5GW Operation Notes: Who What Where When Why How

Here some notes to help me clarify my own thinking. The notes may be useful to others as well.

As always, I appreciate any comments, questions, corrections, additions…feedback of any sort.

5GW DEFINITION

5GW is the secret deliberative manipulation of actors, networks, institutions, states or any 0GW/1GW/2GW/3GW/4GW forces to achieve a goal or set of goals across a combination of socio, economic, and political domains while attempting to avoid or minimize the retaliatory offensive or defensive actions/reactions of 0GW/1GW/2GW/3GW/4GW powered actors, networks, institutions, and/or states.

I also like these succint definitions:

5GW as “War of hidden movements” [TDAXP]

5GW as “a school of strategic thought focused on the indirect and surreptitious application of influence” [Joseph Fouche]

5GW is merely the preemption of war and politics by whatever means [CGW]

Fifth gradient doctrines are based upon the principle of manipulation of the context of the observations of an opponent in order to achieve a specific effect. [Arherring]

WHO

• Puppetmaster 5GWers
• Socio-Political Entrepreneur 5GWers
• Strategic Citizens 5GWers
• 5GW Insurgents
• State-within 5GWers
• State-without 5GWers
• 5GW inclined Super-Empowered Individuals
• Prior 4GWers re-inventing themselves in order to continue on their mission

WHAT

• Nudge Behavior
• Constrain Activity
• Define Rules
• Co-Opt Networks
• Spread Memes
• Move the Overton Window(s)
• Selectively Kill
• Lawfare (examples)
• Open-Source Espionage

WHERE

• Across any combination of the socio, economic, and political domains of human interaction
• Dimensions of War: physical, moral, mental, and institutional
• CyberSpace? (for a future post)

WHEN

• Small step by small step over a long period of time

WHY

• To achieve or increase the probability of achieving a goal against (or for) an otherwise unwilling target [Example Link]
• To wage war with inferior power or resources compared to the target
• To avoid counter-activity by the target (aka increased 5GWer survivability)
• “…an outcome which is lasting, i.e. a strong and resilient system, and this would also require that those living within any newly created or newly modified system consciously or unconsciously continue to maintain that system — rather than consciously or unconsciously form groups to bring it down.” [Source: CGW]
• Love?

HOW

• Quietly/Stealthily
• Rely upon N-Order effects
• Use Leverage Factors
• Secretly/Anonymously
• Slowly/Patiently
• Incrementally
• Strategic Attrition
• Covert Influence

4GW and 5GW move beyond traditional weapons. It is about the importance of the non-kinetic (aka dispersed kinetics)

5GW is dispersed kinetics to a greater degree and manipulation of things (e.g. SBNs, KBNs, SEIs, PDNs, MBNs) to achieve result desired by the 5GW actors. The weaponization of things not thought to be weapons leaves the opponent who is fixed on attacking/defending what are obvious weapons distracted/confused/unprepared and even unaware about the action taking place against them. [Source]

ALTERNATE NAMES

• SecretWar
• HiddenWar
• StealthWar
• OtherWar

5GW ACTOR OPTIONS AFTER THE 5GW IS OVER [LINK]

• It comes out of the cold slowly (The future Team Soros Model?)
• It morphs into a larger open (possible 4GW) movement or movements (The Muslim Brotherhood Model)
• It Quietly ends with Mission Accomplished (Heh…is this the Red EU Model?)
• It is exposed and is broken up or destroyed (the Cambridge Five Model and aspects of the Comintern)

5GW-ISH BOOKS

• TBD

EXAMPLE/POSSIBLE ACTUAL 5GW

• TBD

FICTIONAL 5GW

• TBD

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Note: The unofficial 5GW Theory Song

Update: Corrected some typos. Added an idea from here by CGW.

Additional minor updates on and after 8/1/2010

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The Kindle version of the Dr. TDAXP edited Handbook of 5GW has been released!

The Dreaming 5GW website might be defunct, but the 5GW Theory Timeline (extracted from the group the blog) is available here. Dreaming 5GW is alive again.

RIP It Lives?