NATO
must continue to innovate to respond to the implications of so-called “hybrid
warfare” tactics used by Russia in the Ukraine crisis, said
NATO Secretary
General Jens Stoltenberg during the
Alliance’s annual transformation seminar in Washington, D.C., March 25. Since
the Russian intervention in Crimea, NATO’s security environment has changed
“dramatically,” and now the Alliance must embrace its historical mandate of
collective defense and the task of reacting to crises. “For the first time in
NATO’s history, we have to do both at the same time,” he said, adding this is
the driving force behind the creation of the NATO
Spearhead
Force. Rapid response capabilities will help NATO respond to the challenge
of hybrid war, which Stoltenberg called a “dark reflection of our comprehensive
approach.” NATO and its allies use military and non-military power to stabilize
countries, while Russia has used proxy forces, unmarked forces, special
operations, propaganda, and intimidation to lay a “thick fog of confusion” and
attempt deniability. “Hybrid warfare is a probe. A test of our resolve to
assist and defend ourselves,” he said, and behind every hybrid threat are
conventional forces ready to exploit openings. Better early warning and intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities will aid NATO’s efforts to
respond to these threats, he said.