Conceptualizing the Role of Societal Resilience in Countering Hybrid Warfare

Keywords:

Civil-Military Interoperability, Comprehensive approach, crisis management, disaster response, Hybrid threats, hybrid warfare, interagency cooperation, Risk reduction, Social Resilience, Societal Resilience

Abstract:

No single tool is available to counter the diversity and complexity of hybrid threats, examined by the authors as a as a military strategy that blends conventional war-fare, irregular warfare, and cyber warfare. The concept of hybrid warfare is used to describe the flexible and complex dynamics of the battlespace requiring a highly adaptable and resilient response. Reflecting on recent NATO policies and documents, this article looks into the importance of strengthening societal resilience, understood as the ability of a state, organization or society to absorb and recover from a shock.