Tag Archives: Hybrid Warfare Research Group

Hybrid Warfare, Hybrid Warfare Research Group (HWRG), Publication, War Studies

RSIS commentary on Hybrid Threats and Hybrid Warfare.

New RSIS commentary on Hybrid Threats and Hybrid Warfare.
Abstract:
Hybrid warfare strategies blend conventional warfare, irregular warfare and cyber-attacks with other influencing methods, such as disinformation, diplomacy and foreign political interference. There is a need for novel comprehensive approaches to counter them.
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Hybrid Warfare Research Group (HWRG), Lecture, Teaching, War Studies

Guest Lecture on Hybrid Warfare at War Studies Unievrsity, Poland

Today I gave a lecture on Hybrid Threats and Hybrid Warfare at the War Studies University, Poland. A lot of interesting discussions on Hybrid Threats and Warfare, what to about them as well as the role of Ukraine for European Security and the role of NATO in the grey zone.

Thank you Dr Marzena Żakowska for inviting me!
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Edited Volume, Hybrid Warfare, Hybrid Warfare Research Group (HWRG), Publication, War Studies

OUT NOW: Hybrid Warfare anthology

IB Tauris anthology “Hybrid Warfare:  Security and Asymmetric Conflict in International Relations” is now published.

Download it for free here, or buy the book for less than £20:
Bloomsbury
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon SG
Amazon ES
Amazon AUS
Amazon DE
Amazon FR
Adlibris SWE

What people say:

“This collection of essays on international hybrid threats and proper responses is a veritable cornucopia of empirical research findings and analytic insights, in the manner of so much good research and writing coming out of Sweden on matters of war and peace. With a wide array of authors from the world’s democracies, the contributions in this volume will be attractive to professionals and the public alike who are interested in the gray zone falling between outright war and peace in this trouble world—the space that Russia likes to operate within, for example, as Moscow attempts to manipulate Western opinion and undermine the open societies. One of the volume’s great strengths is its melding of thinking on this subject by both scholars and practitioners. Fascinating, too, are a series of case studies included among the chapters, with probes into hybrid threats and warfare as seen from the perspectives of China, Iran, Russia, the United States, and several other illustrations. The relevance, thoughtfulness, and practicality of this book cannot be overstated.” –  Loch K. Johnson, Regents Professor Emeritus, University of Georgia, USA

“The new form of global competition being waged in the Grey Zone between peace and war is a struggle for our minds. This curated collection of articles by international experts in hybrid warfare is a timely warning of what is at stake for us in the digital age. Read it to find out what we must do to defend ourselves and our democracy.” –  Professor Sir David Omand, former UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator and Director of GCHQ

“War is not what it used to be in the industrial age. As we are entering the digital age, we often find ourselves in a grey zone of contest, conflict and confrontation where a wide array of means are used to influence, disrupt and sometimes – although more seldom – also to destruct. This collection helps us to understand and to navigate in today’s far more complex reality with an ongoing contest between the different rising and declining powers of our time” –  Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister (1991-1994) and Foreign Minister (2006-2014) of Sweden. Currently Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

“The edited volume Hybrid warfare: Security and Asymmetric Conflict in International Relations provides timely summary of conceptual origins of the hybrid war within the western research community, accompanied with insightful analysis of how this concept has been interpreted in Russia, Iran and China. The key contribution of the volume for further expert and policy debate is however combination of conceptually oriented research with the high-quality empirical analyses. The latter highlight concrete cases of hybrid war, focusing on the methods used (from informational, cyber to military) as well as on the efforts to counter hybrid war in different political contexts. The Hybridity Blizzard Model developed by the authors provides a good overview of the complexity of the problem.” –  Katri Pynnöniemi, Assistant Professor and holder of the Mannerheim Chair of Russian Security Studies at the University of Helsinki and National Defence University, Finland.

“Hybrid Warfare is one of the most misunderstood concepts in modern security studies, this volume goes a long way towards clearing up the confusion by providing a viable path towards understanding the evolution of warfare. Western nations will face the challenge of hybrid threats well into the future because of the opportunity new methods of political warfare offer, the “blizzard” is coming for us all.” –  Brandon Valeriano, Bren Chair of Military Innovation at the Marine Corps University

Table of content

Foreword – Amb. Fredrik Löjdquist, Ambassador and Special Envoy for Countering Hybrid Threats, Sweden
1. Security Challenges in the Grey Zone: Hybrid Threats and Hybrid WarfareDr. Niklas Nilsson, Dr. Mikael Weissmann, Björn Palmertz, Per Thunholm, Henrik Häggström
2. NATO and Hybrid Warfare: Seeking a Concept to Describe the Challenge from Russia
Dr. G. Alexander Crowther, Research Professor, Florida International University, former Special Assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and former researcher in the Strategic Studies Institute and the US National Defense University.
3. An American View: Hybrid Threats and Intelligence
Dr. Gregory F. Treverton, University of Southern California, former Chair of the US National Intelligence Council
4. A Perspective on EU Hybrid Threat Early Warning Efforts
Dr. Patrick Cullen, Senior Research Fellow, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) & member of the “Countering Hybrid Warfare” component of the Multinational Capability Development Campaign (MCDC)
5. Conceptualizing and Countering Hybrid Threats and Hybrid Warfare: The Role of the Military in the Grey-zone
Dr. Mikael Weissmann, Associate Professor, Head of Research at the Land Operations Section and Co-Convener of the Hybrid Warfare Research Group, Department of Military Studies, Swedish Defence University.
6. Understanding Russian Thinking on Gibridnaya Voyna
Dr. Markus Göransson, Assistant Professor and project leader of the Russia program, Swedish Defence University
7. China and its Hybrid Warfare Spectrum
Dr. Lora Saalman, Senior Fellow, EastWest Institute; Associate Senior Fellow, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
8. Influence Operations and the Modern Information Environment
Björn Palmertz, Senior Analyst, CATS, Swedish Defence University
9. Hybrid Threats and New Challenges for Multilateral Intelligence Cooperation
Henrik Häggström, Senior Analyst, Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies (CATS), Swedish Defence University
10. Cyberwarfare and the Internet: the Implications of a More Digitalized World
Anne-Marie Eklund-Löwinder, Head of Security, The Swedish Internet Foundation and Cryptographic Officer at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Anna Djup, Analyst, Information Assurance, Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies (CATS), Swedish Defence University
11. The US and Hybrid Challenges: Past, Present and Future
Jed Willard, Director of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Center for Global Engagement, Harvard University
12. China’s Political Warfare in Taiwan: Strategies, Methods, and Global Implication
Dr Gulizar Haciyakupoglu, Research Fellow, the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS), S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.
Dr Michael Raska, Assistant Professor, Coordinator of Military Transformations Programme, IDSS, RSIS, Singapore
13. Hybrid Warfare in the Baltics
Dr Dorthe Bach Nyemann, Associate Professor in International Relations, Institute for Strategy, Royal Danish Defence College
14. De-Hybridization and Conflict Narration: Ukraine’s Defence against Russian Hybrid Warfare
Dr. Niklas Nilsson, Assistant Professor, Co-Convener of the Hybrid Warfare Research Group, Department of Military Studies, Swedish Defence University
15. Iran’s Hybrid Warfare Capabilities
Dr. Rouzbeh Parsi, Head of the Middle East and North Africa Programme, Swedish Institute of International Affairs
16. Information Influencing in the Catalan Illegal Referendum and Beyond
Dr. Ruben Arcos, Rey Juan Carlos University
17. Moving out of the Blizzard: Towards a Comprehensive Approach to Hybrid Threats and Hybrid Warfare
Dr. Mikael Weissmann, Dr. Niklas Nilsson, Björn Palmertz

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Conference, Hybrid Warfare, Hybrid Warfare Research Group (HWRG), Ukraine, War Studies

Attending the 1st International Scientific Conference “MILITARY CONFLICTS AND TECHNOGENIC DISASTERS” in Ternopil, Ukraine

Today I am attending the 1st International Scientific Conference “MILITARY CONFLICTS AND TECHNOGENIC DISASTERS: historical and psychological consequences” (to the 35th Anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster) organised by Ternopil Ivan Puluj National Technical University April 22 – 23, 2021 in Ternopil, Ukraine.

I am presenting a paper titled “Comprehending hybrid threats and hybrid warfare: The Hybridity Blizzard Model” together with Dr Niklas Nilsson (Swedish Defence University) and Björn Palmertz (Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies (CATS)). The paper outlines our “Hybridity Blizzard Model” for how to comprehend hybrid threats and hybrid warfare.

To learn more about our model you can read the concluding chapter of our anthology “Hybrid Warfare: Security and Asymmetry“. Access the chapter HERE, or download the whole book HERE.

 

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Hybrid Warfare, Hybrid Warfare Research Group (HWRG), Publication, Russia, Ukraine, War Studies

Intervju om ny antologi om hybrida hot och hybridkrigföring

Intervju om vår nya antologi om hybrida hot och hybridkrigföring. Läs om hur man ska förstå och hantera gråzonens säkerhetsproblem. Läs den här: https://www.fhs.se/arkiv/nyheter/2021-04-20-ny-bok-om-hybridkrigforing.html 

Ladda hem boken gratis: http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781788317795

Eller köp den här https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/hybrid-warfare-9781788319621/

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Georgia, Hybrid Warfare, Hybrid Warfare Research Group (HWRG), Lecture, War Studies

Lecture on “Hybrid Warfare and Hybrid Threats” for Psyopsförbundet

Today Dr Niklas Nilsson and I held a lecture on “Hybrid Warfare and Hybrid Threats” for Psyopsförbundet.

I spoke on the current state of research on Hybrid Warfare and presented the Hybridity Blizzard Model. Dr Nilsson spoke on Hybrid Warfare in practice, focusing on experiences from Georgia and Ukraine.

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Edited Volume, Hybrid Warfare Research Group (HWRG), War Studies

BOOK: Hybrid Warfare: Security and Asymmetric Conflict in International Relations

Niklas Nilsson, Björn Palmertz, Per Thunholm and my forthcoming book on “Hybrid Warfare:  Security and Asymmetric Conflict in International Relations” is now available for pre-order for £17.99. Delivery in April. It will also be available free on-line.

The book:

Hybrid Warfare refers to a military strategy that blends conventional warfare, so-called ‘irregular warfare’ and cyber-attacks with other influencing methods, such as fake news, diplomacy and foreign political intervention. As Hybrid Warfare becomes increasingly commonplace, there is an imminent need for research bringing attention to how these challenges can be addressed in order to develop a comprehensive approach towards Hybrid Threats and Hybrid Warfare. This volume supports the development of such an approach by bringing together practitioners and scholarly perspectives on the topic and by covering the threats themselves, as well as the tools and means to counter them, together with a number of real-world case studies.

The book covers numerous aspects of current Hybrid Warfare discourses including a discussion of the perspectives of key western actors such as NATO, the US and the EU; an analysis of Russia and China’s Hybrid Warfare capabilities; and the growing threat of cyberwarfare. A range of global case studies – featuring specific examples from the Baltics, Taiwan, Ukraine, Iran and Catalonia – are drawn upon to demonstrate the employment of Hybrid Warfare tactics and how they have been countered in practice. Finally, the editors propose a new method through which to understand the dynamics of Hybrid Threats, Warfare and their countermeasures, termed the ‘Hybridity Blizzard Model’. With a focus on practitioner insight and practicable International Relations theory, this volume is an essential guide to identifying, analysing and countering Hybrid Threats and Warfare.

Table of content

Foreword – Amb. Fredrik Löjdquist, Ambassador and Special Envoy for Countering Hybrid Threats, Sweden
1. Security Challenges in the Grey Zone: Hybrid Threats and Hybrid WarfareDr. Niklas Nilsson, Dr. Mikael Weissmann, Björn Palmertz, Per Thunholm, Henrik Häggström
2. NATO and Hybrid Warfare: Seeking a Concept to Describe the Challenge from Russia
Dr. G. Alexander Crowther, Research Professor, Florida International University, former Special Assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and former researcher in the Strategic Studies Institute and the US National Defense University.
3. An American View: Hybrid Threats and Intelligence
Dr. Gregory F. Treverton, University of Southern California, former Chair of the US National Intelligence Council
4. A Perspective on EU Hybrid Threat Early Warning Efforts
Dr. Patrick Cullen, Senior Research Fellow, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) & member of the “Countering Hybrid Warfare” component of the Multinational Capability Development Campaign (MCDC)
5. Conceptualizing and Countering Hybrid Threats and Hybrid Warfare: The Role of the Military in the Grey-zone
Dr. Mikael Weissmann, Associate Professor, Head of Research at the Land Operations Section and Co-Convener of the Hybrid Warfare Research Group, Department of Military Studies, Swedish Defence University.
6. Understanding Russian Thinking on Gibridnaya Voyna
Dr. Markus Göransson, Assistant Professor and project leader of the Russia program, Swedish Defence University
7. China and its Hybrid Warfare Spectrum
Dr. Lora Saalman, Senior Fellow, EastWest Institute; Associate Senior Fellow, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
8. Influence Operations and the Modern Information Environment
Björn Palmertz, Senior Analyst, CATS, Swedish Defence University
9. Hybrid Threats and New Challenges for Multilateral Intelligence Cooperation
Henrik Häggström, Senior Analyst, Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies (CATS), Swedish Defence University
10. Cyberwarfare and the Internet: the Implications of a More Digitalized World
Anne-Marie Eklund-Löwinder, Head of Security, The Swedish Internet Foundation and Cryptographic Officer at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Anna Djup, Analyst, Information Assurance, Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies (CATS), Swedish Defence University
11. The US and Hybrid Challenges: Past, Present and Future
Jed Willard, Director of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Center for Global Engagement, Harvard University
12. China’s Political Warfare in Taiwan: Strategies, Methods, and Global Implication
Dr Gulizar Haciyakupoglu, Research Fellow, the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS), S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.
Dr Michael Raska, Assistant Professor, Coordinator of Military Transformations Programme, IDSS, RSIS, Singapore
13. Hybrid Warfare in the Baltics
Dr Dorthe Bach Nyemann, Associate Professor in International Relations, Institute for Strategy, Royal Danish Defence College
14. De-Hybridization and Conflict Narration: Ukraine’s Defence against Russian Hybrid Warfare
Dr. Niklas Nilsson, Assistant Professor, Co-Convener of the Hybrid Warfare Research Group, Department of Military Studies, Swedish Defence University
15. Iran’s Hybrid Warfare Capabilities
Dr. Rouzbeh Parsi, Head of the Middle East and North Africa Programme, Swedish Institute of International Affairs
16. Information Influencing in the Catalan Illegal Referendum and Beyond
Dr. Ruben Arcos, Rey Juan Carlos University
17. Moving out of the Blizzard: Towards a Comprehensive Approach to Hybrid Threats and Hybrid Warfare
Dr. Mikael Weissmann, Dr. Niklas Nilsson, Björn Palmertz

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Hybrid Warfare, Hybrid Warfare Research Group (HWRG), Lecture, Teaching, War Studies

Lecture for executive course on the information environment

Today I was giving a lecture on Hybrid Warfare and Hybrid Threats for an executive course on the information environment at the Swedish Defence University. This was part of a joint lecture with Dr Niklas Nilsson on the theory and practice of hybrid threats and warfare.

Recommended reading:

 

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Conference, Hybrid Warfare Research Group (HWRG), War Studies

ISA West 24-27 September, 2020

Presenting paper on the role of the military in managing hybrid threats and hybrid warfare in the grey-zone at the International Studies Association (ISA) West’s annual conference 24-27 September. It was a great panel I would like to thank my panelist at the “Space and Cyberspace” panel and the chair Brandon Valeriano for great comments.

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