At the Berlin Security Conference, Admiral Rob Bauer, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, calls for hybrid threats to be clearly identified as such. He also dispels any over-reliance on technology.
“If it looks like a duck, moves like a duck and sounds like a duck, then it’s probably a duck,” stated Admiral Rob Bauer at the Berlin Security Conference (BSC) 2023. With this allegory, he is referring to the detection of hybrid threats. He calls for such incidents to be clearly classified as hybrid attacks if there are increasing signs of them.
However, Bauer also makes it clear that – in line with the nature of hybrid attacks – it is impossible to prevent them completely. For this reason, society must become more resilient. For this to succeed, scenario-based training is required.
In addition, however, the European multi-state nature also poses a challenge for attribution. Attribution becomes much more difficult when several states are affected. Technology could help to overcome this. Bauer consequently recommends a dual strategy in order to respond better to hybrid threats: Training on the one hand and investment in technology on the other.
Technology is not a panacea
However, Bauer resists the narrative that all military challenges can simply be overcome through technology. To back this up, he refers to Ukraine. The Ukrainian army is looking for new soldiers, he says, because simply replacing people with technology is an illusion. In the case of defense, soldiers are needed on the ground.
Contrary to what is often claimed, it is not impossible to motivate people to join the armed forces. He backs up his thesis with the example of Sweden and Norway. A clever and efficient recruitment system has been developed there. Relying solely on a volunteer army, on the other hand, is naive, according to Bauer.
Building on this insight, Bauer retains the conviction that a credible deterrent, underpinned by exercises and appropriate budgets, is the best defense.