Connections vol. 21, no.2, Spring 2022 Hybrid Warfare and the Need for Intermediate Force Capabilities

NATO is faced with adversaries undertaking acts of aggression that deliberately stay below the lethal force threshold or aim to trigger a lethal response from NATO and incur costs to the Alliance such as undesired escalation, risks of collateral damage, including civilian casualties, or negative narratives. Examples of these activities range from dangerous aerial and maritime approaches, fomenting unrest and using refugees as a weapon, and even use of force short of lethal to intimidate opponents. Currently, the NATO responses are often limited to two extremes of mere presence or applying lethal force, thus ceding the initiative to the adversary. This issue contains a set of articles exploring intermediate force capabilities (e.g., non-lethal weapons, cyber, information operations, electromagnetic warfare, and strategic capabilities such as stability policing and use of special operation forces) and how they can address current NATO dilemma when operating below the threshold of lethal force.

Editors: Peter Dobias and John Nelson

PDF icon qj_21.2_hybrid_ifc.pdf

Contents

Dobias, Peter. "Hybrid Warfare and the Need for Intermediate Force Capabilities." Connections: The Quarterly Journal 21, no. 2 (2022): 5-9.
Derleth, Jim, and Jeff Pickler. "Twenty-first Century Threats Require Twenty-first Century Deterrence." Connections: The Quarterly Journal 21, no. 2 (2022): 11-23.
Matthews, Ron. "The Case for an Economic NATO." Connections: The Quarterly Journal 21, no. 2 (2022): 25-39.
Dobias, Peter, and Kyle Christensen. "The 'Grey Zone' and Hybrid Activities." Connections: The Quarterly Journal 21, no. 2 (2022): 41-54.
LeVine, Susan. "Nonlethal Weapons and Intermediate Force: A Necessary Complement to Lethality." Connections: The Quarterly Journal 21, no. 2 (2022): 55-66.
Nelson, John. "Developing a NATO Intermediate Force Capabilities Concept." Connections: The Quarterly Journal 21, no. 2 (2022): 67-84.
Grocholski, Krista Romita, and Scott Savitz. "How to Assess the Impact of Non-Lethal Weapons." Connections: The Quarterly Journal 21, no. 2 (2022): 85-95.
Dobias, Peter, Kyle Christensen, and William Freid. "Gaming Intermediate Force Capabilities: Strategic Implications of Tactical Decisions." Connections: The Quarterly Journal 21, no. 2 (2022): 97-109.
Waldman, Suzanne, and Sean Havel. "Launching Narrative into the Information Battlefield." Connections: The Quarterly Journal 21, no. 2 (2022): 111-122.
Foley, Shannon, Caitlin Jackson, Susan Aros, and Anne Marie Baylouny. "NATO and Intermediate Force Capabilities: Why Human Effects Matter." Connections: The Quarterly Journal 21, no. 2 (2022): 123-134.