcome the technological gap . Fourth generation warfare has often involved an insurgent group or other violent non - state actor trying to implement their own government or reestablish an old government over the current ruling power . However , a non - state entity tends to be more successful when it does not attempt , at least in the short term , to impose its own rule , but tries simply to disorganize and delegitimize the state in which the warfare takes place . The aim is to force the state adversary to expend manpower and money in an attempt to establish order , ideally in such a highhanded way that it merely increases disorder , until the state surrenders or withdraws . Fourth generation warfare is often seen in conflicts involving failed states and civil wars , particularly in conflicts involving non - state actors , intractable ethnic or religious issues , or gross conventional military disparities . Many of these conflicts occur in the geographic area described by author Thomas P . M . Barnett as the Non - Integrating Gap , fought by countries from the globalised Functioning Core . 4GW has much in common with traditional low - intensity conflict in its classical forms of insurgency and guerrilla war . As in those small wars , the conflict is initiated by the " weaker " party through actions which can be termed " offensive " . The difference lies in the manner in which 4GW opponents adapt those traditional concepts to present day conditions . These conditions are shaped by technology , globalization , religious fundamentalism and a shift in moral and ethical norms which brings legitimacy to certain issues previously considered restrictions on the conduct of war . This amalgamation and metamorphosis produces novel ways of war for both the entity on the offensive and that on the defensive . Characteristics . Fourth generation warfare is normally characterized by a violent non - state actor ( VNSA ) fighting a state . This fighting can be physically done , such as by modern examples Hezbollah or the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ( LTTE ) . In this realm the VNSA uses all three levels of fourth generation warfare . These are the physical ( actual combat ; it is considered the least important ) , mental ( the will to fight , belief in victory , etc . ) and moral ( the most important , this includes cultural norms , etc . ) levels . A 4GW enemy has the following characteristics : lack of hierarchal authority , lack of formal structure , patience and flexibility , ability to keep a low profile when needed , and small size . A 4GW adversary might use the tactics of an insurgent , terrorist , or guerrilla in order to wage war against a nation ' s infrastructure . Fourth generation warfare takes place on all fronts : economical , political , the media , military , and civilian . Resistance can also be below the physical level of violence . This is via non - violent means , such as Gandhi ’ s opposition to the British Empire or Martin Luther King ’ s marches . Both desired their factions to deescalate the conflict while the state escalates against them , the objective being to target the opponent on the moral and mental levels rather than the physical level . The state is then seen as a bully and loses support . Another characteristic of fourth generation warfare is that unlike in third generation warfare , the VNSA ’ s forces are decentralized . With fourth generation warfare there may even be no single organisation and that smaller groups organize into impromptu alliances to target a bigger threat ( that being the state armed forces or another faction ) . As a result these alliances are weak and if the state ’ s military leadership is smart enough they can split their enemy and cause them to fight amongst themselves . Fourth generation warfare goals : Yet another factor is that political centers of gravity have changed . These centers of gravity may revolve around nationalism , religion , or family or clan honor . Disaggregated forces , such as guerrillas , terrorist s and rioters , lacking a center of gravity , deny to their enemies a focal point at which to deliver a conflict ending blow . As a result strategy becomes more problematic while combating a VNSA . It has been theorized that a state vs . state conflict in fourth generation warfare would involve the use of computer hackers and international law to obtain the weaker side ’ s objectives , the logic being that the civilians of the stronger state would lose the will to fight as a result of seeing their state engage in alleged atrocities and having their own bank accounts harmed . Criticism of the theory . Strategic Studies Institute writer Antulio J . Echevarria II in an article " Fourth - Generation War and Other Myths " argues what is being called fourth generation warfare are simply insurgencies . He also claims that 4GW was " reinvented " by Lind to create the appearance of having predicted the future . Echevarria writes : “ the generational model is an ineffective way to depict changes in warfare . Simple displacement rarely takes place , significant developments typically occur in parallel . " Rod Thornton argues that Hammes and Lind are " providing an analytical lens through which to view the type of opposition that exists now ' out there ' and to highlight the shortcomings of the current US military in dealing with that opposition . " Instead of fourth generation warfare being an explanation for a new way of warfare it allows the blending of different generations of warfare with the exception that fourth generation also encompasses new technology . Fourth generation warfare theorists such as Lind and Hammes wish to make the point " is not just that the military ' s structure and equipment are ill - suited to the 4GW problem , but so is its psyche " .