Category: Russia

In Conference, Hybrid Threats, Intelligence Analysis, Land Warfare, Professional Military Education (PME), Psycological Defence, Russia, Staff Ride, Staff Ride, Teaching and Learning, Urban Warfare

From 10-12 September the Swedish Defence University is host for the International Society of Military Sciences (ISMS) Annual Conference 2024. This years theme is “Scaling up, Learning Lessons, Ensuring Quality.”

I am co-chairing WG 1: War Studies, Operations and Tactics with LtCol Dr Lars Henåker. The program contains a range of interesting papers and presentations on the themes WAR IN UKRAINE, OPERATIONAL ARTS AND STRATEGY, INFORMATION SPACE AND THE COGNITIVE FRONTIERS OF WARFARE, and HYBRID/PRIVATE/AI. Conference Program

I am presenting three papers:

“Reevaluating Urban Warfare: Lessons and Strategies from the Ukraine Conflict” co-authored with Prof. Douglas W. Winton of the Dwight D. David Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University, US.

“From Battlefield to Classroom: Incorporating War Games and Staff Rides in Professional Military Education (PME) to enhance Urban Combat preparedness” co-authored with
Major Jonas Björkqvist of the Land Operations Division, Department of War Studies, Swedish Defence University

“Operationalizing Psychological Defense: A framework for assessing, addressing and evaluating hybrid threats in democratic societies”, discussing the findings of the report Building Resilience and Psychological Defence – An analytical framework for countering hybrid
threats and foreign influence and interference which I have co-authored with Björn Palmertz, Lund University Psychological Defence Research Institute, Docent Niklas Nilsson, Swedish Defence University and Dr Johan Engvall, Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies.

New book on Russian Warfare and Influence

By mikaelweissmann

On 22 July 2024

In Hybrid Threats, Psycological Defence, Publication, Russia

Our new book Russian Warfare and Influence: States in the Intersection between East and West by Bloomsbury Academic is out now! Buy it here https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/russian-warfare-and-influence-9781350335219/# or download it for free https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/monograph?docid=b-9781350335257&st=russian+warfare .

The book addresses the vulnerabilities of these countries to Russian influence and hybrid warfare tactics, as well as their responses to this security challenge. It includes a close examination of local developments in states such as Ukraine, Belarus, Finland, Armenia, Serbia and many others, analysing specific scenarios and practices, and draws on these observations to develop the current conceptual understanding of hybrid warfare as a phenomenon. Scholarship frequently focuses only on Russia and treats countries subjected to Russian hybrid measures as passive victims, thus providing an overly schematic picture of Russian behaviour. This book instead treats these states as actors in their own right, assessing their potential to address and counter the specific security problems arising from their geographic and political position.

1. Russian warfare and influence: States in the proximity of Russia
Mikael Weissmann and Niklas Nilsson

2. Is it still hybrid? Russian aggression against Ukraine
Hanna Shelest

3. Does Russia need a hybrid Belarus policy?
Grigory Ioffe

4. Russia’s influence operations in the Baltic states
Janis Berzinš

5. The vulnerable little brother: Opportunistic partnership and Serbia’s exposure to Russia’s spoiler tactics
Vuk Vuksanovic

6. ‘Kosovo is Serbia’: A case study unpacking how Russia advances (shared) Russian and Serbian interests in the Balkans by shaping perceptions on Kosovo
Dorthe Bach Nyemann

7. Beyond cyber and disinformation: Russian hybrid warfare tactics in Georgia
Kornely Kakachia and Shota Kakabadze

8. Russia’s utilization of unresolved conflicts and proxy regimes
Niklas Nilsson, Johan Engvall and Mikael Weissmann

9. A diverse picture of Russian warfare and influence
Niklas Nilsson and Mikael Weissmann

Doc. Dr. Mikael Weissmann is a Senior Lecturer in War Studies and the Deputy Director of the Land Operations Division at the Swedish Defence University’s Dep. of War Studies (IKV). He is the co-convenor of the Hybrid Threats Research Group (HTRG) and the Land Warfare Research Group (LWRG), as well as the Principal Investigator of the project “Building Resilience and Psychological Defence: Countering hybrid threats and foreign influence and interference.”

Weissmann’s research focuses on Security, Strategy, Intelligence and Influence. He focuses on four research themes: 1) Hybrid Threats and Foreign Interference, 2) Intelligence Analysis, 3) Land Operations and Tactics, and 4) China and East Asian Security and Strategy. He is also interested in Teaching & Learning with a special interest in practical and scenario-based exercises and examinations as well as Professional Military Education (PME).

His expertise includes:
- Intelligence Analysis
- Russian warfare and influence (particular interest in the Balkans and Eastern Europe)
- Hybrid threats- and warfare
- Urban Warfare
- Military operations and tactics
- China and East Asian security and strategy broadly defined.
- Practical and scenario-based exercises and examinations (including staff rides, wargames, case studies and simulations/roleplaying games)
- Professional Military Education (PME)

His research on China and East Asia focuses on
- China’s foreign policy and role in the world
- the South China Sea
- the North Korean nuclear conflict
- the Taiwan Issue
- Regional and Global Power Shift
- the Belt and Road initiative

ABOUT
Dr Mikael Weissmann is an Associate Professor in War Studies and Academic Head & Deputy Head of the Land Operations Division at the Swedish Defence University. He is co-convenor of the Land Warfare Research Group (LWRG) and the Hybrid Threats Research Group (HTRG). He is also a member of CSCAP-EU.

Weissmann’s research on security, strategy and warfare focuses on four research themes:
1) Hybrid Threats and Foreign Interference, 2) Intelligence Analysis, 3) Land Operations and Tactics, and 4) China and East Asian Security and Strategy.

He is also interested in Teaching & Learning with a special interest in practical and scenario-based exercises and examinations as well as Professional Military Education (PME).

His expertise includes:
- Hybrid threats- and warfare
- Land Warfare
- Urban Warfare
- Intelligence analysis
- Russian warfare and influence (particular interest in the Balkans and Eastern Europe)
- Military operations and tactics
- Military tactical thinking
- China and East Asian security and strategy broadly defined.
- Practical and scenario-based exercises and examinations (including staff rides, war games, case studies, scenario exercises, simulations and roleplaying games)
- Professional Military Education (PME)

His research on China and East Asia focuses on:
- China’s foreign policy and role in the world
- the South China Sea
- the North Korean nuclear conflict
- the Taiwan Issue
- Regional and Global Power Shift
- the Belt and Road initiative

Weissmann has also pursued research on track-two diplomacy, conflict management and peacebuilding as well as Sino-Russian and Europe’s relations with China and East Asia.

Land Warfare | Urban Warfare | Hybrid Threats and Foreign Interference| Intelligence Analysis | Russian Warfare & Influence | China | Asia

Category: Russia

International Society of MilitarySciences Conference 2024

New book on Russian Warfare and Influence

Table of Contents