The ‘sudden’ eruption of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2014 has propelled the concept of ‘hybrid threats’ to the forefront of the international public and political debate.
A hybrid threat refers to, in the definition of the US Joint Forces Command, “any adversary that simultaneously and adaptively employs a tailored mix of conventional, irregular, terrorism, and criminal means or activities in the operational battle space. Rather than a single entity, a hybrid threat or challenger may be a combination of state and non-state actors”. Therefore, almost by definition, the strategic response to a hybrid threat is, or should be, taken on the whole of government or even whole of society level.
HCSS hosts a Round Table on this topic on Thursday, 12 January 2017.
This Round Table concentrates on the ‘battle of the narratives’ as a central part of hybrid (counter-)strategies. ISIS, for example, intensively and smartly uses social media to spread their message. Strategic communication – the systematic planning and realization of information flow, communication, media development and image care in a long-term horizon – is required to both respond to this, as well as to provide viable alternative narratives.
Participation is by invitation only. There are no longer seats available at the Round Table.
