A deep dive into Russia’s motivations.
In Episode 48 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast, we discuss the historical motivations and modern methods behind Russia’s use of hybrid warfare on the international stage. Our guests begin today’s conversation discussing how significant historical events and Russian cultural memory shape the Russian worldview, with particular emphasis on the role that the collapse of the Soviet Union had on the psyche of Vladimir Putin himself. They explore Russian motivations and methods since the end of the twentieth century and then pivot to potential Western responses to an increasingly aggressive Russia. Our guests conclude with implications for both the public and the practitioner.
THE MOTIVATIONS AND METHODS BEHIND RUSSIAN HYBRID WARFARE, Irregular Warfare Podcast
Ok, but what is hybrid warfare?
In Putin’s mind, America is the country that has been waging hybrid warfare, political warfare, irregular warfare, against Russia for decades.
Dr. Rob Person, ~21:55
It’s not political warfare and it’s not irregular warfare. It is its own thing, apparently.
We know what irregular warfare is (and what it is not), and we know that irregular warfare is the military’s contribution to political warfare.
So where exactly does hybrid warfare fit in?
I’m going to take a look, but my gut tells me that it’s just another hodge-podge of sub-terms that gets lumped together to form a new, different, more confusing term.
In the episode, I particularly enjoyed this breakdown of Cold War tactics and the splitting of terms done here.
There is stuff we throw in the hybrid warfare bucket that I really don’t think belongs in that bucket. For example, a lot of Russian cyber activity is indeed routine espionage. Now, you don’t have to like it, but I’m afraid it is routine espionage that most major powers do against one another.
Shashank Joshi, ~31:00
“A Cold War, fought with information and espionage.”
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