Hybrid Threat Adaptation Examples

Hybrid threat adaptation is the ability to find a way to defeat or at a minimum negate the effectiveness of the hybrid threat. This adaptation process can occur in one of two ways, it can occur as a natural adaptation or as a directed adaptation.

A natural adaptation occurs when the government or group of personnel facing the hybrid threat have the ability to adapt their equipment, personnel, or TTPs proactively to the threat using their political, economic, military or informational capabilities. Natural adaptation is deemed a progressive process that is available due to increased technology, political ties, funding, materials and the advancement of key capabilities. Natural adaptation is not aligned to only standing governments,
it occurs often within terrorist and criminal organizations. These types of groups are able to rapidly change their TTPs and procure new/improved equipment to use against joint forces and agencies that are attempting to disrupt their current endeavors. This is able to be accomplished quicker than many conventional militaries have the ability to do because these organizations are able to make faster decisions without the red tape of many established governments.

Directed adaptation is driven by lessons learned and is therefore reactive.
It is used to counter the advantages that the US has over most of its adversaries such as technology, proven doctrine, and the combination of size and power associated with the US Military

Natural or directed adaptation are driven by a core set of military fundamentals regardless of whom is employing the adaptation process. The main goals are always the same, the desire to counter technology, control the tempo of the battle, change the nature of the conflict, prevent sanctuary, employ shielding, and having the ability to attack at will. Essentially being able to counter or overcome your adversaries’ strengths, enabling you to shape the battlefield and defeat your opponent. .

My personal view is that we as a US Military force have used directed adaptation more frequently during OIF and OEF than we used natural adaptation. Our technological advances and equipment improvements were driven from lessons learned during battle because the enemy was using low level/low technology resources to bring the fight to us. Early in OIF many units had to create their own up armored vehicles using whatever they could find because we as a military didn’t have factory up armored vehicles. Then as the enemy IEDs became more powerful i.e. EFPs we went through numerous stages of upgrades to the initially fielded armored vehicles. The enemy capability drove us to create numerous different models of jamming systems to protect our convoys from IEDs and
EFPs.

The adaptation process is driven by the abilities of our enemies and our own short comings, it is a process that occurs at all levels of the battlefield and will continue to occur. If you don’t adapt to your environment your environment will kill you.