Just stop:
In 2014 Russia-backed separatists used a blend of digital and traditional fighting during their takeover of Crimea, and the Pentagon took note.
As the Russians blitzed the contested eastern region of Ukraine with cyberattacks, electromagnetic jamming and unmanned aerial systems, the U.S. military closely monitored the battle tactics, according to officials speaking Oct. 8 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting. ...
How the Russians embraced hybrid warfare showed just how effective overlapping these tactics could be. [emphasis added]
So what makes Russia's invasion "hybrid" warfare? The article notes cyber-warfare, electromagnetic jamming, and drones. These helped demoralize Ukrainian troops and helped Russian artillery find targets.
Meh. That's warfare. Plain and simple.
Russia has long--since it was the Soviet Union--had potent electronic warfare capabilities. Those have been improved and cyber-warfare has been added to it. And drones are just a more persistent and capable version of spotter planes.
Yes, Russia put those things together to demoralize troops--which was done by radio or pamphlets in the past.
And Russia put those things together to bombard enemy troops that unwisely massed without digging in when they stayed too long in one place.
And Russia had the huge advantage of going to war against a country whose armed forces were in bad shape from deliberate pro-Russian policies by pro-Russia leaders; and those armed forces were in chaos from the revolution that overthrew the pro-Russia leadership.
Honest to God, the Crimea takeover was impressive but it had unique circumstances that prevent it from being Exhibit A in the hybrid warfare craze sweeping Western defense circles.
Obviously, we need to react to Russian capabilities. But stop the analysis paralysis.
I don't know if the hybrid war craze flows from me being on crazy pills or everybody else gulping them down like M & Ms. Hybrid warfare is simple. It consists of Russia invading a country, Russia denying it, and the West going along with the fiction.
