The main purpose of this master's thesis is to offer a deeper understanding of disinformation trends and their causes in Slovakia by utilizing the theoretical and analytical framework of the concept of Truth Decay defined by the RAND Corporation in 2018. At the same time, the work also contributes to the exploration of the phenomenon of Truth Decay in general. The research stems from a premise that disinformation should not be strictly perceived as a tool of hybrid warfare. Hence, there is an increasing need to analyze disinformation as a wider societal problem that leaves its marks on society in different ways. Based on 11 expert interviews with professionals with different backgrounds (academia, think tanks, government institutions, security institutions, journalism, or psychology), this master's thesis consists of two main analytical chapters. The first one analyzes four trends of Truth Decay in a Slovak setting: an increasing disagreement about facts and analytical interpretations of facts and data; a blurring of the line between opinion and fact; an increase in the relative volume, and resulting influence, of opinion and personal experience over fact; and lowered trust in formerly respected sources of factual information. The second analytical chapter is focusing on possible drivers of these...

Diploma thesis is focused on the issue of the information warfare in context of debate about modern warfare. Firstly, thesis presented the debate of modern ways of warfare, which consists concepts such as hybrid warfare, non-linear warfare etc. Then presented three main concepts of information warfare in the context of this debate and within the three centres of contemporary power in the world (West, Russia and China). Western concept clearly separating war and peace, Russian complex concept of hybrid-information war and Chinese concept of three warafres. Subsequently, the thesis develops a thesis on the securitization of information warfare in the western environment (EU and NATO states). Securitization is understood as a rhetorical act that presents a phenomenon as a major security threat. In the context of the West, the information warfare has been to some extent securitized. This whole securitization is problematic if we look at the information warfare as a normal state of international relations, which are inherently conflicting and anarchic.

Since 2010 IS has transformed itself from a terroristgroup to an insurgency organisation that held territory from Mosul in Iraq to Aleppo in Syria. Through this conquest of territory it has proven it’s capabilities in launching conventional style offenses but also it use of irregular tactics and the use of different terrorist acts using suicide bombers and vehicle-borne improvised explosions. This study examines IS warfare between 2010 and 2015 and examens if David Galulas theory ’Insurgency doctrin’ and Frank Hoffmans theory ’Hybrid warfare’ can describe IS warfare through this period. This analysis shows that IS partially can be described through the insurgency doctrin theory as an insurgency following the steps that it descibes. It also shows that while IS follows the steps it also continued to use blind terrorism and selektive terrorism through the whole campaigns. Further more the analysis also shows that IS can be described through Frank Hoffmans ’Hybrid warfare’ theory. IS used conventional means such as military weapons and equipment along with artillery, tanks, anti-tank weapons in both conventional and irregular ways. It’s extensive use of IED, VBIED IS used technology in an ortodox way by rebuildning vehicles and drones into mobile IED’s but also vehicles into light fighting vehicles by mounting heavy machineguns on pickups. This study also concludes that IS can not be described as an hybrid actor becuse it strives at building a regulare army. The conclusion of this study is that IS warfare can be described as an insurgent uprising with hybrid elements. Since 2010 IS has transformed itself from a terroristgroup to an insurgency organisation that held territory from Mosul in Iraq to Aleppo in Syria. Through this conquest of territory it has proven it’s capabilities in launching conventional style offenses but also it use of irregular tactics and the use of different terrorist acts using suicide bombers and vehicle-borne improvised explosions. This study examines IS warfare between 2010 and 2015 and examens if David Galulas theory ’Insurgency doctrin’ and Frank Hoffmans theory ’Hybrid warfare’ can describe IS warfare through this period. This analysis shows that IS partially can be described through the insurgency doctrin theory as an insurgency following the steps that it descibes. It also shows that while IS follows the steps it also continued to use blind terrorism and selektive terrorism through the whole campaigns. Further more the analysis also shows that IS can be described through Frank Hoffmans ’Hybrid warfare’ theory. IS used conventional means such as military weapons and equipment along with artillery, tanks, anti-tank weapons in both conventional and irregular ways. It’s extensive use of IED, VBIED IS used technology in an ortodox way by rebuildning vehicles and drones into mobile IED’s but also vehicles into light fighting vehicles by mounting heavy machineguns on pickups. This study also concludes that IS can not be described as an hybrid actor becuse it strives at building a regulare army The conclusion of this study is that IS warfare can be described as an insurgent uprising with hybrid elements

The purpose of this thesis to to investigate if the complex and ambiguous means of a hybrid warfare strategy in the context of the ‘armed attack’ threshold. The ‘armed attack’ threshold sits within the UN Charter article 51 and it constitutes the legal provision that the right to self-defence, both unilaterally and collectively, is only triggered in the event of an ‘armed attack’. It is therefore important to determine if this threshold can through the ambiguous and complex structure of hybrid warfare be circumvented or obfuscated to prevent, delay or weaken a State’s ability to act in self- defence or by other means. To examine this problem, this thesis approached it by describing the concept of hybrid warfare and the legal framework that constitute the ‘armed attack’ notion in the context of self-defence. And by, to the extent possible analysed if the hybrid warfare means; cyber warfare, information warfare and the use or support of proxy forces could individually amount to an ‘armed attack’ by viewing how these means were used in Ukraine by Russia. This thesis argues, that a hybrid adversary can through the inherently complex and ambiguous nature of hybrid warfare and its means, obfuscate its attribution under certain circumstance to prevent, limit or delay the ability of a State to act in self-defence or by other means.

Hybrid warfare is a phenomenon that have gained an ever increasingly amount of attention in the aftermath of the events in Ukraine 2014. A war broke out between on one hand Ukraine and the other hand an opponent who seems to be composed of so called “little green men”. The war has been waged with methods that has reached beyond the conventional way of waging. And while there are many discussions amongst the cadets at the Swedish Military Academy concerning what exactly hybrid warfare is, not much have been said about what to do about it.  The following essay will address hybrid warfare and defence against hybrid warfare and with the help of a theoretical framework based upon military science investigate how Sweden responds to the threats connected to hybrid warfare on a strategic level.  The result of the research done will show how Swedish strategic doctrines identifies the threats of hybrid warfare and suggests a holistic approach in both how to deny the opponent the opportunity to use hybrid warfare and how to counter hybrid threats.

Russia's renewed interest and involvement in the African continent is reminiscent of a time when the Soviet Union supported various ideologically aligned groups to win a geopolitical power struggle and assert its position as a global superpower. The motives seem to have changed, but the question is whether Russian warfare in Africa has changed as well. In this comparative study, the Soviet Union's support for the MPLA and their takeover in Angola in 1975 is compared with Russia's support for the military junta that seized power in Mali after a military coup in 2020, aiming to determine how Russian/Soviet warfare in Africa has evolved over time. Supported by Thomas Rid and Lars Ulfving's theoretical framework on so-called active measures, three operationalized variables are identified and analyzed as: white, gray, and black. Through qualitative text analysis, reports and literature from the cases are examined. The results of this study provide a deeper understanding of how hybrid warfare has been and is currently used as a means of Russian influence in Africa. The methods for this have rather been reinforced than changed historically by global development trends, especially the spread of information technology and the utilization of private companies and other actors. This study has confirmed that there is a historically rooted common Russian strategy to acquire and exert influence, a strategy based on the Soviet Union's traditional methods, active measures. A dual strategy consisting of both official policies and unofficial means where the unofficial means are driven by private actors, facilitating Russia's plausible deniability.

Technology, perceived by many organizations to be a tool, has evolved from a set of tools, to a location in which many companies have located their key terrain through digitization. That location is cyberspace, an inherently compromised, hostile environment, marked by rapid change and intense competition. It is analogous to a dark alley lined with dumpsters and shadowy doorways with numerous people seeking to challenge organizational objectives. Despite the prevalence of digitization, which has transformed the organization from an anthropological manifestation to a cyborg construction, there does not currently exist a strategic view of the firm which explores the integration of the organization and cyberspace. This paper conceptualizes the Cyber-Based View of the Firm, a dynamic view designed to capture the complex interactions between people, technology, and data that enable cyberattack. A meta-analysis of current theory frames the research gap into which the Cyber-Based View fits. This meta-analysis, in conjunction with an exploratory case study of the Stuxnet attack, identified the need for physical mediation of the cognitive – informational interaction. Finally, the Cyber-Based View was used as a forensic tool to conduct a qualitative multi-case study. Using a failure autopsy approach, eight events were developed into case studies by examining, coding, and recombining the narratives within the qualitative data. A pattern matching technique was used to compare the empirical patterns of the case studies with the proposed patterns of the research construct, providing strong evidence of model validity. / Business Administration/Strategic Management

The Russian Federation has recently implemented a foreign policy strategy aimed at subverting the West’s ability to deter Russia from destabilizing its neighbors. This strategy combines elements of conventional military strategy with “weaponized information” in order to achieve success in the political and military arenas of conflict. “Weaponized Information” goes beyond the “network-centric” warfare envisioned by cyber security experts, focused instead upon the development of “fake news,” disinformation, and encouraging conflicting media narratives. This thesis explores this strategy through Thomas Schelling’s framework of deterrence elucidated in Arms and Influence and uses recent events in Ukraine, Syria, the United States, and Europe to describe the development and implementation of “weaponized information” in 21st Century international conflicts. / Master of Arts / Beginning with the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014, this thesis will examine the development of Russia’s strategy of “weaponized information.” “Weaponized information” includes: “fake news,” election tampering, disinformation, and hacking. Weaponized information compliments conventional military operations in order to keep Russia’s adversaries from realizing they are under attack and keeps Russia’s adversaries from intervening against Russia. This thesis examines the historical reasons Russia has developed this strategy, how it intersects with theory on how to stop adversaries from intervening against a country’s actions, and provides real-world examples of how and where weaponized information is used. Understanding these events will better prepare the United States and the West to defend themselves against aggressive states that seek to harm them. This thesis also attempts to provide to combine understanding of this military strategy with academic work on how to analyze it to better prepare future scholars who research in this field.

This diploma thesis delves into the possibility of the Western democratic state waging hybrid warfare. The hybrid warfare has been throughout its existence almost exclusively attributed to undemocratic regimes, which often utilize it in an aggressive fashion. In order to challenge this notion, this thesis seeks to reinterpret the conduct of the USA during the opening stages of the Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan 2001, through the lenses of hybrid warfare. Since hybrid warfare is very wide, often poorly defined term, the author chose to conceptualize a well- known description of Russian hybrid warfare, created by András Rácz in 2015, through which the studied case is then reinterpreted. The possibility of the Western democratic state waging hybrid warfare is, as far as existing research goes, completely unexplored, this thesis is hence delving into a completely new research area. This thesis also ponders on how this realization of Western ability to wage hybrid war can influence our outlook on the phenomenon itself. With this thesis, the author seeks to offer a new, factual outlook on hybrid warfare, unhindered by biases and emotional undertone which sadly mires many contributions to the academic debate on the topic. This new perspective on hybrid warfare, in authors personal opinion, can...

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