Generations of warfare

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In military history, the term "generations of warfare" refers to the concept of five "generations" in warfare, with each generation having different tactics, strategies, and technologies. The generations of warfare are sometimes dubbed as "4GW" or "5GW". The term originated in 1989 to describe "the changing face of war" over time, initially only referring to the emergence of the fourth generation, but eventually seeing the addition of a fifth generation. There are five generations of warfare: First-generation warfare, the most long-span of all generations, refers to ancient, post-classical, and early modern battles fought with massed manpower, using phalanx, line, pike and shot, and column tactics with uniformed soldiers governed by the state. This generation came to an end around the mid-nineteenth century due to rapid improvements in the range, accuracy, and rate-of-fire of many weapon systems. Second-generation warfare refers to military revolution and industrial warfare, evolving after...

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