Fifth Generation and Hybrid Warfare: Response Strategy of Pakistan

The current study is designed to find out the nature and level of the fifth generation warfare in Pakistan. Pakistan is facing security challenges on account of terrorism and regional security. It is the time to understand the latest trends in the Fifth generation warfare war and implications for Pakistan. Threats to Pakistan’s stability by the hostile countries and their proxies by using 5GW and its ramification needed to be deeply analyzed. The objectives of this study are the conception of the term, comparison between different generations of warfare, mechanisms and techniques used in it and implications on the security of Pakistan and response strategies. Qualitative research design was implemented with data collection from secondary sources. The findings of the study show that the concept of 5GW is very difficult to comprehend and define, yet it has been grasped differently. The all generations of warfare are basically on two major areas i.e. targeting certain type of ideology and developing modern technology and warfare equipment’s. The study concluded that Pakistan is currently facing higher level of fifth generation warfare from India mainly in four major domains i.e. conventional war, diplomatic challenges, misinformation and economic suppression. The findings of the current study are of prime importance for framing a constructive policy in order to counter the 5GW threats. By delineating key issues and challenges, this research presents some recommendation to improve the countering strategies regarding 5GW in the context of Pakistan.