The Lawfare Podcast: Richard Gross on the Law of Hybrid Conflict

Last week, Ben attended a symposium at the Pentagon on the rise of so-called “hybrid conflicts,” where professionals from around the national security establishment attempted to define the idea and to develop an understanding of its implications for existing legal structures and the law of war. In this week’s podcast, Brig. Gen. Richard Gross, the legal adviser to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, explains that the DOD’s senior leadership has increasingly begun discussing conflicts such as Ukraine, Syria, and the South China Sea in terms of hybrid conflict. He and Ben explore what lawyers should do with the idea, asking if it is really new and whether the law will need to adjust to deal with it.

Earlier this week, both Ben and Herb Lin offered commentary on hybrid conflict, the problem of attribution, and how this might all shake out in the operational domain.