Hybrid Threats: The New Invisible Enemy

Before delving deeper, it is worth clarifying a series of concepts that are closely related and often confused: grey zone, hybrid strategy, hybrid threats, and hybrid warfare.

According to Guillem Colom Piella, editor of Global Strategy, a full member of the Academy of Military Sciences and Arts, and one of the leading experts in the field, the grey zone is an area between peace and the threshold of armed conflict—what the Anglo-Saxon world refers to as an in-between. It involves actions outside the principle of bona fide (good faith) between states, although it could also include an exchange of precision munitions between two parties during peacetime.

A hybrid strategy, meanwhile, is the multidimensional or integrated articulation of different instruments of power, either directly or through proxies, for coercive purposes against an adversary or competitor, specifically targeting their systemic vulnerabilities.

A hybrid threat is the simultaneous and adaptive use of all types of instruments of power, aimed primarily at coercion. Finally, hybrid warfare entails the use of conventional military actions, irregular forces, and hybrid strategies, as seen in the early stages of the war in Ukraine.

In today’s world, things are rarely black or white, and when an event of this magnitude occurs in the grey zone, responding to a threat becomes complex. For this reason, it is crucial first to detect the threat, which in many cases may turn out to be a false positive.

Another critical point is attribution, as often the origin of the threat is unknown—such as the recent sightings of drones near airports in several European capitals.

Indra’s Comprehensive Approach to Hybrid Threats

To anticipate, detect, and respond to hybrid threats and conflicts, as well as actions in the grey zone, Indra Group has launched IndraMind, the technological initiative that develops sovereign AI within a cyber-resilient environment to ensure comprehensive protection of our citizens, territories, infrastructures, and critical physical and digital assets.

IndraMind technology analyses vast amounts of data to detect suspicious patterns and prevent destabilisation campaigns.

Through our AI platform, we strengthen our global security vision and enhance advantage and deterrence against threats.

With IndraMind, we protect critical infrastructures, improve crisis and emergency management, safeguard territories, provide superiority to our Armed Forces, and help defend our democracies and way of life.

In the same vein, Indra coordinates a European project called ECYSAP (European Cyber Situational Awareness Platform), an initiative designed to detect and neutralise cyber threats that could compromise military operations. Its most notable feature is the ability to integrate data from both the physical and digital environments, enabling real-time assessment of the potential impact of a cyberattack on a mission.

Hybrid threats, hybrid conflicts, and actions in the grey zone are a reality that challenge traditional security paradigms. Against these new forms of aggression, international cooperation, advanced technology, and strategic thinking are the best weapons.