Unconventional War and Warfare in the Gray Zone. The New Spectrum of Modern Conflicts

Abstract

Experiences of the last couple of years indicate that political objectives are increasingly achieved without official declarations of war. Armed forces are used in untraditional ways and the so-called substitute troops begin to play an increasingly bigger part. The article aims to characterize the conflicts of alternative nature below the level of open war that are on the border between war and peace. The content of the article presents the theory of unconventional warfare and its description, and familiarizes the reader with the concept of grey zone conflicts. It further shows the challenges linked to rivalry for influence zones and security provisions.

Keywords

• gray zone warfare
• unconventional warfare
• confl ict
• challenges
• armed force