News Archive - Page 6 of 17 - Hybrid CoE - The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats

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October 5, 2021

The EU’s Strategic Compass must be adjusted to hybrid threats

The European Union needs a new approach to security and defence due to changes in the Union’s threat environment. For this reason, the EU’s upcoming Strategic Compass needs to take as its starting point the complexity of the threat environment and the pervasiveness and evolutionary nature of hybrid threats, says Rasmus Hindrén, Head of International Relations at the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats.

“The ‘hybrid’ in hybrid threats refers to the way that malign actors combine different tools at their disposal and target various domains from information, social and culture to space, cyber, and military domains,” Hindrén writes in his Hybrid CoE Working Paper dealing with the Strategic Compass process.

There are multiple trends in the security environment that can best be understood under the concept of hybrid threats: a democratization of warfare, exemplified by cyberattack capabilities or drone technology becoming more available to small states and non-state actors, as well as the rapid pace of technological change, especially in the context of emerging and disruptive technologies. In addition, there is a cognitive element involved, as we all try to make sense of the wealth of information, misinformation and disinformation.

When one adds to this the fact that the threat environment is characterized by competition – the constant probing of adversaries and potential adversaries, priming them for further actions and operating in the “grey zone” – it becomes clear why the EU needs a new approach.

According to Hindrén, the primary objective of the Compass should be deterrence against hybrid threats, consisting of both resilience and countermeasures. Resilience ought to be understood in the context of both internal and external security. Countermeasures should be seen as combining both the member states’ and the Commission’s tools: sanctions, diplomatic tools, but also real kinetic capabilities.

“Kinetic capabilities do not need to be owned or operated by the EU, but they must be integrated into the overall EU approach,” Hindrén says.

To attain all of this, a greater level of integration within the EU must be achieved, both between internal and external security, as well as between the member states and the EU institutions and agencies. The relationship between the member states and the EU must be further clarified.

“The member states should see the possibilities that the EU can bring in both enhancing resilience and supplementing the crisis response toolbox,” Hindrén writes.

The Strategic Compass is a document that aims to clarify the EU’s assessment of the security environment, define the level of ambition in security and defence, and offer concrete tools to achieve that level of ambition. The Compass is set to be finalized during the French presidency of the EU Council in 2022.

Read the whole Hybrid CoE Working Paper here.

October 1, 2021

Sönke Marahrens starts as Director of Community of Interest on Strategy & Defence

Colonel Sönke Marahrens takes up the position of Director of Community of Interest on Strategy and Defence (COI S&D) at Hybrid CoE on 1 October 2021.

Mr Marahrens replaces Dr Johann Schmid, who has worked in this position since the establishment of COI S&D in 2018, and is now moving to a new position outside of the Centre.

Mr Marahrens is a career Air Force officer, and is moving to Hybrid CoE from his position as Head of Research for Strategy and Armed Forces at the German Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies in Hamburg. He holds a master’s degree from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Canada, and another from the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg. In addition, he has a full Diploma in Computer Science.

Mr Marahrens has been deployed with NATO to Bosnia and Kosovo, and in 2020 he served as Branch Head for Transition at NATO HQ Resolute Support in Kabul, Afghanistan.

“I am proud and honoured to join Hybrid CoE, whose members are highly committed to protecting the freedom and rights of European citizens and their friends and allies through research, exploration and new ideas,” Mr Marahrens said.

The Community of Interest on Strategy and Defence focuses on hybrid warfare, related strategies and implications for security policy, the military and defence. It aims at uncovering the essence and nature of hybrid warfare, as well as the logic and pattern of hybrid strategies in order to develop a solid analytical framework as a basis for the assessment of current and future hybrid warfare situations and their practical implications.

September 28, 2021

Belgium becomes Hybrid CoE’s 30th Participating State

This morning, Mrs Annelies Verlinden, Belgium’s Minister of the Interior, visited Hybrid CoE to hand over the Letter of Notification to Director Teija Tiilikainen, officially making Belgium the 30th Participating State of the Centre.

“Due to the inherent complexity of hybrid threats, working together at an international level is essential. Belgium is pleased and proud to join the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, and to work together with the Centre and its Participating States in order to enhance its resilience against such threats. We are looking forward to establishing cooperation and a constructive relationship,” stated Mrs Verlinden.

“I have been looking forward to welcoming Belgium as a Participating State as I think we share so many common interests in protecting democratic societies from external interference,” added Hybrid CoE’s Director Teija Tiilikainen. “Belgium can make an important contribution to many of the Centre’s workstrands, so I eagerly anticipate its active engagement in our activities.”

Besides Belgium, the Participating States of the Centre of Excellence include Austria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Centre cooperates closely with the EU and NATO.

September 1, 2021

Virtual training on maritime hybrid scenarios looks at exploitation of Exclusive Economic Zone / continental shelf as maritime hybrid instrument

Hybrid CoE conducted the third consecutive virtual training event on maritime scenarios along with their corresponding legal scan. On this occasion, the training focussed on scenarios one and eight in the Handbook on Maritime Hybrid Threats, namely on the protection of an underwater gas pipeline and the exploitation of a contested continental shelf / Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), as well as a new, proof-tested Handbook-derived scenario – fishing in a contested EEZ area as a possible hybrid instrument. The training was targeted at Hybrid CoE Participating States, the EU and NATO.

According to Jukka Savolainen, Director of COI Vulnerabilities and Resilience, the aim of the training series is to raise awareness of potential hybrid threats in the maritime domain, and to familiarize the Centre’s stakeholders with the existing international rules and norms, such as the Law of the Sea and international humanitarian law, and their applicability to each scenario. More scenarios will be integrated into the updated version of the Handbook on Maritime Hybrid Threats upcoming in 2022.

August 30, 2021

Unique hybrid wargaming course launched

During the month of August, the US Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) together with Hybrid CoE conducted two wargaming courses focussing on hybrid threats, in support of the Centre’s Participating States. This marked the first time that such a course was organized, where game-like simulations were conducted to train participants’ strategic thinking in the context of hybrid threat scenarios.

Representing 10 Participating States, various national ministries, academia, and the private sector, thecourses brought together a unique group of students in Helsinki. Aimed at a diverse group of participants, these practical and educational workshops were designed to encourage a whole-of-society approach to cooperation in countering hybrid threats. Through the creation of a unique hybrid threats wargame, the courses increased awareness of hybrid threats and understanding of nations’ ability to respond to them.

We asked the main instructor on the courses as well as some of the participants to tell us more about the training. The video clips below include a selection of their comments.

Jeffrey Appleget, a senior lecturer at the US Naval Postgraduate School, on what wargaming is, conducting the game, and the purpose of wargaming.

Comments from the participants of the Joint Hybrid CoE & US Naval Post Graduate School Wargaming Course

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June 2, 2021

Multidomain situational awareness: Using technology to outthink hybrid opponents

On 2 June 2021, Hybrid CoE and its Community of Interest on Strategy and Defence presented the ‘Hybrid Warfare Future and Technologies’ (HYFUTEC) curriculum for the second time, as an educational tool for the Joint Command and General Staff Course ‘Innovation and Military Technology Module’ at the Baltic Defence College in Tartu, Estonia.

The HYFUTEC curriculum focused on technological means of improving multidomain situational awareness in hybrid warfare/conflict/threat scenarios, including perspectives on: artificial intelligence and big data, options for serious gaming in hybrid warfare scenarios, open-source intelligence and media monitoring, space and satellite communication, AI-driven analysis and monitoring of military exercises, as well as views on the game-changing capabilities of the use of drones in hybrid warfare. The curriculum was concluded with an update on the DE-MASC Project, which is currently developing a multidomain situational awareness cockpit, combining web-based analytical information tools already on the market.

For further information on Hybrid Warfare and the HYFUTEC project/workstrand, read more here.

June 29, 2021

Croatia joins Hybrid CoE

H.E. Mr Josip Buljević, Ambassador of Croatia, visited Hybrid CoE today to hand over the Letter of Notification to Director Teija Tiilikainen, officially making Croatia the 29th Participating State of the Centre of Excellence.

“With hybrid threat activities against democratic states being amplified during the pandemic, there is an increasing need for joint efforts to counter the phenomenon with a more proactive approach. Hybrid CoE welcomes Croatia to its ever-enlarging community of EU and NATO members firmly engaged in strengthening the resilience of their joint democratic model,” Teija Tiilikainen said.

“Joining the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats is a very important step for strengthening the resilience of our country to this kind of challenge. Hybrid threats are complex and as allies we need to work together to counter them effectively. We are confident that our participation in Hybrid CoE will substantially enhance our capacities for countering Hybrid Threats. This is of paramount importance to Croatia as we are continuously confronted with hybrid activities in our country as well as in our neighbourhood. We are therefore grateful to be part of the Centre of Excellence in Helsinki, which is one of the crucial institutions for developing effective means to counter hybrid threats and strengthen allied and European security,” said Ambassador Buljević.

Besides Croatia, the Participating States of the Centre of Excellence include Austria, Canada, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Centre cooperates closely with the EU and NATO.

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June 16, 2021

Non-state actors as state proxies: A new Hybrid Coe Research Report looks at the situation in China

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has long traditions of using political influence and interference methods, which would be described as hybrid threat activities today. The use of non-state actors (NSAs) is a key element in such activities.

In Hybrid Coe Research Report 1, Dr Jukka Aukia from the University of Turku applies the hybrid threat paradigm to study Chinese non-state actors.

According to the report, longstanding developments in China’s political system and thinking dictate strong public-private collaboration. This approach is known as the “united front” (tongyi zhanxian). Equating “love for the Party” with “love for the country”, the united front builds ethnic-based nationalism, which is produced top-down by party elites and bottom-up by active patriotic citizens.

“As a result of the united front approach, a large repertoire of NSAs as state proxies create opportunities and capabilities for the Party,” writes Aukia.

According to the report, the political control of the Party has advanced in all non-state, non-party organizations under the leadership of Xi Jinping. The CCP has effectively developed capacities to direct the non-state sector to support regime preservation, which is the Party’s highest priority. The united front enables the Party to use the same influence tools both domestically and internationally.

In analyzing the use of non-state actors abroad, the report looks at united front-related actors, state-controlled enterprises, state-organized NGOs, as well as media- and academia-related actors and their activities. According to Aukia, “while not all Chinese entities are state proxies, as Chinese social and business organizations continue to internationalize, the blurring of state and non-state sectors extends beyond China’s borders.”

In developing countermeasures, the report emphasizes the importance of analyzing two frameworks in particular: the domestic experiences of the CCP, and the vulnerabilities of democratic societies.

Read the whole report on our website here.

By examining China’s expanding use of united front tactics inside democratic societies, as well as the ideological, cultural and political elements underlying this trend, this Research Report marks a significant step forward in Hybrid CoE’s capabilities to analyze China and its practices. The report offers timely, thorough, and practicable knowledge for the Centre’s Participating States and institutions as they enhance their resilience and deterrence against hybrid threat activities. The report is part of Hybrid CoE’s ongoing workstrand on non-state actors.

Source: Whitelion61/Shutterstock

June 11, 2021

Drones in hybrid warfare: New study provides lessons from current battlefields

Revolutionary change in military affairs is an integral part of the history of conflict and war. Today, technology is driving this revolution with unprecedented speed. Even now, drone warfare capabilities provide game-changing potential on real-world battlefields, as they integrate sensor technology with precision strike effectors and communications. They also have close links to hybrid warfare.

It can be expected that a trend towards AI-based autonomous systems and swarming will further exponentiate these revolutionary developments. Their military and warfare-related implications can hardly be overestimated.

This motivated Hybrid CoE and its Community of Interest on Strategy and Defence (COI S&D) to address this topic within its workstrand on Hybrid Warfare: Future and Technologies. As a first step, situational awareness regarding the current use of drones in the context of hybrid warfare needs to be built.

To this end, the latest Hybrid CoE Working Paper, written by Frank Christian Sprengel, identifies and analyzes lessons regarding the use of drones on five current battlefields: Ukraine, Syria, Libya, Yemen and Nagorno-Karabakh. The paper serves as the starting point for a series of studies on the topic.

You can read the paper here.

Source: Shutterstock

June 1, 2021

Technology matters for hybrid

Dr Johann Schmid, Hybrid CoE’s Director COI Strategy & Defence, contributed to TechNet Europe 2021 (1–2 June, Lisbon, Portugal) with a keynote speech on Hybrid Threats/Warfare: Key Characteristics, Strategic Challenges, New Developments and Implications.

“New technologies, with their disruptive potential, have a catalytic effect on hybrid means, methods, tactics and strategies,” according to Schmid. “It is worrying that they provide offensive options in particular. At the same time, new technological developments may offer options to better identify, understand, defend against and counter hybrid attacks.”

“In order to prevent, defend against and – if necessary – counter and outmanoeuvre hybrid opponents, it is important for political, civilian and military leaders and decision-makers, as well as for industry and academia, to develop a common and comprehensive understanding of the implications of new technologies in a hybrid threats/warfare context,” Dr Schmid said.

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