Overheard Hybrid Warfare: A Conversation with Dr. Frank Hoffman
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Aug 15, 2025 Dr. Frank Hoffman, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel and national security scholar, delves into the origins of hybrid warfare, a term he popularized nearly two decades ago. He discusses the strategic context and his influences, notably unrestricted warfare. Hoffman examines how Russia's actions in Crimea reshaped the interpretation of hybrid tactics, highlighting critiques of the term in Europe. He warns about current threats, especially in information and cognitive warfare, and offers insights on future defense strategies.
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Origin Story Of The Term Hybrid
- Frank Hoffman was tasked by General Hanlon in 2004–05 to develop a new threat concept for the Marine Corps and researched foreign doctrines like Chinese "unrestricted warfare."
- General Mattis suggested the term "hybrid," which Hoffman adopted after testing it in speeches and audiences.
Four Faces Replace The Continuum
- Hoffman moved away from a conflict continuum and now frames future conflict as four overlapping modes: conventional, proxy, societal, and cognitive warfare.
- He argues these four "faces" better represent how actors mix capabilities in conflicts like Ukraine.
Crimea Shifted European Use Of 'Hybrid'
- Crimea's 2014 operation dragged "hybrid" into European discourse but Europeans often use it to mean subversion, sabotage, and political warfare below the threshold of open war.
- Hoffman warns this European usage over-militarizes political and law-enforcement problems.
