Russia's Active Measures in an Era of Great Power Competition
Abstract
The modern Russian authoritarian regime has been more successful than the communist regime of the Soviet Union at managing the elements of national power within the great power competition by increasing its emphasis on active measures as a critical capability. This paper will highlight the history of the Soviet Union with emphasis on how active measures became a critical capability. Active measures are a doctrinal concept of managing information to gain advantage by surprise or deception. The term active measures is a Soviet doctrinal concept that is synonymous with the modern terms associated with New Generation or Non-Linear Warfare. Russia has adapted the characteristics of its authoritarian governance in ways that have enabled a more successful application of active measures. Russia's employment of active measures throughout the elements of national power has significantly impacted Russia's ability to regain its status as a peer competitor since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The ability to orchestrate active measures successfully is distinguishable in Russia due to how Russia's anocracy employs active measures across the DIME, in lieu of armed conflict or in support of armed conflict, in order to create an asymmetric advantage.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 20, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1177912
Entities
People
- Robert W. Viehmeyer
Organizations
- Marine Corps University