Understanding and Countering Hybrid Warfare: Next Steps for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Abstract

The Russian annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea and subsequent destabilization of Eastern Ukraine was kinetically executed through special forces in conjunction with a series of synchronized, layered, well planned and coordinated diplomatic, cyber, economic, informational, and psychological tactics. This form of warfare is referred to as “hybrid warfare”. Hybrid warfare is a form of war fighting that includes a range of multi-modal activities that can be conducted by state or non-state actors. Emphasis is placed on simultaneous and unprecedented fusion of a variety of means such as political, military, economic/financial, social and informational using conventional, irregular, catastrophic, terrorist and disruptive/criminal methods to achieve political objectives. In the case of the Crimea, the Russian intervention involved the rapid deployment of a range of complex, multi-modal, and highly integrated set of activities in a way that was novel, and which posed a historically unique set of challenges to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This research paper will explore the concept hybrid warfare, identify the political and military limitations NATO has faced as a result of hybrid warfare in Ukraine, evaluate NATO’s efforts to date to adapt, and provide recommendations for NATO and Canada in adapting to this form of aggression.