Some argue that the changing forms of
third generation warfare represents nothing more than an evolution of
earlier technology.
Aerial fighter aircraft firing an
AIM-54 Phoenix air-to-air missile, 1982 Aerial warfare is the use of
military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare. Aerial warfare includes
bombers attacking enemy concentrations or
strategic targets;
fighter aircraft battling for control of airspace;
attack aircraft engaging in
close air support against ground targets;
naval aviation flying against sea and nearby land targets;
gliders,
helicopters and other aircraft to carry
airborne forces such as
paratroopers;
aerial refueling tankers to extend operation time or range; and
military transport aircraft to move cargo and personnel.
Asymmetric A military situation in which two
belligerents of unequal strength interact and take advantage of their respective strengths and weaknesses. This interaction often involves strategies and tactics outside conventional warfare.
Biological Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of any organism (bacteria, virus or other disease-causing organism) or toxin found in nature, as a weapon of war. It is meant to incapacitate or kill enemy combatants. It may also be defined as the employment of biological agents to produce casualties in man or animals and damage to plants or material; or defense against such employment. Biological warfare involves the intentional release of living pathogens either in their naturally occurring form, for example the diseased corpses of animals, or in the form of specific human-modified organisms.
Chemical soldiers in
CBRN hazmat suits with a
Blowpipe man-portable air-defense system, 1987 Chemical warfare is warfare (associated military operations) using the toxic properties of chemical substances to incapacitate or kill enemy combatants. Chemical warfare nerve agents are potent anticholinesterase compounds deliberately formulated to induce debilitating effects or death during wartime hostilities. A key need for both community emergency preparedness, and restoration of military installations where agents have been processed and/or stored, is access to concise and timely information on agent characteristics and treatment, as well as health-based exposure guidelines derived in a clear manner by contemporary methods of data analysis.
Electronic Electronic warfare refers to mainly non-violent practices used chiefly to support other areas of warfare. The term was originally coined to encompass the interception and
decoding of enemy
radio communications, and the communications, technologies, and
cryptography methods used to counter such interception, as well as
jamming, radio stealth, and other related areas. Over the later years of the 20th century and early years of the 21st century, this has expanded to cover a wide range of areas: the use of, detection of, and avoidance of detection by
radar and
sonar systems,
computer hacking, etc.
Decentralized (fourth generation) fighters in front of their surrendered weaponry, 2018 Fourth generation warfare (4GW) is a concept defined by
William S. Lind and expanded by
Thomas X. Hammes, used to describe the
decentralized nature of modern warfare. The simplest definition includes any war in which one of the major participants is not a state but rather a violent ideological network. Fourth Generation wars are characterized by a blurring of the lines between war and politics, combatants and civilians, conflicts and peace, battlefields and safety. While this term is similar to terrorism and asymmetric warfare, it is much narrower. Classical
insurgencies and the
Indian Wars are examples of pre-modern wars, not 4GW. Fourth generation warfare usually has the insurgency group or non-state side trying to implement their own government or reestablish an old government over the one currently running the territory. The blurring of lines between state and non-state is further complicated in a democracy by the power of the
media.
Ground mechanized infantry supported by
K21 infantry fighting vehicles, 2014 during training in
Hohenfels, Germany, October 2025 Ground warfare involves three types of combat units:
infantry,
armor, and
artillery. Infantry in modern times would consist of
mechanized infantry and
airborne forces. Usually having a type of
rifle or
sub-machine gun, an infantryman is the basic unit of an army. Armored warfare in modern times involves a variety of
armored fighting vehicles for the purpose of battle and support.
Tanks or other armored vehicles (such as
armored personnel carriers or
tank destroyers) are slower, yet stronger hunks of metal. They are invulnerable to enemy machine gun fire but prone to rocket infantry, mines, and aircraft so are usually accompanied by infantry. In urban areas, because of smaller space, an armored vehicle is exposed to hidden enemy infantry but as the so-called "Thunder Run" at Baghdad in 2003 showed, armored vehicles can play a critical role in
urban combat. In rural areas, an armored vehicle does not have to worry about hidden units though muddy and damp terrain have always been a factor of weakness for tanks and vehicles. Artillery in contemporary times is distinguished by its large caliber, firing an
explosive shell or
rocket, and being of such a size and weight as to require a specialized mount for firing and transport. Weapons covered by this term include the
howitzer,
cannon,
mortar, and
field gun (collectively called
cannon artillery,
gun artillery or
tube artillery) and
rocket artillery. The term "artillery" has traditionally not been used for projectiles with internal
guidance systems, even though some artillery units employ
surface-to-surface missiles. Recent advances in terminal guidance systems for small munitions has allowed large caliber shells to be fitted with precision guidance fuses, blurring this distinction.
Guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is defined as fighting by groups of
irregular troops (guerrillas) within areas occupied by the enemy. When guerrillas obey the
laws and customs of war, they are entitled, if captured, to be treated as ordinary
prisoners of war; however, they are often treated by their captors as
unlawful combatants and executed. The tactics of guerrilla warfare stress deception and ambush, as opposed to mass confrontation, and succeed best in an irregular, rugged terrain, and with a sympathetic populace, whom guerrillas often seek to win over or dominate by propaganda and reform. Guerrilla warfare has played a significant role in modern history, especially when waged by Communist liberation movements in Southeast Asia (most notably in the
Vietnam War) and elsewhere. Guerrilla fighters gravitate toward weapons which are easily accessible, low in technology, and low in cost. A typical arsenal of the modern guerrilla would include the
AK-47,
RPGs, and
Improvised explosive devices. The guerrilla doctrines' main disadvantage is the inability to access more advanced equipment due to economic, influence, and accessibility issues. They must rely on small unit tactics involving hit and run. This situation leads to
low intensity warfare,
asymmetrical warfare, and
war amongst the people. The rules of Guerrilla warfare are to fight a little and then to retreat.
Informationised Intelligence Propaganda Propaganda is an ancient form of disinformation concerted with sending a set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of large numbers of people. Instead of impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense presents information in order to influence its audience. The most effective propaganda is often completely truthful, but some propaganda presents facts selectively to encourage a particular synthesis, or gives loaded messages in order to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the cognitive narrative of the subject in the target audience.
Psychological Psychological warfare had its beginnings during the campaigns of
Genghis Khan through the allowance of certain civilians of the nations, cities, and villages to flee said place, spreading terror and fear to neighboring principalities.
Psychological actions have the primary purpose of influencing the opinions, emotions, attitudes, and behavior of hostile foreign groups in such a way as to support the achievement of national objectives.
Information Made possible by the widespread use of the electronic media during World War II,
Information warfare is a kind of warfare where
information and attacks on information and its system are used as a tool of
warfare. Some examples of this type of warfare are electronic "sniffers" which disrupt international fund-transfer networks as well as the signals of
television and
radio stations. Jamming such signals can allow participants in the war to use the stations for a
misinformation campaign.
Naval cruiser and
USS Enterprise (CVN-65) aircraft carrier of the
United States Navy, 2003 Naval warfare takes place on the high seas (blue water navy). Usually, only large, powerful nations have competent blue water or deep water navies. Modern navies primarily use
aircraft carriers,
submarines,
frigates,
cruisers, and
destroyers for combat. This provides a versatile array of attacks, capable of hitting ground targets, air targets, or other seafaring vessels. Most modern navies also have a large
naval aviation contingent, deployed from
aircraft carriers. In World War II, small craft (
motor torpedo boats variously called PT boats, MTBs, MGBs,
Schnellboote, or MAS-boats) fought near shore. This developed in the
Vietnam War into riverine warfare (
brown water navy), in intertidal and river areas.
Irregular warfare makes this sort of combat more likely in the future.
Network-centric Network-centric warfare is essentially a new
military doctrine made possible by the
Information Age.
Weapons platforms,
sensors, and
command and control centers are being connected through high-speed communication networks. The doctrine is related to the
Revolution in Military Affairs debate. The overall network which enables this strategy in the
United States military is called the
Global Information Grid.
New generation New generation warfare is a Russian military theory of unconventional warfare based on the
Gerasimov doctrine which prioritizes the psychological and people-centered aspects over traditional military concerns, and emphasizes a phased approach of non-military influence such that armed conflict, if it arises, is much less costly in human or economic terms.
Nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile launch facility in
Arizona,
United States, 2012 Nuclear war is a type of warfare which relies on
nuclear weapons. There are two types of warfare in this category. In a limited nuclear war, a small number of weapons are used in a tactical exchange aimed primarily at enemy combatants. In a full-scale nuclear war, large numbers of weapons are used in an attack aimed at entire countries. This type of warfare would target both combatants and non-combatants.
Space Space warfare is the hypothetical warfare that occurs outside the
Earth's atmosphere. As of 2025, no wars have been fought here yet. The weapons would include
orbital weaponry and
space weapons. High value
outer space targets would include
satellites,
military satellites and
weapon platforms. Notably no real weapons exist in space yet, though ground-to-space missiles
have been successfully tested against target satellites. As of now, this is purely
science fiction. ==Modern wars==