Hybrid Warfare
JAKUB DRMOLA


What is hybrid warfare?
 - is it conventional or irregular warfare?
 - is it warfare in cyberspace or on the ground?
 - is it warfare with weapons or information?

 - is it new or old?

 - there is no agreed definition

 “… hybrid threat refers to an action conducted by state or non-state actors, whose goal is to
undermine or harm a target by influencing its decision-making at the local, regional, state or
institutional level. Such actions are coordinated and synchronized and deliberately target
democratic states’ and institutions’ vulnerabilities. Activities can take place, for example, in
the political, economic, military, civil or information domains. They are conducted using a wide
range of means and designed to remain below the threshold of detection and attribution.”

Evolution of the concept
 - first appearance in 1990s
◦western concept of parallel conventional and irregular operations
◦the concept gradually grew more and more vague and pointless
 - resurgence in 2014
◦“hybrid warfare” became synonymous with the war in Ukraine
◦completely different understanding of the concept by RF – “nonlinear warfare”
◦

Some traits
 - hybrid war?…. just using any and all possible means to prevail
 - but different from “total war”

 - blurs the line between war and peace
 - aims to be economical and efficient
 - does not always seek immediate victory
 - population-centric a political
 - flexible and adaptive


Image result for little green men crimea


Tools used
 - mobilizing sympathetic population
 - arming and supporting proxy groups
 - limited and clandestine deployment of regular forces
 - “deregularization” of units
 - cyber-attacks against the enemy and his infrastructure
 - information warfare at both local and international level

So what is it again?
 - it is just warfare in the broadest sense
 - i.e. not limited to single type
 - including non-military means
 - avoiding escalation and full confrontation
 - fluid, dynamic, adaptive

The recipe for “hybrid” warfare
 Mix together: conventional warfare + irregular warfare + information warfare + political warfare +
economic warfare + cyber warfare

 - specific ratios of ingredients will differ case by case
 - season to taste, shake and stir, and be ready modify

 - also called “non-linear warfare” (RF, 2017) or “unrestricted warfare” (PRC, 1999)

 “Non-linear war”
 concept by Vladislav Surkov (allegedly)
◦Putin’s advisor
 shifting state of confusion
 leveraging media


 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyop0d30UqQ

Image result for surkov nonlinear