4th Generation Warfare

A crazy article about the coming new generation of warfare.

Some major points:

1. Attacks will bypass militaries completely and directly attack cultures. An example of this is some ideological elements in South America viewing drugs as their ICBM, as a way to undermine North American society from within. The goal will be to collapse the enemy from within, as opposed to engaging him directly.

2. Attacking a country through manipulation of the television news. Military "successes," ie hitting targets, can actually be counterproductive, if the images help to collapse support for the war at home. We see that happening already, first in Vietnam, now in Iraq and also in the Palestinian territories.

3. The judo technique of using the opponents strengths against them. Terrorists are already using our own strengths against us. Internet technology, freedoms and openess, our system of legal protections, etc.

4. A battlefield of disorder. Warfare has gotten increasingly disorderly since the time of Napolean. Yet, will still have uniforms and formal command structures. Terrorists, on the other hand, have loose command structures, no uniforms and adapt quite well to "disorder." Stealth bombers cost $500 million. They use car bombs as stealth bombers.

Anyhow, there's lots of interesting thoughts in the article, well worth reading.