Security expert Aran Dharmeratnam looks at hybrid warfare.

Listen to this article

We find ourselves living in an era of the spectral frontline- an ongoing state of hybrid conflict where the objective isn't simply to seize territory, but to colonise the psyche. This borderless disease manifests through public angst, jagged social divisions, and a grinding erosion of national unity.

This isn’t just about physical sabotage- like the targeting of RAF Brize Norton or scoping out vulnerable underwater cables or hospital systems- it’s about induced uncertainty. Tactics can include tried-and-tested forms of craft from a colder era, including honey traps and the exploitation of other vulnerabilities. There's also a creative side to hybrid tactics, such as sporadic, relentless cyber tactics, the ignition of cultural frictions, the instigation of financial crises, and the unperturbed penetration of popular culture and powerful establishments.

The cast of characters in this shadow play may perform on a vast stage, but it's still more crowded than we care to admit. Certainly, the usual state actors are there, but they're joined by a motley crew of opportunists: organised crime syndicates, radicalised fringes, wealthy algorithmic tech architects, isolated terror cells and even dark esoteric sects. Sometimes, these entities interlink in intricate ways- an unholy alliance of the high-tech and the sanguine to ensure disharmony becomes our "normal" state.

The Grey Zone of Cognitive Warfare

The slow-grinding dissonance that seeps into society also creates a domestic recruitment ground, turning at-risk individuals and street-level criminals into low-level assets seeking a sense of importance and keen to channel social rage into destructive action. Out of society's forgotten corners, their capabilities may lack the polish of trained operatives; yet their desire to breach or burn the gateways to infrastructure or data makes them a real threat.

Even our own institutions are not immune to hybrid disruption. Hyper-focused work cultures and restrictive enforcement mechanisms lead to institutional fragility. A foreboding atmosphere that fosters a victim mindset does not help when the evolving hybrid landscape demands 'agile on the ground' readiness.

When battle lines spill into our organisations, the resulting infighting and excess control can make those working in organisations designed to combat threat, criminality or hostile forces become despondent- exactly what the enemy desires...

In this "grey zone," escalation and confrontation are not just by-products of hybrid shenanigans; they are the method. By spreading discontent, hybrid actors create conditions that push some to a boiling point while others bury their heads in the sand. Potent de-escalation protocols will become even more necessary across a targeted nation.

Our digital dependence further exposes us to "cognitive warfare," unleashed by external actors who wield AI-driven disinformation to frame global events and provoke doubt and demoralisation. As people consume conflicting narratives and cognitive-disruptive energies, it enables adversaries to influence and shape with an almost invisible hand and in barely heard whispers.

Seeing Through the Mist

Based on my own research and experiences that led to the establishment of the Tri-Tier tactical training approach, I believe that to adapt to incoming hybrid waves, we should place great emphasis on fortifying ourselves through physical, psychological, and intuitive planning. At the institutional and individual levels, resilience requires an understanding of how 'the dark arts' are used by those determined to initiate havoc. By recognising how narratives are manipulated, critical thinking can be used to disengage from the energy streams of slow-burn hybrid activity.

It also helps to understand the harmful effects when bombarded by parasitic energetic information complexes. The fog caused by information overload and epistemological flux can lead to indecision, commercial stagnation and restricted behaviours.

In Feudal Japan, the shinobi - intelligence gatherers used by the samurai (referred to in modern times as Ninja), had their own version of psy ops to distract and distort perceptions. Even today, in some modern schools of Japanese warrior traditions, there are stances used to tap into states of alertness or to confuse opponents. Known as kamae, one such posture is Kasumi no Kamae. It's associated with deceptive sword strategies. Kasumi no Kamae is interesting in that it means 'the mist stance.'

Mist can be used to disengage from enemy tactics. It can conceal activity or discombobulate perceptions. In the hybrid terrain, information itself is "a mist," and operational activities can create more of it. Like the shinobi, nations must observe the horizon with a clear mind, cutting through the mist to spot traps and equip themselves with cognitive reasoning to sift truth from the haze.

Blaise Metreweli, the current C at SIS (Secret Intelligence Service), recently warned that "the front line is everywhere." It was a vital wake-up call. Hybrid skirmishes are not bound by borders or established laws. Designed to obstruct and usurp, they are especially lethal when techfiltration tactics are laced with street-fighter ruthlessness.

When a nation is distracted by internal rivalries and tensions, its guard drops. Perimeters don't just get tested; they get breached. Countermeasures must include a much-needed boost in national morale and a shift toward "agile on the ground" attributes.

Deception is an ancient art. Vedic epics like The Mahabharata depict forces using cunning, even false narratives, to outsmart their enemies. Then there was the Greeks' Trojan Horse and the strategic manoeuvres of the 19th-century Great Game. Victory has often been aided by the guileful. Today, however, AI and social media have weaponised this tradition into something uniquely volatile. Subversive activity can be orchestrated via the ocean, amid sudden crisis, using energy supplies, through digital pathways...even tunnels. We are no longer in Cold War 2.0, but a visceral, multi-player arena in constant flux. To adapt, the UK must champion resilience, strategic agility, and unconventional thinking- essential ramparts on the spectral front line.

Aran Dharmeratnam works in private investigations and risk intelligence. He is also the founder of Tri-Tier, which equips executives, families and high-profile figures with situational awareness and unique self-protection training.

LBC Opinion provides a platform for diverse opinions on current affairs and matters of public interest.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position.

To contact us email opinion@lbc.co.uk

© LBC