The Evolution of Warfare; Back to the Future by Col. Gary Anderson (USMC Ret.), Marine Corps Gazette.
… If LtGen Van Riper is right that the nature of war has not changed, what has the rise of 4GW changed? There are several answers to this question. First, 4GW has forced the American military and our allies’ militaries to become much more flexible. Today’s lieutenants and captains are as adept in dealing with tribal leaders as they are with handling supporting arms, but there is danger here as well. In the process of preparing to deal with unconventional threats, we cannot forget that we must be able to deal with third-generational opponents too. Both the Army and Marine Corps cannot forget how to conduct high-intensity operations while preserving the skill sets learned in Iraq and Afghanistan…