In order to broaden its networks, Hybrid CoE is organising outreach events in its participating countries. The first one was organised on 7 November in Vilnius in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and the Eastern Europe Studies Centre.
The seminar, gathering together some 80 participants, focused on hybrid influencing in the Baltic Sea region as well as national and institutional (EU, NATO) experiences in countering hybrid threats. The event was opened by Vice-Minister Darius Skusevicius (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania), Director Matti Saarelainen (Hybrid CoE) and former chair of the US National Intelligence Council Greg Treverton, who chaired the seminar. The programme included panels with both an academic perspective and a practitioner perspective.
The event was part of the activities of the Community of Interest on Hybrid Influencing (led by the UK), which builds networks of experts dealing with hybrid threats posed by state actors. These networks can share experiences, best practices and lessons learned in an informal way. It is a community where members can test new ideas, challenge orthodoxies and work together to coordinate responses to the challenges posed by Hybrid Threats.
CoE’s Communities of Interest allow the space for multinational and multidisciplinary coordination for defence and resilience. The measure of their success is whether their existence improves the capacity and capability of its members to respond to Hybrid Threats.
