Battling the "Hydra": Changing Operational Factors in 4th Generation War
Abstract
September 11, 2001 marked the end of an era. On that sorrowful day, our nation was brought face to face with an enemy unlike any for which we had previously prepared -- warfare's very nature had changed. It confirmed the evolution of war beyond its first three generations to a 4th generation; the realm of the amorphous that exacerbates our ability to identify, exploit, or apply our superior military power in ways that can directly (or indirectly) effect the adversary's center of gravity. It is our nation's and her armed forces greatest fear- a Hydra'- unified only by a dream' that is grounded in non-Western rationality and subject to varied interpretation even among its disciples. This paper demonstrates that the normal determinants of an operational center of gravity, time, space, and force, become incidental when analyzing an adversary whose power lies not in quantitative means', but in its qualitative roots'. It is warfare that compresses the traditional levels of war, requiring new measurements based upon the intangible realities of culture, psychology and information. Finally, it examines how CentCom can use these expanded factorial assessments to better leverage its warfighting capabilities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 16, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA405930
Entities
People
- Robert H. Chase Jr
Organizations
- Naval War College