Hybrid Warfare Reference Curriculum Volume III

The third volume offers a selection of topics suggested for those who wish to further deepen their theoretical knowledge on the subject matter. This volume consists of elective lectures in which the 20th and the 21st centuries are compared considering the wide presence and relevance of non-military instruments fused together with the kinetic and operational dimension, making the boundaries between state of war and peace indefinite. The phenomenon of strategic surprise will be analysed thoroughly, and it will be shown whether it has a particular resonance with Hybrid Warfare or does it really follow the patterns of other military activities. The defining characteristics of gray zone coercion will also be addressed in light of its specific relevance to the maritime domain. For the intellectually hungry, the salami slicing and cabbage peeling tactics will be introduced, too. The advantages and disadvantages of “hybrid warfare strategy” will be contemplated in various political and military contexts. Again, regional considerations will be analysed in a more thorough way. Some case studies will also help to put the issue into context, such as the war in Chechnya, in Georgia or the second Lebanon war, and more. Once again, the topic of social media will be raised, it being an important instrument not only for public diplomacy but also as a weapon of psychological operations using misleading information and merging it into the online discourse without the target audience realising it.