Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Solar Energy News .




WAR REPORT
Hybrid War: Old wine in new bottles?
by Harlan Ullman
Washington DC (UPI) Mar 08, 2015


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

It is seductive to conclude that "hybrid war" is a creature of the 21st century in which technology now offers an alternative and a reinforcement to the blunter use of military force.

Based on successful Russian encroachment into Ukraine and occupation of Crimea with hybrid war tactics, it is fair to ask if the same could happen to the Baltic States. Consider Estonia as a candidate target for Moscow.

Suppose Estonia is subjected to attempts at subversion by its giant neighbor to the east. Russian propaganda accuses the Estonian government of repressing the Russian-speaking minorities legitimizing an incursion under the right to protect. Russian soldiers in mufti flow across the border. Tallinn's telecommunications center is target number one. Control communications and control the country. All this can be called hybrid war.

But the year is not 2015. It is 1924. Lenin had his sights set on swallowing the Soviet Union's tiny neighbor. In those days, cyber warfare meant occupying and controlling the telephone exchange. And so-called "little green men" who swarmed into eastern Ukraine and Crimea were the great-grandchildren of those Lenin ordered into Estonia. Fortunately, Lenin failed.

Indeed, going back a decade earlier to World War I, hybrid war was very much in evidence. The cyber portion was waged in code breaking and either tapping into or disrupting the undersea telegraph cables that linked London, Paris and Berlin with their overseas bases and colonies. Economic sanctions were imposed by unrestricted submarine warfare and blockade. Propaganda labeled the enemy as barbarians committing countless atrocities against innocent civilians. And Zeppelins and Gotha bombers panicked Londoners with nighttime terror bombings.

Thus, hybrid war is as old as war in many ways. Yet, technology and globalization have transformed parts of hybrid war in the 21st century. First, in the past, military force was often the ultimate arbiter of victory or defeat. But when the enemy today lacks an army, navy or air force, even the most powerful militaries in the world are limited in what can be achieved.

Second, through globalization and economic interdependence, submarines and blockades no longer are needed to deprive states of basic needs. Shutting off the flow of oil or gas is a better way of imposing one's will. Similarly, closing down access to global markets and the ability to transfer money can be as economically devastating as dropping bombs and firing missiles against a state's infrastructure.

Third, because the world and people are so dependent on cyber from smartphones to providing basic goods and services such as electricity and water, cyber attacks can impose real damage through interruption or disruption. The Stuxnet virus that crippled Iranian centrifuges is a good example. Russian cyber attacks against Ukraine and the Baltic States, North Korea's alleged assault on Sony pictures and China's electronic penetration of corporations to obtain trade secrets likewise demonstrate hybrid tactics.

But before the prospect of hybrid war overwhelms our capacity to respond, the use of a little brainpower can help identify the means to defeat it. This is especially important in neutralizing revolutionary movements such as the Islamic State who use the perversion of Islam to legitimize and justify political intent and objectives. Force is, of course, always present. In the Clausewitzian view, war is the admixture of policy with "other means." These other means constitute a force multiplier that may not be countered by powerful armies, navies and air forces.

One lesson is evident. Governments must be better prepared to deal with these "other means." Cyber is one area. Messaging and propaganda are another. In this latter case, IS is clearly winning the war of ideas. And, unlike waging war in which unconditional surrender is the objective, these other means that constitute hybrid war are the new strategic centers of gravity that could determine success or failure.

Because states too often rely excessively on military force as the key or main policy instrument, shifting focus is not easy. The prowess of America's military could not substitute for failed governance in Iraq and Afghanistan, another variant of hybrid war exploited by IS and al Qaeda. And, as is the case with battling IS, one unintended consequence is to attack the symptoms and not the causes of what ultimately must be defeated.

Hence, a real revolution in military affairs for the United States is urgently needed. And that revolution must start with the civilian side of the government, not the Pentagon. Unless or until elected leaders understand they are dealing with old wine in new bottles, that wine could easily turn to geostrategic vinegar souring everyone's taste.

____________________________________________________________________

Harlan Ullman is Chairman of the Killowen Group that advises leaders of government and business and Senior Advisor at Washington DC's Atlantic Council and Business Executives for National Security. His latest book is A Handful of Bullets: How the Murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Still Menaces the Peace.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News





WAR REPORT
FARC demands Colombia government release classified files
Havana (AFP) March 4, 2015
Colombia's FARC rebels called on the government Wednesday to release classified military and intelligence files about the half-century old civil war, saying full disclosure is key to any future reconciliation between the two sides. The Bogota government should "proceed to open up its official archives and definitively declassify information regarding various issues related to the conflict," ... read more


WAR REPORT
Miscanthus-based ethanol boasts higher profits

Metabolic path to improved biofuel production

Step change for screening could boost biofuels

Novel pretreatment could cut biofuel costs by 30 percent or more

WAR REPORT
Kids and robots learn to write together

Rise of the Machines: video gamers beware

Japan's Robear: Strength of a robot, face of a bear

HAPTIX Starts Work to Provide Prosthetic Hands with Sense of Touch

WAR REPORT
Wind energy: TUV Rheinland supervises Senvion sale

Bright spot for wind farms amid RET gloom

Allianz acquire OX2 wind farm in northern Sweden

No surprises for wind industry in NHMRC report

WAR REPORT
Understanding electric car 'range anxiety' could be key to wider acceptance

Making our highways safer and more efficient

Car industry welcomes Google, Apple but battles loom

Uber discloses data breach, theft of license numbers

WAR REPORT
Big box stores could ditch the grid, use natural gas fuel cells instead

Breakthrough in OLED technology

Glass coating improves battery performance

CWRU researchers bring clean energy a step closer

WAR REPORT
Fukushima Nuclear Exiles in No Hurry to Return Home

South Korea, Saudi Arabia to Pen Nuclear Cooperation Agreement

Areva nuclear group announces 4.8 bn euro loss

British nuclear site clean-up costs soar

WAR REPORT
Where you live could mean 'greener' alternatives do more harm than good

China to further streamline energy layout amid "new normal"

Reducing emissions with a more effective carbon capture method

Europe still off mark on sustainability goals: report

WAR REPORT
Landless Brazilians in GM eucalyptus protest

Direct evidence that drought-weakened Amazonian forests 'inhale less carbon'

Amazon deforestation 'threshold' causes species loss to accelerate

Munching bugs thwart eager trees, reducing the carbon sink




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.