This book outlines the concept of Fifth Generation Warfare (5GW) and demonstrates its relevance for understanding contemporary conflicts.
Non-kinetic modes of attack and war waged by groups or non-state actors at the societal level has been termed 5GW. This book discusses the theory of generational warfare and explores the key ideas of 5GW, such as secrecy, the manipulation of proxies, the manipulation of identity and culture (including disinformation and big data), and the use of psychological warfare. These techniques are used to achieve strategic objectives, such as inducing desired behaviour and controlling human terrain, without resorting to overt war or overt violence. The text expands the debate on 5GW by exploring emerging technologies and how they could be used for maliciously shaping human society and even for maliciously changing the genetic makeup of a population for the purpose of unprecedented social control. The work closes with comments on the possibility of a Sixth Generation of Warfare, which targets technical systems to possibly collapse a society through strategic sabotage. Overall, the book demonstrates the relevance of 5GW for understanding contemporary conflicts, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine, in terms of the need for dominating the human domain.
This book will be of interest to students of security and technology, defence studies and International Relations.
Introduction 1. Fourth Generation Warfare 2. Beyond the Fourth Generation 3. The Counterinsurgency Paradigm in 5GW 4. Cultural and Cognitive Warfare 5. Nano-Info-Bio-Cogno Technologies 6. Towards the Sixth Generation of Warfare Conclusion
Biography
Armin Krishnan is an Associate Professor and Director of Security Studies at East Carolina University, USA, where he teaches U.S. foreign policy, international security, and intelligence studies. He is the author of several books, including Military Neuroscience and the Coming Age of Neurowarfare (2016).
“[This] is the first book-length investigation of a critically important topic –states’ use of disinformation and information manipulation to target the beliefs and attitudes of foreign citizens through platforms such as social media. Dr. Henschke explains the ethical, political, and conceptual dimensions of this topic and compellingly demonstrates how these tactics erode the foundation of liberal democracy by undermining citizens’ trust in political and social institutions and the concept of truth itself. This is an important and timely book that should be essential reading for scholars, students, and anyone who is interested in the preservation of democratic political and social institutions.”
—Jessica Wolfendale, Professor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, United States
“There is often an implicit assumption that there are some areas of a state’s security that one shouldn’t ask too many questions about as there’s a good chance that you’re not going to like the answers. Intelligence work, special forces operations, and propaganda all fall into this area. Challenging this view, Henschke shines a bright light into the normally opaque world of Cognitive Warfare, demonstrating that it is possible to do the right thing while also acting in the best interests of one’s state.”
—David Whetham, Professor of Ethics and the Military Profession, King’s College London, United Kingdom
“An original, engaging, and insightful work. Henschke thoroughly analyzes the concept of cognitive warfare, and investigates the ways in which it poses a serious threat to liberal democracy, both externally and internally; that is, as both its victim and its employer. He presents a powerful case for moral constraints on its use.”
—Richard Schoonhoven, Associate Professor, US Military Academy, West Point, United States
“At a time when many liberal democracies are increasingly in peril, (particularly the United States), Henschke’s excellent book provides a comprehensive analysis of how the malignant impact of cognitive warfare continues to undermine trust in their core political and social institutions. It’s a timely wake-up call for how cognitive warfare’s use of technologies continues to make truth expendable and corrodes human dignity and political autonomy.”
—Patrick F. Walsh, Professor, Charles Sturt University, Australia
