Dreaming 5GW

[Ed. note: This is a post originally made to “The Blorum” — a now-defunct area of D5GW within the D5GW Forums, although the thread is still there as well as comments associated with this post. The date given for this post has been set to that of the original Blorum post.]

As a system of thought, the XGW framework is very young. “Into the 4th Generation,” the famous Marine Corps Gazette article that employed the XGW framework was published in 1989. Since then, we’ve seen a shockingly vast array of published material, both in print and online, that discuss variants of the original XGW framework. However, we lack a truly comprehensive medium for a beginner to absorb the theory. The blizzard of published material and online writings on the subject that explicitly reference the XGW framework is daunting, especially to one who lacks the theoretical prerequisites necessary for understanding and interpreting it.

Adding to the problem is that the only book-length explanation of XGW theory, T.X. Hammes’ The Sling and the Stone is not a useful guide to the beginner, as its “evolved insurgency” framework is an interpretation divergent from the totality of XGW thought and does not cover 5GW. Similarly, John Robb’s Brave New War, while an accurate introduction to the XGW theory and its prerequisites, is not a true survey text (or for our purpose, textbook), because it does not cover the totality of XGW and advances the “Global Guerrillas” variant.

XGW information overload and the corresponding lack of a one-stop resource reference covering all branches of XGW thought acts as an impediment to the advancement of XGW beyond the small circle of military analysts and bloggers versed in the theory, and leads to misunderstandings whenever those unfamiliar with it engage with it. Given that an open-source model has already led to fruitful discussion advancing XGW theory online, we can speed the perfection of XGW theory by spreading it to as large of an audience as possible.

Sometime in the future it may be necessary to set up a wiki similar to MountainRunner’s ConflictWiki, with a (constantly evolving) database covering the figures, theories, and events behind the XGW framework. Perhaps it could be hosted on Dreaming 5GW, or act as another site entirely. This will allow the beginner to contextualize the various threads and sub-theories that have developed over the last 13 years and confidently develop his/her own interpretation s. A good step towards this was Zenpundit’s “Cutting Edge Military Theory” seminar on ChicagoBoyz. I notice that D5GW has links to white papers and resources on 5GW in the 5GW forums, but what is still needed is a Wikipedia-style interface that explains and contextualizes that information for the beginner.

Another problem is the lack of empirical and historical context in discussion of XGW. This is understandable, given that most of the discussion takes the form of blog posts. While online discussions provide feedback and a means of communication towards reaching a greater understanding, we might do well to copy the model of the Small Wars Journal. Peer-reviewed, journal-length social science articles may provide the kind of empirical weight and broad historical longview lacking from blogging. It would allow us to develop detailed case studies of XGW models applied to the real world and empirical surveys of those models. This journal (Journal of XGW Studies?) could be published as a PDF on the Wiki around once a year.

Despite these shortcomings, there is much to be proud of. As tdaxp writes,

The blogosphere has been incredibly kind to 5GW theory — perhaps the greatest burst of work on the “generations of warfare” framework since 4GW theory was introduced more than a decade ago.

Filed in The Vault and tagged xGW