News Archive - Page 9 of 17 - Hybrid CoE - The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats

October 5, 2020

Follow the money: Understanding the threat covert foreign financing poses to democracies

On 1 October, Hybrid CoE organized a webinar together with the Alliance for Securing Democracy on the threatthat malign financial activity poses to democracies across the transatlantic space. Authoritarian powers like China and Russia are covertly financing political actors to undermine democracies. Authoritarians use malign financial activity as a geopolitical tool to exploit the openness of Western institutions and economies. Democracies must act – both domestically and in concert with allies – to strengthen their institutions and improve transparency in order to shine a light on authoritarian efforts and mitigate this growing threat.

In addition to Director Teija Tiilikainen and Senior Analyst Janne Jokinen from Hybrid CoE, the other panelists taking part in the interactive discussion were Ellen Weintraub, Commissioner on the US Federal Election Commission, and Josh Rudolph, Malign Finance Fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy. The panelists discussed the vulnerabilities that authoritarian actors exploit and the steps that democracies should take to both prevent and respond to this behaviour. The event highlighted the importance of transatlantic cooperation in countering financial threats and offered a deep dive into how each side of the Atlantic is actively attempting to address covert foreign money.

The webinar recording is available here.

See Hybrid CoE’s latest Working Paper on hybrid threats in the financial system here.

See ASD’s latest report on covert foreign money here.

The webinar moderator Amy Mackinnon with the panelists Ellen Weintraub, Teija Tiilikainen, Janne Jokinen, and Josh Rudolph.

Director Jukka Savolainen discussing one of the scenarios with the participants.

September 22, 2020

Virtual training on maritime scenarios

The first “Train the trainers” virtual training on maritime scenarios took place on 22 September 2020. The event informed of possible maritime hybrid operations in the current security environment and provided an opportunity to identify potential political and legal mitigation tools against maritime hybrid situations. Furthermore, it presented a structure for policy and concept development.

The training brought together practitioners from many Hybrid CoE Participating States including both legal and policy planning officials from several ministries and related agencies with connection to maritime issues. The event utilised realistic scenarios and encouraged participants to deliberate their respective responses. Future “Train the trainers” events will be provided at a later stage.

September 15, 2020

‘Mind the Gaps’ online symposium, Hybrid Warfare: Future & Technologies (HYFUTEC) Presentation of project findings

On 15 September, Hybrid CoE and its Community of Interest Strategy & Defence, in close cooperation with StratByrd Consulting, introduced selected findings of the Hybrid Warfare: Future and Technologies (HYFUTEC) project to a wide range of attendees from 26 participating states, the EU, NATO, and the private sector. The event started with the politico-strategic context, and focused on key findings of the project report, including deeper dives into technologies that are likely to drive developments in hybrid conflict/warfare in the coming years: artificial intelligence; social media; space; cyber and 5G; including reflections on serious gaming and HYFUTEC as an educational tool.

New technologies have a catalytic effect on hybrid methods and tools. They improve the starting conditions for hybrid action, expand the arsenal of hybrid players and thus help to increase the reach of their activities, as well as their prospects of success. At the same time, new technological developments offer options to better identify, understand, defend against and counter hybrid attacks.

The HYFUTEC project aims at assessing and enhancing understanding of the disruptive potential of new technologies in the context of hybrid warfare/conflict. The project has identified 19 technologies as being particularly relevant for the evolution of hybrid challenges, conflict and warfare. Its findings point to hybrid actors that have exploited the current conceptual and resulting capability gaps of the West. Several of these actors are making skilful use of inexpensive, commercially available technologies to further their own ambitions and power objectives. This development opens the floodgates to coercion and blackmailing by malicious actors, thus putting NATO and EU cohesion and solidarity at risk.

Driven by the catalytic effect of new technologies, hybrid warfare can be expected to become a long-term strategic challenge. In order to prevent, deter and – if necessary – outmanoeuvre hybrid opponents, it is therefore 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 warfare/conflict context.

Please find the event teaser HERE.

September 11, 2020

Rasmus Hindrén appointed as Head of International Relations

MSSc Rasmus Hindrén is appointed as Head of International Relations in the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats from 1 October 2020.

His predecessor, Ambassador Kirsti Narinen, returned to the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the end of her leave of absence.

The Head of International Relations is responsible for maintaining and developing relations with the Centre’s 28 participating states, the EU institutions and NATO.

“I’m very pleased that Rasmus Hindrén decided to apply for this position, and now joins our team. He is an experienced professional, who has worked in numerous positions related to international security policy. With his background and expertise, he will bring a lot of experience to the Centre. Hindrén contributed to the establishment of the Centre of Excellence by contributing to the first concept of operations. Now he can continue to strengthen our role as a strategic actor in the field”, said Hybrid CoE Director Teija Tiilikainen.

Rasmus Hindrén currently serves as a senior advisor at the Finnish Ministry of Defence. Between 2017-2020 he worked as Defence Councellor in Washington D.C. Before that he was a special advisor responsible for EU policy and countering hybrid threats at the Finnish MoD. During 2011-2014 he served as a Defence Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Finland in the European Union.

“Hybrid CoE operates in a space where old and new security threats meet and where international cooperation for response is needed. I look forward to enhancing this cooperation”, said Hindrén.

Hybrid CoE is an independent international centre enhancing participating states’ capabilities to counter hybrid threats. It does so by sharing best practices, testing new ideas and approaches and providing training and exercises. The Centre currently has 28 participating states. Participation is open to all EU member states and NATO allies.

The Bulgarian-led maritime exercise involving 12 NATO Allies and 27 ships, strengthened NATO's readiness in the Black Sea region. Source: NATO

September 5, 2020

Hybrid Warfare from the Arctic Region to the Black Sea

Hybrid CoE contributes to Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum 2020

Dr Johann Schmid, Director COI Strategy & Defence discussed the topic Hybrid Warfare from the Arctic Region to the Black Sea together with Mr Greg Melcher, Chief Operations Officer from the Center for the Study of New Generation Warfare (USA); Brigadier General Cristian Bizadea, Deputy Director from the Romanian Intelligence Service; Mr Seth Cropsey, Director of the Center for American Seapower, Hudson Institute (USA); and Mr Karsten Friis, Senior Research Fellow, Head of Research Group on Security and Defense from the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs – NUPI.

Presentations and discussions focused on:

Various definitions and manifestations of ‘hybrid’ warfare. Origins of the concept, recent illustrations in the field, and the perceived need for conceptual clarification.
A flexible and commensurate response to match every sort of challenge. Implications for the choice of adequate tactics and equipment, and symmetrical versus asymmetrical reactions.
New challenges for refining doctrine, contingency planning, and training requirements.

The main argument advanced was that concepts drive capabilities. The challenge of hybrid warfare calls for a common and comprehensive response, including a whole-of-government/state/society approach, as well as for international cooperation and coordination. This underlines the need to bring a broad range of civil as well as military actors on board, to cooperate with them and coordinate their efforts. This makes a common and comprehensive understanding of hybrid warfare based on a solid conceptual foundation paramount. Without a certain degree of common and comprehensive understanding of the challenge of hybrid warfare, a common and comprehensive response is not very likely. “Weakness on concepts” would inevitably translate into “weakness in awareness, understanding and capabilities”.

Mr Peter Beňo, Deputy Head of Mission from the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Helsinki, visited Hybrid CoE to hand over the Letter of Notification to Director Teija Tiilikainen.

August 6, 2020

The Slovak Republic becomes Hybrid CoE’s 28th participating state

This afternoon, Mr Peter Beňo, Deputy Head of Mission from the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Helsinki, visited Hybrid CoE to hand over the Letter of Notification regarding Slovakia’s participation in the Memorandum of Understanding.

”The Slovak Republic is proud to join the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats and to work together with community members to strengthen our resilience in this area. These threats have a growing impact on our security and are not limited by national borders. We are determined to enhance our capacities for countering increasingly complex threats by heightening awareness, and strengthening security and resilience against them. The Centre of Excellence in Helsinki plays an irreplaceable role in international efforts and cooperation in this field,” Mr Beňo stated.

“Hybrid CoE is very pleased to enlarge its community by welcoming the Slovak Republic as its 28^thparticipating state,” Director Teija Tiilikainen noted with satisfaction. “The Slovak Republic will bolster the Centre’s work and networks even further.”

June 29, 2020

Slovakia will join the Hybrid CoE

Mr. Ivan Korcok, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic signed today a letter of notification which confirms Slovakia’s will to participate in the Hybrid CoE activities. At the time the letter of notification is signed by Director Teija Tiilikainen, Slovakia officially becomes the 28th participating state of the Centre.

“The Slovakian decision to contribute to our work is very delighting. Getting a new participating state from Central Europe to join our practitioner and expert networks make them more versatile and stronger. I’m convinced that our cooperation will be mutually beneficial and rewarding,” said Tiilikainen.

Besides Slovakia, the Hybrid CoE now has altogether 28 members, including Austria, Canada, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Centre cooperates closely with the EU and NATO.

June 25, 2020

The COVID-19 crisis situation – a hybrid warfare perspective

Hybrid CoE’s COI Strategy and Defence (COI S&D) contributed as a co-organizer of the international webinar on ‘COVID-19 pandemic impact on the security environment and operations’ on June 24. The webinar was initiated by the Doctrine and Training Centre of the Polish Armed Forces (D&TC PAF). Co-organizers included the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences (EASS), the Adam Mickiewicz University (AMU) and the NATO Military Police Centre of Excellence (NATO MP CoE).

“The current COVID-19 crisis situations closely resemble war-like situations but despite this similarity and common ground, it is not war. However, if the virus were man-made, more controllable and scalable for targeted use, it could be a ‘dangerous hybrid weapon’. While the current COVID-19 crisis situation has a lot in common with a war-like situation, it has even more in common with hybrid warfare,” argued Dr Johann Schmid (Director of COI S&D), while presenting perspectives on hybrid warfare in the context of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two key recommendations were provided:

As hybrid warfare and the current COVID-19 crisis situation have much in common, the concept of hybrid warfare could be used as an analytical framework to help better understand the parameters, mechanisms and dynamics of this complex multi-domain challenge, with shifting centres of gravity as well as its direct and indirect implications for security.

The way in which different actors (nations) organize their comprehensive approach and crisis response mechanisms to counter the COVID-19 crisis should be analyzed and studied carefully, as there is a lot to learn about organizing the comprehensive approach, bridging interface challenges and optimizing crisis response mechanisms to counter hybrid challenges.

The crisis situations provide an opportunity for deep, long-term and systematic learning from countering COVID-19 to countering hybrid threats, conflict and warfare.

March 26, 2020

Changes in the activities due to the coronavirus outbreak

As a result of preventive and precautionary measures, Hybrid CoE has to limit its activities at least until the end of May.

All physical events and workshops have therefore been cancelled or postponed. Information on individual events and their postponement will be shared with the registered or potential participants by the respective Centre’s functions. Following the recommendations of the Finnish government, all travel by Hybrid CoE staff has also been cancelled, and remote work will be prioritized during the upcoming weeks.

Hybrid CoE continues working during these exceptional circumstances and wants to maintain an active network of policy practitioners, researchers and private sector specialists. Although physical events have been postponed, the Centre will continue to support participating states and will organise a series of online meetings, gatherings and webinars during the upcoming weeks. Also, Centre’s publication work will continue as normal, however, and we are generally reachable by phone and email.