Countering Russian Strategic Approaches: Special Operations in Hybrid Warfare
“Countering Russian Strategic Approaches: Special Operations in Hybrid Warfare“
Speaker: Meredith, S. (National Defense University)
Date: 14 June 2019
Speaker Session Preview
SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Dr. Spencer Meredith III (National Defense University) as a part of its SMA EUCOM Speaker Series. To begin, Dr. Meredith spoke about Russia’s strategic identity. He stated that Russia is “not a normal state, but a very normal empire” due to its primary goal of gaining the power to control. Russia’s mafia governance, expansionist empire, Messianic mission, and hope to become a “normal” state are also some of Russia’s key identifying features. Dr. Meredith then discussed the challenges that US dominance and NATO expansion present in the eyes of the Kremlin. He stated that Russia believes these rival power centers are trying to expose Russian weakness and inflict serious blows to the Russian strategic identity. Furthermore, according to Dr. Meredith, Russia is not acting defensively. It was outmaneuvered by post-Cold War US actions across the globe and across a variety of domains, which consequently undermined the Kremlin’s ability to “occupy a unique place in history.” This sense of US/NATO-Russia rivalry drives Russia’s need to compete for global influence. Dr. Meredith then described Russia’s flexible strategic narrative, while highlighting the key role disinformation plays. He also identified some of Russia’s core hybrid warfare concepts, including reflexive control, active measures as political warfare, offense dominance, camouflage, and surprise. He then specified some of the “special” equities the Kremlin uses in great power competition, as well as their current applications. Dr. Meredith also explained how the logic of hybrid warfare works in Russia’s favor and identified the dynamics affecting future Russian special operations uses, namely its projected 1/3 population decline by 2050 and petropolitical issues. Next, he provided examples of potential future Russian special operations uses and discussed US/NATO special operations forces’ (SOF) abilities to accomplish three primary tasks in great power competition: 1) conducting presence operations to raise operating costs, 2) building partner capacity and networking, and 3) building a deterrent effort of resilience, which would lead to resistance mobilization and reduce Russian opportunities on the board. To conclude, he spoke about irregular warfare writ large and emphasized that hybrid warfare will be here for the foreseeable future.
Speaker Session Audio File
To access an audio recording of the session, please email Ms. Nicole Omundson (nomundson@nsiteam.com).
Dr. Spencer B. Meredith III
Dr. Spencer B. Meredith III serves as an Associate Professor of National Security Strategy at the National Defense University (NDU) / College of International Security Affairs (CISA) / Joint Special Operations Master of Arts (JSOMA) program. With two decades of research and support to governance and conflict mitigation, his principle areas of expertise are Russian, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern politics. Focused on hybrid warfare and countering peer-adversary influence, he is a Subject Matter Expert for multiple Geographic Combatant Command, Intelligence Community, and Joint Special Operations efforts. He has briefed at the National Security Council multiple times, and presented and participated in multiple USG and NATO senior leader events. His current work focuses on democratization and the human domain in great power competition.
With a doctorate from the University of Virginia in Government and Foreign Affairs, as well as a Fulbright Scholarship to the Republic of Georgia, Dr. Meredith has a broad record of scholarship. His first book, Nuclear Energy Safety and International Cooperation: Closing the World’s Most Dangerous Reactors (2014) resulted from work with key US Interagency and partner nations in Eastern Europe. His articles have appeared in peer-reviewed journals ranging from Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Peace and Conflict Studies, Central European Political Science Review, to Special Operations Journal; as well as in professional publications including Strategy Bridge, Small Wars Journal, Inter-Agency Journal, Special Warfare, and Foreign Policy Journal. He is a regular contributor to Joint Staff White Papers on the contemporary and emerging security environment, as well as frequent advisor for Special Operations commands and subordinate units at Fort Bragg.
Dr. Meredith co-leads the “SOF Paradigm in Great Power Competition” project for the Future of Global Competition and Conflict SMA with LTC Maloney (USASOC). They are co-authoring a forthcoming book looking specifically at hybrid warfare in great power competition, focused on special operations as a critical element of national security strategy.
Site-wide Search
Search all site content, including all NSI and SMA publications, SMA Speaker series, NSI Team member bios, services, portfolio projects, company info, and more.
