FORMATION OF CONCEPTUAL PRINCIPLES AND ARSENAL OF ASYMMETRIC (“HYBRID”) WARFARE DURING THE PERIOD OF INTERBLOC MILITARY AND POLITICAL CONFRONTATION IN THE WORLD (1946 – 1990)

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to identify the formation of a set of conceptual principles during the period of the “Cold War”, global confrontation in the world and the collapse of the world colonial system, of relevant military and political structures and specific strategies, forms and methods of military and special activities, which formed the basis of doctrines and arsenal of modern asymmetric (“hybrid”, unconventional) conflict. The methodological basis of the work is based on the methods of classification, typology, structural-system, historical and comparative, historical and typological, historical and genetic methods, methods of military and special science, security science, political conflictology. The scientific novelty of the study consists in the authors’ attempt to study systematically, on the historical material of the period of the “Cold War”, the formation of doctrinal preconditions and strategy, a set of special structures and methods of destructive activity, which found their structured embodiment in “hybrid” conflicts at the beginning of the XXIst century. The Conclusions. During “World War III” or “Cold War” (1946 – 1990) paradigms, forms and methods of hybrid confrontation, its doctrinal and conceptual principles, and the relevant theoretical and methodological, scientific, practical and technological principles achieved unprecedented development. Special services and affiliated with them “non-governmental” and paramilitary (irregular) structures, specialized analytical, forecasting and research centers, media structures became able to influence purposefully the change of political reality in the national, interstate and transnational dimensions.

There was a qualitative improvement of Special Forces which became an important (sometimes decisive) factor in local wars and armed conflicts, participation in complex special operations, the deployment of controlled irregular armed formations. A new qualitative stage in the organization of “elite troops” began – their reorganization into special operations forces as autonomous component of the armed forces. As part of SOF, units (structures) of information and psychological struggle and work with civilian population were further developed.

During the period of inter-bloc confrontation in the post war world, the core of which was the psychological war, significant and growing importance acquired the methods (mechanisms) of influence on the sphere of controlling collective activity of people, reformatting the mass consciousness and worldview by manipulating human consciousness and creating virtual reality by means of modern information and socio-cultural technologies.

On the basis of the powerful legacy of the planetary confrontation of social systems and the inter-bloc confrontation of 1946 – 1990 numerous strategic, tactical and technological, and information-cognitive preconditions for the formation of a new qualitative type of conflict developed – “hybrid”, in the sense of synthesizing various new forms and methods of destructive activity, and their complex and coordinated application.

Such essential features of “hybrid” confrontation developed as lack of registration in accordance with international law of war, use of anti-government organizations and movements, illegal armed formations, separatist movements, extremist groups, destructive communities, etc., a priority role of special services, special operations forces, use of other methods of non-military pressure on the victim state, including diplomatic, financial and economic, humanitarian and the others. The main driving forces of the asymmetric strategy were non-governmental organizations, insurgent and “opposition” movements, special operations forces, means and forces of psychological operations, and the focus in the strategy shifted in favor of special operations and low intensity conflicts.

Key words: military and special art, military theory, intelligence, subversive activities, special forces, intelligence agencies, information and psychological warfare.