Hybrid Warfare in Vietnam – How to win a war despite military defeat
Hybrid Warfare in Vietnam – How to win a war despite military defeat

Summary/Abstract: All war is hybrid, but there is also a specific hybrid way of conducting war. In contrast to “conventional” military centric warfare, its center of gravity is not primarily located in the military domain. Instead, one of the key factors in this respect is influencing, disintegrating or destroying the opponent’s psychological constitution, particularly his willingness and morale to fight and continue a struggle. Legitimacy and justness can become strong and effective weapons in this respect. Thus success in hybrid warfare does not necessarily require victory on the military battlefield. Success is even possible despite military defeat. The example of the Second Indochina War underlines this and shows that hybrid warfare can be conceptualized by three key characteristics. 1. Focusing the decision of the war and conflict as such on a broad and combined spectrum of non-military centers of gravity (flexible adjustment). 2. Operating in the shadow of various interfaces against the specific vulnerabilities of an opponent. Hereby blurring traditional lines of order, creating ambiguity, confusing the decision-making process of the opponent and paralyse his options to respond. 3. Creative combination and tailored integration of different - civilian and military as well as physical, mental and moral - forms, concepts, means and methods into ever new mixed hybrid forms. These characteristics and their hybrid orchestration and interplay provide the missing link that helps to explain this frequently misunderstood defeat in Vietnam. A comparative analysis with the war in Eastern Ukraine shows a number of interesting parallels.

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