Europe Deploys Defenses for Russian Hybrid Warfare

The European Union has developed a hybrid warfare defense strategy. The decision to implement this plan comes two years after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine and initiated a proxy war in East Ukraine.

This position from Europe has arisen as Russia continues its nationalist march for old glory. The advent of Russian proxy and hybrid warfare began with the Russo-Georgian War of 2008, followed by a series of edgy intrusions, in Ukraine by way of proxy forces and Syria through direct intervention. Russia is flagrantly seeking to undermine Europe’s economic and political union through posturing, air and sea incursions, and the manipulation of oil and gas resources.

“The European Commission and the High Representative adopted today a Joint Framework to counter hybrid threats and foster the resilience of the EU, its Member States and partner countries while increasing cooperation with NATO on countering these threats.

In recent years, the EU and its Member States have been increasingly exposed to hybrid threats that comprise hostile actions designed to destabilize a region or a state. The European Commission and the High Representative adopted today a Joint Framework to counter hybrid threats and foster the resilience of the EU, its Member States and partner countries while increasing cooperation with NATO on countering these threats.

High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said: ‘In recent years, the security environment has changed dramatically. We have seen the rise of hybrid threats on EU’s borders. There has been a strong call for the EU to adapt and increase its capacities as a security provider. The relationship between internal and external security needs to be further strengthened. With these new proposals, we want to enhance our capacity to counter threats of hybrid nature. In this effort, we will also step up cooperation and coordination with NATO.'”