We are passing through an age in which mode of the modern war has entered into 5th generation war which is taking place all around us. The defence forces are aware of the fact and adopting measures to counter the attacks both overt and covert in one way or another. Fifth Generation Warfare is irrevocably changing the dimensions of war. 5GW has three distinct characteristics: its potential to achieve supra-combinations, blur the boundaries that have traditionally restricted warfare within a specified military or political range and its ability to limit the role of modern combined arms mechanized force in future conflict. In this war, non-state actors fight nation states without clear political objectives. It could be foreign sponsored by an ideological movement with well-defined political objectives and the motive besides frustration could be self-generated or instigation like in the case of “Arab Spring” of 2011 or even a monetary incentive for the fighters. The characteristics of fifth generation warfare would be the sudden and inexplicable eruption of violence against the visible symbols of state strength such as law enforcing agencies, communication infrastructure, public offices, banking sources, and even the richer segments private property. Fifth generation warfare emanates out of frustration, due to deep seated feelings of political and economic deprivation. The catalyst to violence could be foreign invasions, state oppression, and political injustices. The rise of the local claimants to spiritual and temporal power challenging state writ through repudiation of the state’s political order like Mullah Fazlullah in the past is an example of such catalysts. The concept of four "generations" in the history of modern warfare was created by a team of United States analysts, including William S. Lind, for the purpose of an argument for "the changing face of war" entering into a "fourth generation".
