NATO’s Strategic Communication (Stratcom) Activities During 2014 Ukraine Crisis

Year 2021, Volume: 5 Issue: 1, 154 - 184, 31.05.2021

Erhan Uzun

Abstract

During the Cold War, NATO focused on deterrence against the former Soviet Union. In the post-Cold War era, the Alliance has embarked on new missions where non-military tasks have become priorities for which NATO’s military structure is unprepared. The 2014 Ukrainian crisis exposed these deficiencies and the need for the Alliance to take a more solid and coherent approach to modern warfare. This paper assesses the Alliance’s StratCom activities during the 2014 Ukrainian crisis. These activities were designed to counter Russia’s hybrid warfare tactics, which were based on denial, deception and ambiguity. We argue that StratCom is vital to the success of future NATO missions.

Keywords

NATO, Strategic Communication, Ukrainian Crisis, Russia, Hybrid Warfare

References

• “Brussels Summit Declaration”, NATO, https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_156624.htm?selectedLocale=uk, (Date of Accession: 18.03.2021).