The College of International Security Studies held the opening session of the Seminar in Irregular Warfare and Hybrid Threats at the George C. Marshall European Center, Jan. 24, 2022.

The seminar includes more than 70 participants from nearly 50 countries consisting of mid-level security practitioners working in the government and civilian sector.

The course was created nearly two years ago to help practitioners identify the actions adversarial states employ in the Grey Zone below the threshold of direct military conflict to undermine the security of democratic states.

“You don’t have to look very far to find that irregular warfare and hybrid threats, regardless of the outcome of the war in Ukraine, are going to be the chosen way for adversaries who seek to undermine democracies and all the common values,” said Marshall Center Director Barre Seguin in his opening remarks. “It’s not going away any time soon.”

The seminar aims to introduce participants to a range of tools and analytical frameworks that will help their countries deter, defend against and improve their resiliency against irregular warfare and hybrid threats. 

Participants will also be connected to an international group of security practitioners—including Marshall Center alumni, to foster effective bilateral, regional and global partnering efforts.