The information revolution is leading to the rise of network forms of organization, with unusual implications for how societies are organized and conflicts are conducted. "Netwar" is an emerging consequence. The term refers to societal conflict and crime, short of war, in which the antagonists are organized more as sprawling "leaderless" networks than as tight-knit hierarchies. Many terrorists, criminals, fundamentalists, and ethno-nationalists are developing netwar capabilities. A new generation of revolutionaries and militant radicals is also emerging, with new doctrines, strategies, and technologies that support their reliance on network forms of organization. Netwar may be the dominant mode of societal conflict in the 21st century. These conclusions are implied by the evolution of societies, according to a framework presented in this RAND study. The emergence of netwar raises the need to rethink strategy and doctrine to conduct counternetwar. Traditional notions of war and low-intensity conflict as a sequential process based on massing, maneuvering, and fighting will likely prove inadequate to cope with nonlinear, swarm-like, information-age conflicts in which societal and military elements are closely intermingled.

       Table of Contents Preface PDF

       Summary PDF

       Acknowledgements

       Acknowledgments PDF

       Chapter One

       Introduction PDF

       Chapter Two

       Conceptual Outlines PDF

       Chapter Three

       A World in Flux - Ripe for Netwar PDF

       Chapter Four

       Varieties of Netwar PDF

       Chapter Five

       Challenges for U.S Policy and Organization PDF

       Chapter Six

       Implications for U.S. Doctrine and Strategy PDF

       Bibliography PDF

       Research conducted by RAND National Security Research Division

       The research described in this report was performed under the auspices of RAND's National Security Research Division.

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