Media, medical intelligence and hybrid war

Abstract

Contemporary hybrid war is a novelty in that it is taken to populated conflict zones, with the participation of the population, under the eyes of the international community. Thus, according to many authors, the most serious threats to the United States, including to its NATO dimension and to its partnership with Europe, would come from extremist groups and their ideology, fueled by poor urban areas of the world, where youth faces great economic and social problems, and is militating for a change. These unconventional actors can operate beyond state control by circumventing international borders, norms and agreements. Some of these belong to global terrorist networks, and others cooperate with criminal elements to destabilize certain areas. The hybrid confrontation with these groups will become "a clash beyond the physical elements of the conflict, in which media manipulation, the use of the internet and the integration of information operations with strategic communication programs are as important as weapon systems on the battlefield." Crises generated in the context of a hybrid war are events characterized by low probability and important consequences that threaten an organization for its most profound purposes. Because of their low probability, these events defy any interpretation and require a sustained effort to understand and adapt the reactions. Crises affecting social groups differ in their causes and duration. Obviously, because of the multitude of types of crises, human reason can only play a limited role in their development. However, they trigger human action, which can turn small deviations into major crises. Crisis and conflict management involves very complex systems of political, diplomatic, social, economic, cultural, international, military and other actions. Such a system could be structured on political, diplomatic, social, economic, informational, military, psychological and cultural components and could include the following types of action: on the causes; on effects; on the phenomenon; on value systems; on crisis-generating strongpoints (critical areas); on vulnerable sites; on the leaders.