Imposing Costs: Unconventional Warfare in the Information Environment

Cyber & Information WarfareInformation OperationsPropaganda & disinformation campaigns

AggressorDefense

Summary

Article analyzes unconventional warfare in the information environment by peer adversaries like Russia, emphasizing hybrid tactics and the need to impose costs to deter aggression, particularly in Eastern Europe and the Baltic region.

The article from the Modern War Institute details how unconventional warfare in the information environment is increasingly shaping global conflict, focusing on Russian and Chinese activities targeting democratic nations. It discusses how adversaries employ cyberattacks, disinformation, and influence campaigns to erode trust, disrupt societies, and pursue geopolitical aims without traditional military confrontation. The piece highlights the complex challenges of countering these ambiguous and persistent threats within NATO and allied countries, with particular attention to Eastern Europe and the Baltic states. It underscores the necessity for enduring and integrated defense strategies, encompassing military, intelligence, and whole-of-government coordination, paired with investments in public resilience and strategic alliances. The authors call for developing new capabilities and institutions to impose costs on adversaries conducting information warfare and sustain credible deterrence in the modern security environment.

Classification

Confidence: High

The article clearly describes hostile Russian and Chinese hybrid warfare activities in the information environment (aggressor event) and advocates coordinated US and NATO defensive measures and resilience investments (defense prep event).

Source URL

https://mwi.westpoint.edu/imposing-costs-unconventional-warfare-in-the-information-environment

Open source

Provenance

Publisher: extension
Submitted: Feb 1, 2026, 00:14 UTC
Last updated: Nov 9, 2026, 01:03 UTC
Event time: Jul 6, 2021, 09:46 UTC

Published as a Defense Preparations signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.

Raw record

{
  "id": "1c252b4f-0685-4a9b-8f0d-fdbab133a39e",
  "url": "https://mwi.westpoint.edu/imposing-costs-unconventional-warfare-in-the-information-environment",
  "source": "extension",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Cyber & Information Warfare",
  "subcategory": "Information Operations",
  "incident_type": "Propaganda & disinformation campaigns",
  "country": "United States of America",
  "source_reliability": "C",
  "info_credibility": "3",
  "tags": [
    "Unconventional warfare",
    "Information environment",
    "Hybrid warfare",
    "offensive cyber operations",
    "Disinformation",
    "Russia",
    "China",
    "Eastern Europe",
    "Baltic region",
    "NATO",
    "Deterrence",
    "Resilience",
    "Alliance security"
  ],
  "nodes": [],
  "countries": [
    "United States of America"
  ],
  "where_text": "Cyberspace",
  "headline": "Imposing Costs: Unconventional Warfare in the Information Environment",
  "description": "This article by Otto C. Fiala and Jim Worrall, published by the Modern War Institute on July 6, 2021, explores unconventional warfare strategies employed in the information environment. It focuses on the increasing use of hybrid tactics by state actors such as Russia and China, leveraging cyber, information, and influence operations to impose costs on adversaries without traditional kinetic warfare. The article emphasizes the challenges democratic states face against these persistent, ambiguous threats in Eastern Europe, the Baltic region, and globally. It highlights the use of propaganda, disinformation, cyberattacks, and influence measures to undermine democratic institutions, create societal disruption, and destabilize alliances. The authors discuss the strategic importance of imposing costs on adversaries through these non-traditional means to deter adversary aggression and shape the information environment in favor of allied interests. They also outline recommendations for the United States and NATO to develop comprehensive approaches combining military, intelligence, law enforcement, and interagency capabilities while investing in resilience and partnerships to counter these threats effectively.",
  "summary_short": "Article analyzes unconventional warfare in the information environment by peer adversaries like Russia, emphasizing hybrid tactics and the need to impose costs to deter aggression, particularly in Eastern Europe and the Baltic region.",
  "summary_extended": "The article from the Modern War Institute details how unconventional warfare in the information environment is increasingly shaping global conflict, focusing on Russian and Chinese activities targeting democratic nations. It discusses how adversaries employ cyberattacks, disinformation, and influence campaigns to erode trust, disrupt societies, and pursue geopolitical aims without traditional military confrontation. The piece highlights the complex challenges of countering these ambiguous and persistent threats within NATO and allied countries, with particular attention to Eastern Europe and the Baltic states. It underscores the necessity for enduring and integrated defense strategies, encompassing military, intelligence, and whole-of-government coordination, paired with investments in public resilience and strategic alliances. The authors call for developing new capabilities and institutions to impose costs on adversaries conducting information warfare and sustain credible deterrence in the modern security environment.",
  "actor_primary": "Russia",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": null,
  "location_region": "Eastern Europe and the Baltic region",
  "location_coordinates_lat": null,
  "location_coordinates_lon": null,
  "location_precision": "Unknown",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "DEFENSE_PREP_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": false,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "The article clearly describes hostile Russian and Chinese hybrid warfare activities in the information environment (aggressor event) and advocates coordinated US and NATO defensive measures and resilience investments (defense prep event).",
  "event_time_utc": "2021-07-06T09:46:21.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "unknown",
  "created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:25.915Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T01:03:29.572Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "unknown",
  "time_precision_band": "unknown",
  "severity_band": "moderate",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "high",
  "attribution_basis": "single_source"
}

Public assessmentReliability: StrongSeverity: ModerateAttribution: HighSingle sourceTime: UnknownLocation: Unknown

Source reliability

Info credibility

Event time

Jul 6, 2021, 09:46 UTC

Event time confidence

unknown

Location

Cyberspace

Region

Eastern Europe and the Baltic region

Primary actor

Russia

Country

United States of America

Countries

United States of America

Tags

Unconventional warfare, Information environment, Hybrid warfare, offensive cyber operations, Disinformation, Russia, China, Eastern Europe, Baltic region, NATO, Deterrence, Resilience, Alliance security

Loading signal...

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