Speaker: Dr. Sam Mullins (Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies)
Date: 27 March 2025
Speaker Session Summary
SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Sam Mullins (Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies) as part of its SMA General Speaker Series.
State governments employ non-state actors (NSAs) to conduct irregular warfare (IW) through both kinetic operations and soft-power influence, often targeting civil society organizations and educational institutions. Dr. Mullins noted that while NSAs that engage in violent activities, such as the Russia-linked Wagner Group, are most commonly studied, it is important to note that the use of NSAs in other domains, such as cyber, is becoming increasingly attractive in the eyes of states. He emphasized that the relationship between states and their proxies exists on a continuum and evolves over time. Additionally, he pointed out that not all actions committed by proxies are illegal, making it challenging for states to counter their influence effectively.
Dr. Mullins highlighted the unique relationship between the Wagner Group and the Kremlin, which helps explain certain events, such as US-Wagner conflict that unfolded in Syria during the Syrian Civil War and the Wagner Group’s eventual rebellion, culminating in the death of its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Dr. Mullins explainedthat Prigozhin’s fate was likely sealed when he began publicly revealing the scale of the Wagner Group’s casualties in Ukraine and criticizing Russian military leadership.
Dr. Mullins noted that China has also utilized NSAs to advance its economic and political interests. Chinese hackers, for instance, have been employed to extort businesses and test the resilience of foreign critical infrastructure. These cyber actors paused their activities for a few years after being exposed, but they eventually resumed their malign operations, seemingly undeterred by being “named and shamed”. Dr. Mullins also emphasized that the interests and motivations of NSAs do not always align with those of the states that employ them, creating potential vulnerabilities that adversaries could exploit to drive wedges between them. Dr. Mullins stressed that countering adversaries’ use of proxies will require synchronized efforts across US institutions and those of its allies, especially in the information space, as most of 21st century warfare occurs in the information environment.
Speaker Session Recording
Also forthcoming!
Briefing Materials
Biography: Dr. Sam Mullins is a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) in Hawaii, where he focuses on irregular warfare, hybrid threats, and counterterrorism. Previously, he was a professor of counterterrorism at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Germany, where he was awarded the Superior Civilian Service Award in March 2019. Dr. Mullins has presented his work for a wide variety of government agencies, and spoken at numerous international conferences and workshops around the globe. He holds an MA (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Glasgow, Scotland; an MSc in Investigative Psychology, with distinction, from the University of Liverpool, UK; and a PhD from the University of Wollongong, Australia. He is the author of two books: ‘Home-Grown’ Jihad: Understanding Islamist Terrorism in the US and UK, and Jihadist Infiltration of Migrant Flows to Europe: Perpetrators, Modus Operandi and Policy Implications.
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