US: politicians point to growing threats of hybrid warfare across Europe

US: The United States’ interests, NATO unity, and democratic institutions are at risk due to Russia and China’s growing “hybrid warfare” campaign throughout Europe, according to US lawmakers and experts. This dangerously coordinated strategy combines economic coercion, sabotage, disinformation, and cyberattacks.

During a congressional hearing, Keith Self, the chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said that the United States and its allies were confronted with a new phase of war.

He said that “hybrid warfare is in full effect” as hostile actors subvert civilizations without going beyond the bounds of traditional conflict, saying, “We are at war, not declared in the traditional sense.”

Self said that since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, attempts by China and Russia to intimidate, harass, and damage NATO member nations, institutions, and society had increased using “diplomatic, information, military, and economic means.”

Witnesses described a wide range of dangers. These included the use of migration and misinformation as weapons, cyberattacks on vital infrastructure, disruption of railroads and underwater cables, and drone intrusions into European airspace. Self said, “The rules of engagement are changing before our eyes.”

Russia and China are “fast friends refining their playbooks to exploit vulnerabilities, manipulate political discourse, and chip away at our shared transatlantic values,” according to William Keating, the panel’s leading Democrat. He cautioned that although Moscow and Beijing were using different strategies, they both wanted to undermine European security.

Craig Singleton of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said at the hearing that China saw Europe as “a central arena in its long-term competition with the United States,” using supply chains, ports, and telecom networks to establish “strategic dependencies.”

To “fracture alliances and normalize a narrative of Western decline,” he said, was Beijing’s objective.

As Moscow engaged in overt aggression and crass deception, Singleton said, China was serving as “a lifeline for Russia’s war machine,” supplying microelectronics and other dual-use products. He said, “Russia and China are using a complementary hybrid playbook.”

The National Endowment for Democracy’s vice president, Christopher Walker, called the danger a “systemic assault on free societies,” claiming that Russia used covert warfare to topple governments without inciting direct military reprisal. He said that “Russia uses shadow warfare to operate in a constant state of confrontation.”

Former Pentagon officer Laura Cooper said that since 2022, Russia has been responsible for “well over 100 acts of sabotage and attempted attacks” across Europe, including hacks coupled with physical explosions and damage to railroads.

“To cut support for Ukraine by creating fear along the NATO alliance,” she added, was Moscow’s immediate goal.

Concerns about social media and artificial intelligence being used to spread false information were also voiced by lawmakers. According to Cooper, AI is “bolstering what is already a concerted area of Russian hybrid warfare,” escalating social unrest and eroding popular support for Ukraine.

The US reaction, according to a number of members, was insufficient. Keating cautioned that America would become “less safe, less strong, and less prosperous” if it did not challenge Beijing’s and Moscow’s hybrid strategies.

The session emphasized the bipartisan consensus that Europe has to increase its resilience investments while also emphasizing the continued need of US leadership. Walker called for more coordination among allies, saying, “Authoritarian powers fear collective response more than anything.”

Since its takeover of Crimea in 2014, Russia has significantly increased its use of hybrid warfare, which escalated during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. NATO has accused Moscow of sabotage, cyber operations, and electoral meddling across Europe on several occasions.

Western countries claim Beijing is increasingly aligning with Moscow on strategic aims, despite China’s denial of accusations of cyber espionage and covert influence activities.