The War You Didn’t Know You’re In: Understanding Fifth-Generation Warfare and Unrestricted Warfare

June 12, 2025 by David T. Cloft

For most people, war conjures images of tanks rolling through cities, jets flying overhead, and soldiers exchanging gunfire. But today, war looks very different. There are no battle lines. No formal declarations. No uniforms. And yet, a war is happening all around us—and most people don’t even realize they’re combatants.

This is Fifth-Generation Warfare (5GW), a concept recognized in modern U.S. military doctrine. It mirrors, and in some ways overlaps, a Chinese military concept known as Unrestricted Warfare, developed in the late 1990s. Together, these doctrines describe the kind of war that’s being waged today—not just by nations, but by networks, ideologies, and even algorithms.

https://afnn.us/2025/06/12/the-war-you-didnt-know-youre-in/