There hybrid warfare it is a conflict in which the belligerents use both weapons to harm the enemy “traditional” military both tools unconventionallike him cyber attacksthe economic pressuresthe misinformationeven i migratory flows.
The distinction between hybrid warfare and conventional warfare it’s not always simplein consideration of the fact that, already in the past, most conflicts have been fought not only with military means, but also through other types of instruments. From a historical perspective, therefore, hybrid warfare is certainly not a new phenomenon: in recent times, however, the concept of hybrid warfare has gained great popularity and is frequently used by the media in relation to the war between Russia and Ukraine and the geopolitical tensions between BORN And Fly.
What is hybrid warfare
Hybrid warfare generally refers to a conflict in which the warring parties (whether states or non-state actors) use and conventional military instrumentsis non-military instruments to weaken or sabotage an opponent. The adjective hybrid, in fact, indicates something that is born from the union or from the intersection of two or multiple different elements between them.
In the case of hybrid warfare, the warring parties use different means in addition to weapons. Among the most common are the IT toolsused to conduct hacker attacks; communication toolsto carry out propaganda and spread fake news with the aim of influencing public opinion; economic toolsto strike the enemy’s infrastructure and production centers.
Hybrid warfare, therefore, you don’t just fight on the battlefieldbut also in the field economic, IT, political and communicative. Not only are the armed forces affected, but also the infrastructure, the economy and the morale of citizens.
Sometimes, unconventional activities are not conducted directly by States, but by groups armed irregulars, mercenaries or individuals acting on behalf of state authorities, which makes it difficult to identify those responsible.
In any case, for a war to be defined as hybrid it is essential that, alongside unconventional tools, there are including armed combat. In fact, however, journalistic language sometimes refers to “hybrid war” even in the absence of military operationsfor example, if one state launches cyber attacks against another, but does not accompany them with “traditional” armed attacks.
How to distinguish it from conventional wars
There definition of “hybrid warfare” is difficult to apply. It is not easy, in fact, distinguish it from conventional warsbecause in almost all armed conflicts non-military tools are also used to subdue the enemy. For example, the propaganda already existed in ancient world and over the centuries it has acquired ever greater importance. In the two world wars, in particular, it played a decisive role and all the belligerent countries invested enormous resources in developing it.
Likewise, the economic pressures have always accompanied armed conflicts. Just think, for example, of Peloponnesian Warfought in the 5th century BC. C. between Athens and Sparta: both sides sought to control trade routes and damage the enemy’s economy; in more recent times, think of the naval blockade imposed by Napoleonto the United Kingdom.
As time has passed, of course, unconventional means have changed. Today one of the most widespread tools is the IT tool: the cyberwarconducted through hacker attacks, is an essential part of conflicts. Furthermore, sometimes even i migratory flows: States threaten to facilitate the passage of unmanageable flows of migrants to destabilize other countries.
Another difficulty arises from the confusion between hybrid warfare and unconventional warfareSometimes the two concepts overlap and are used synonymously in journalistic languages. However, it is about two different things: unconventional war, in fact, is a war conducted with guerrilla actions, sabotage and similar operations, rather than with regular armies. It is therefore different from hybrid warfare.
An example of hybrid warfare: the conflict between Russia and Ukraine
An example of hybrid warfare it is the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, because actual military operations are accompanied by cyber activities, disinformation campaigns and economic pressure. Both warring parties have indeed organised disinformation campaignsthey tried to hit the enemy’s economythey made use of cyber attacks and they promoted sabotage to the detriment of infrastructure.
It shouldn’t instead fall within the concept of hybrid warfare geopolitical tension which developed between Russia and countries of BORN: although economic attacks (the sanctions imposed on Russia) and cyber attacks (the alleged hacker attacks organized by the Russians) are underway, there is no real fighting. Therefore, although the definition of hybrid warfare is sometimes used, at the moment, geopolitical tensions exist, rather than an actual war.
