David Dorondo participates in NATO hybrid warfare research
David Dorondo
David Dorondo, an associate professor of at 糖心Vlog University, has found himself lately a part of espionage, international diplomacy and a shadow world of geopolitical intrigue.
It鈥檚 not a spy novel, it鈥檚 real life and this text has been approved for security clearance. Seriously.
Dorondo is working - as a historian - alongside military brass, techno-wizards and system analysts with NATO, the better-known acronym of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as part of a NATO Science and Technology Organization research team.
鈥淲e鈥檙e conducting an examination of energy security within the NATO alliance, in light of what is known as hybrid warfare,鈥� said Dorondo. He defined hybrid warfare as what 鈥渃ould be best described as conflict just below the level of state vs. state armed combat, including disinformation campaigns, disruption of power grids and emergency services, computer hacking, and the employment of officially unidentified 鈥榣ittle green men鈥� such as Russia used in the seizure of Crimea in 2014 and in eastern Ukraine to this day.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a level of clash more political, economic and informational rather than with bullets, bombs and missiles,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure if the terminology will be used too much longer, but for now 鈥榟ybrid warfare鈥� is the phrase applied.鈥�
The research team鈥檚 task is to identify, investigate and recommend mitigations against kinetic and non-kinetic strategic threats to NATO鈥檚 energy infrastructure. Dorondo, with extensive insight into German and Austrian politics, socioeconomic and demographic features from a historical and contemporary viewpoint, has a focus on certain elements of relations with Russia.
A recent panel discussion including Dorondo covered topics of contention between Germany and the U.S., one of which is the ongoing disagreement over the Nord Stream 2 undersea natural gas pipeline. To meet economic and environmental obligations after the scheduled shutdown of its nuclear and coal-fired power plants, Germany will depend on steady imports of natural gas; and Nord Stream 2 would secure needed fuel resources from Russia. However, it would also increase Russia鈥檚 political and economic leverage over Ukraine, as well as several European Union countries already dependent on Russian-supplied gas. The U.S. has voiced strong opposition, but Germany is determined to proceed with construction, further complicating efforts to normalize relations between the two nations.
Having historian involvement in discussion and research is an approach that works on several levels.
鈥淚 provide a combination of historical-political analysis for the NATO group, participate in formal Q&A, and contribute to deterrence analysis,鈥� Dorondo said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fascinating work, a different type of historical research than I鈥檇 been involved with heretofore. And I鈥檝e brought it into my classrooms, as well, applying it to both my History of International Relations and Modern European Military History courses, the latter of which I鈥檓 teaching this semester.鈥�
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