"Hybrid War: Russia's New National Strategy"

2021/05/29

This book analyzes Russia's "hybrid warfare" to clarify the reality of modern warfare and Russia's new military and diplomatic strategies.

"Hybrid warfare," a 21st-century form of conflict combining conventional and unconventional warfare, suddenly became recognized as a global threat following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. While tactics combining conventional and unconventional warfare have existed for a long time, in the modern era, new and extremely difficult-to-address elements such as cyberattacks, information warfare, and propaganda have taken on significant importance, clearly changing the way wars are fought. This was also highlighted by Russia's interference in the US presidential election, the so-called "Russiagate."

On the other hand, although the term "hybrid warfare" is rarely used in Russia, the modern type of warfare corresponding to it evolved from a military concept into something aligned with the theory of Russian foreign policy following the annexation of Crimea. By focusing on hybrid warfare, one can see Russia's diplomatic objectives, their complex reality, and even their next move.

The author conducted overseas research in Finland in fiscal year 2014 and witnessed the strong sense of crisis in the West regarding hybrid warfare. Awareness of this issue was further strengthened by the establishment of the "European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats" in Finland during the stay, in which EU and NATO countries participate. Additionally, considering that the former Soviet states, which have been the focus of the author's research, have always been exposed to the threat of Russia's hybrid warfare, the author believed that pursuing this issue would lead directly to clarifying the essence of Russian diplomacy, which led to the writing of this book. Furthermore, the editing of this book was handled by Mr. Atsushi Tokozawa (1995 Law graduate), a classmate from the Juku, and this book is also a fruit of the Juku's research.

Hybrid warfare is not someone else's problem; it has become clear that the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games were targets of Russian cyberattacks, and the author believes that Japan is also integrated into part of Russia's hybrid warfare against the United States. I would be delighted if this book serves as an opportunity for Japanese people to consider hybrid warfare as an urgent issue.

"Hybrid War: Russia's New National Strategy"

Yoko Hirose

Kodansha Gendai Shinsho

352 pages, 1,320 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and job titles are as of the time of publication.