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Modern warfare involves the widespread use of highly advanced technology. As a term, it is normally Fact|date=September 2007}} However, this is not to say that third world countries do not also engage in war, although they are more prone to the use of low-tech weaponry and guerilla tactics.

With the advent of nuclear weapons, the concept of full-scale war carries the prospect of global annihilation, and as such conflicts since WWII have by definition been "low intensity" conflicts, typically in the form of proxy wars fought within local regional confines, using what are now referred to as "conventional weapons," typically combined with the use of asymmetric warfare tactics and applied use of intelligence.

Nature of war

Aerial warfare

Aerial warfare is one of the most efficient ways to destroy combatants with minimal risk. Modern combat aircraft are highly advanced technology, usually making use of onboard computers, including electronic targeting devices (ETD). Military aircraft are usually built to perform a specific role, such as bombing raids, air-to-air combat against other aircraft, or submarine hunting at sea. There is practically a different type of plane for every role. Some aircraft are capable of multiple roles, such as the F/A-18 Hornet, which is a fighter-bomber, capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground combat. Another important aspect of aerial warfare is the helicopter. Helicopters' ability to take off and hover makes them nearly indispensable for close air support. Some helicopters also have special roles, such as submarine hunting, or rescue missions. There are some aircraft, such as the Harrier Jump Jet, which have the special ability to perform vertical takeoffs.

Asymmetric warfare

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 the bounds of conventional warfare, often mistaken as terrorism.

Battlespace

Battlespace is a unified strategy to integrate and combine armed forces for the military theatre of operations, including air, information, land, sea and space. It includes the environment, factors and conditions that must be understood to successfully apply combat power, protect the force, or complete the mission. This includes enemy and friendly forces; facilities; weather; terrain; and the electromagnetic spectrum within the operational areas and areas of interest.

Biological warfare

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 an adversary. 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.

Network-centric warfare

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.

Chemical warfare

Chemical warfare is warfare (and associated military operations) using the toxic properties of chemical substances to kill, injure or incapacitate an enemy.

Electronic warfare

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 latter years of the twentieth century and early years of the twenty-first 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, Space warfare etc.

Fourth generation warfare

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, soldier and civilian, peace and conflict, battlefield 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 War, 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 and their obedience to their owners. Propaganda is an ever more powerful tool as advances are made in the science of Social Psychology. The media voices will act as an agent of their owners, a corporate special interest group, against the common good of the people. War theory In this case the war becomes a conflict between the good of the populace at large and the special interests which control the news. A violent ideological network is not necessarily a foreign faction. It could be a major domestic news outlet. The Federalist Papers/No. 10 The most effective factions will control public opinion before the public even considers firing a shot at them. Propaganda made the Germans follow Hitler, not a rational pursuit of the common good.

Ground warfare

Ground warfare involves three distinct types of combat units, Infantry, Armour and Artillery.

Infantry in modern times would entail Mechanized infantry and Airborne forces. Usually wielding a type of rifle or sub-machine gun, an infantryman is the basic unit of an army.

Armoured warfare in modern times involves a variety of Armoured fighting vehicles for the purpose of battle and support. Tanks or other armored vehicles (such as armored personal 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 can extinguish a large area or building so is effective in its ways. In rural areas, an armored vehicle does not have to worry about hidden units but is still very exposed and must still worry about mines, artillery, and aircraft.

Artillery in contemporary times, is distinguished by its large calibre, 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 "tube" artillery such as the howitzer, cannon, mortar, and field gun 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 calibre shells to be fitted with precision guidance fuses, blurring this distinction.

Guerrilla warfare

Guerrilla warfare is defined as fighting by groups of irregular troops (guerrillas) within areas occupied by the enemy. When guerrillas obey the laws of conventional warfare they are entitled, if captured, to be treated as ordinary prisoners of war; however, they are often executed by their captors. 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 by propaganda, reform, and terrorism. Guerrilla warfare has played a significant role in modern history, especially when waged by Communist liberation movements in Southeast Asia and elsewhere.

Guerilla fighters gravitate toward weapons which are easily accessible, low in technology and low in cost. A typical arsenal of the modern guerilla would include the AK-47, RPGs and Improvised explosive devices. The guerilla 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 and asymmetrical warfare.

Information warfare

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 warfare

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, 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 air support contingent, deployed from aircraft carriers. In World War II, small craft (motor torpedo boats variously called PT boats, MTBs, MGBs, Schnellbooten, 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.

Nuclear warfare

Nuclear warfare is a type of warfare which relies on nuclear weapons. There are actually 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 opposing military forces. 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 military bases and civilians.

Psychological warfare

Psychological warfare is the planned use of propaganda and other psychological actions having 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.

Propaganda

The blurring of lines between factions in a modern democracy is further complicated by the power of the media and their obedience to their owners. Propaganda is an ever more powerful tool as advances are made in the science of Social Psychology. The media voices will act as an agent of their owners, corporate special interest groups, against the common good of the people. War theory The most effective place to attack the interests of a democratic state is from within. K street is an example of this in Washington DC. In this case the war becomes a conflict between the good of the populace at large and the special interests which control publication of the "facts". Walter Lippman spoke of a society moved mainly by "the pictures in our heads".Public Opinion/Chapter I A violent faction is not necessarily a foreign entity. The Federalist Papers/No. 10 It could be a major domestic news outlet. The most effective factions will control public opinion before the public even considers firing a shot at them. Propaganda made the Germans follow Hitler, not a rational pursuit of the common good.

Space warfare

Space warfare is warfare that occurs outside the Earth's atmosphere. The weapons would include Orbital weaponry and Space weapons. High value outer space targets would include satellites and weapon platforms.

Total war

Total war is a 20th century term to describe a war in which countries or nations use all of their resources to destroy another organized country's or nation's ability to engage in war. The practice of total war has been in use for centuries, but it was only in the middle to late nineteenth century that total war was recognized as a separate class of warfare.

The most identifiable consequence of total war in modern times has been the inclusion of civilians and civilian infrastructure as targets in destroying a country's ability to engage in war. The targeting of civilians developed from two distinct theories. The first theory was that if enough civilians were killed, factories could not function. The second theory was that if civilians were killed, the country would be so demoralized that it would have no ability to wage further war.

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-'''Modern warfare''' involves the widespread use of highly advanced technology. As a term, it is normally taken as referring to conflicts involving one or more [[first world]] power, within the modern [[Electronics|electronic]] era.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} However, this is not to say that [[third world]] countries do not also engage in war, although they are more prone to the use of low-tech weaponry and guerilla tactics.
+'''Modern warfare''' involves the widespread use of highly advanced technology. As a term, it is normally Fact|date=September 2007}} However, this is not to say that [[third world]] countries do not also engage in war, although they are more prone to the use of low-tech weaponry and guerilla tactics.
 With the advent of [[nuclear weapon]]s, the concept of full-scale war carries the prospect of [[global annihilation]], and as such conflicts since WWII have by definition been "low intensity" conflicts, typically in the form of [[proxy war]]s fought within local regional confines, using what are now referred to as "[[conventional weapons]]," typically combined with the use of [[asymmetric warfare]] tactics and applied use of [[intelligence]].