Hybrid warfare: untraceable armies and invisible hands

Abstract

The object of this research is the concept of “hybrid forces”. Hybrid warfare is a war that employs hybrid force, which hybridity depends on whether they are composed of regular or irregular component. Initially, the irregular component involved partisans, who were later replaced by Special Forces Units, including Commando, which continued to perform a role of irregular units. Hybrid forces, in accordance with the Western doctrines, are most effective. Therefore, it appears relevant to conduct a historical overview and specify methodological approaches towards emergence, role, effectiveness, and potential usage of hybrid forces based on the data provided in foreign sources. The concept is examines its initial meaning, content and relevance of application in describing the conduct of military operations in the modern conditions. The scientific novelty of this work consists in the analysis of foreign source, which in the author’s opinion, underlies the concept of “hybrid warfare”. The historical retrospective, presented in the source, would help theoreticians of hybrid warfare to define this concept with more precision. The conclusion is made that the phenomenon recently dubbed as “hybrid warfare” and “hybrid forces” is not new and has analogues in human history.