Keynote SpeakerDr. Bob Seely

Popular Talks by Dr. Bob Seely

• What is hybrid war? Why does it seem to have so many names, such as grey zone warfare or below the radar warfare

  What is hybrid war? Conflict between nations and even within nations is going to take a far more fluid form this century than the last. It’s been given a variety of names, including that of hybrid war, grey zone warfare, under the radar warfare, etc., although many are confused by… Read more

  What is hybrid war? Conflict between nations and even within nations is going to take a far more fluid form this century than the last. It’s been given a variety of names, including that of hybrid war, grey zone warfare, under the radar warfare, etc., although many are confused by these terms. I explain clearly what hybrid forms of war is, where it comes from and where it is going.

• Geopolitical Risk

  We’re in a new era of geopolitical risk when companies could either be targeted themselves or potentially caught up in the battles and struggles between nation-states. Predictability is declining as states, non-state actors, and others seek to use highly original and creative forms of conflict in the cyber information, psychological,… Read more

  We’re in a new era of geopolitical risk when companies could either be targeted themselves or potentially caught up in the battles and struggles between nation-states. Predictability is declining as states, non-state actors, and others seek to use highly original and creative forms of conflict in the cyber information, psychological, and sabotage spaces.

• The likelihood of nuclear weapon use. Russian nuclear theory

  The dangers of nuclear weapon use are growing. What are the chances that Russia, or another state, might use nuclear weapons? Given the size of its nuclear arsenal, the repeated threats to use them as well as recent changes to nuclear doctrine, it is one of the most important questions of… Read more

  The dangers of nuclear weapon use are growing. What are the chances that Russia, or another state, might use nuclear weapons? Given the size of its nuclear arsenal, the repeated threats to use them as well as recent changes to nuclear doctrine, it is one of the most important questions of this decade, if not the century.

  And why does Putin so often issue nuclear threats at the West. They are part and parcel of his information strategies or are his warnings real? Nuclear use is an issue wrapped in uncertainty, ambiguity and fear.

• Russia’s new way of war

  Russian warfare has become the global discussion point in recent years, sparked by the devastating scale of the fighting in Ukraine and the Kremlin’s conflict, including threats of nuclear conflict, with the West. The New Total War is the essential guide to how Russia fights against not only Ukraine but the West as well.… Read more

  Russian warfare has become the global discussion point in recent years, sparked by the devastating scale of the fighting in Ukraine and the Kremlin’s conflict, including threats of nuclear conflict, with the West. The New Total War is the essential guide to how Russia fights against not only Ukraine but the West as well. It is for anyone who wants to understand how conflict in our world is evolving.

  Due to its extensive tradition of creative thinking about war, Russia’s new way of fighting is also a guide to how authoritarian states the world over will challenge the West for global supremacy using both military and non-military methods. This book is, therefore, a warning of the style of conflict that will be waged against the West to undermine our beliefs, our power and our influence.

• Information warfare

  In the chaos of the summer of 2014, Russia’s Channel One TV Station urgently reported on 12 July that Ukrainian soldiers had retaken the eastern Ukrainian town of Slovyansk.  They entered the town and herded residents into its central square where they executed a small boy and his mother – an act of… Read more

  In the chaos of the summer of 2014, Russia’s Channel One TV Station urgently reported on 12 July that Ukrainian soldiers had retaken the eastern Ukrainian town of Slovyansk.  They entered the town and herded residents into its central square where they executed a small boy and his mother – an act of wanton brutality. The boy was then crucified.  This degenerate and shocking incident appalled Russians.  Widely reported, it delivered a turning point in the Kremlin’s curated conflict in Ukraine.  It confirmed to millions of Russians that Ukraine’s regime, echoing President Putin’s accusations, was indeed barbaric and neo-Nazi.  It was a manifestation of evil.

  It also didn’t happen.  Neither the crucifixion nor the murder took place.  What appeared ‘real’ in the eyes of the Russian media, the Russian public and Russian consciousness was a “textbook” example of the “construction of the fake,” magnified and spread by state-controlled media.

  The story of the crucified boy is just one example of how the Russian state continues to invest time, energy and understanding to master the power of information warfare, both as a standalone tool and a handmaiden to maximise the impact of violence and other tools.

  Information warfare, via online and traditional broadcast, has become one of the most powerful tools that Governments, for good or ill, utilise. I explain some of the theories behind information warfare as well as examples.

Biography

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