Ikram Sehgal
While both the country’s civilian and military leadership must understand the palpable danger that hybrid warfare poses to Pakistan, it is important for the public to be made aware of this so that both the state and non-state actors employed by the enemy from within our ranks are exposed for the nefarious anti-state rascals they are. Hybrid warfare is (1) designed to exploit national vulnerabilities across the political, military, economic, social, informational and infrastructure spectrum. Therefore, a thorough self-assessment of the problems persisting in all sectors of society must be done and it needs an honest analysis; (2) a minimum national response should include using coordinated military, political, economic, civilian and informational instruments of power that extends far beyond the military realm. Hybrid warfare must be shown how it works beyond the military and extending to all civilian public institutions.
A national awareness for hybrid warfare and a synchronized national response must establish means and embed a process to coordinate a national approach of self-assessment and threat analysis. Only comprehensive cross-government efforts can understand, detect and respond to hybrid threats. Institutions like PEMRA, NACTA and National Disaster Management have to be included. In the military field the creation of a unit specialized in “non-lethal” forms of psychological warfare, using social media including Facebook and Twitter should be considered; (3) being an international issue the response has to be internationally as well. The Pakistani government must coordinate a coherent approach with its national and international partners to arrive at a common understanding and response to hybrid warfare in the collective interest of all. Multinational frameworks – preferably using existing institutions and processes like Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and others should be developed to facilitate cooperation and collaboration cutting across borders and regions.
We must (1) generate awareness among public of how to protect their personal data from being stolen; (2) take strict legal actions against those convicted of cyber-crimes in Pakistan; (3) establish credible system of check and balance on electronic and print media as well as on religious seminaries promoting extremism and sectarianism. Under the name of ‘freedom of expression no television channel and radio station should be allowed to promote Indian propaganda and/or culture as it has a deep influence of the society as a whole, harsh action should be taken against them. (4) Upgraded National Security Strategy needs to take place as per trends in warfare continuously evolving; (5) bring economic reforms and ensure continuous supply of basic needs to its citizens such as food and energy. (6) Government should force-multiply the participation of the Baloch and Pashtun communities in state affairs; and (7) each and every community must realize that a ‘United Pakistan’ is in the interest of all.
Given the presence of hybrid wars the military in many countries have formed special units to fight non-conventional threats. Under Gen Nick Carter, Chief of UK Defence Forces, the British military has set up a specialist 2,000-strong brigade with the same number 77 as the Chindits. These commandoes led by Brigadier Orde Charles Wingate gained renown through their daring missions behind enemy lines in Burma during the Second World War. They specialise in “non-lethal” forms of psychological warfare, using social media including Facebook and Twitter to “fight in the information age”. In Pakistan as well, the formation of a similar unit should be considered, if not already done. New forces for non-conventional warfare should be made into a new service equivalent to the Army, Air Force and Navy. These may include all Strategic Forces, SPD and Anti-Aircraft Defence, anything to do with our nuclear options. Many countries in the world have gone this route.
All parts of the Pakistan military, i.e. Army, Navy and Air force that have to be coordinated. The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJSC) must be made into an effective mechanism. Instituted by the late PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto not for military reasons but to primarily curb the power of the Army Chief to impose martial law, JCSC in its present toothless-tiger form exposes the mind block of our political and military planners who are loath to disturb routine, howsoever ineffectual it may be. The irony is that some very good general officers have become Chairmen but having obtained four-star rank, have not done anything about changing its dynamics, such is the complacency one inherits on getting this appointment. They have shown remarkable temerity in not pointing out that the JCSC does not have the single authority’s operational and administrative ability to wield power over the three Services. Lip-service is given to some JCSC (as yet unclear) role during times of conflict. Failing to be an on-going reality during peacetime, coordination during the stress of wartime will remain a pipedream in its present role.
There is dire need for coordination between the civilian and the military and within civilian and military institutions themselves. The idea is not to control or militarize civilian life but develop an integrated analysis and awareness about the dangers of hybrid warfare in the public sphere including educational institutions, civil service, media and media regulation and others. It is indeed an extremely difficult proposition given our socio-economic, ethnic and religious diversity and its uneven stage of development. The road towards such a goal leads via open discussion rather than streamlined truths fed by government dominated media to the public.
According to Col Frank Hofman, “The evolving character of conflict that we currently face is best characterized by convergence. This includes the convergence of the physical and psychological, the kinetic and non-kinetic, and combatants and non-combatants. So, too, we see the convergence of military force and the interagency community, of states and non-state actors, and of the capabilities they are armed with. Of greatest relevance are the converging modes of war”.
The new challenges of hybrid warfare make defence not a task that can be ‘outsourced’ to the armed forces of the country any more, but it must be a national task in the full sense of the word. Given the complex range of hybrid warfare threats that we are faced with there is an urgent need to approach this phenomenon through a coordinated all sectors response. The rank and file of the critical institutions of the State must be made graphically aware of not only the different modes of hybrid warfare but the attack modes the enemy will likely employ. Being specialists they must be encouraged to themselves suggest a coordinated response to the challenges against our existence.
(Extracts from a talk delivered at the National Defence University (NDU) recently by the writer, who is a defence and security analyst)
