Hybrid threat campaigns are a spectrum of actions conducted by state or non-state actors, whose goal is to undermine liberal democracies’ decision-making, compromise their integrity and saturate their situational awareness and response capacities. Hybrid threat campaigns combine overt and covert military and non-military means. This publication focuses on information influence activities and psychological influencing as forms of hybrid operations. 

The effectiveness of hybrid threat campaigns (including actions on the information domain and attempts at social engineering) depends on individual and collective psychological factors and different circumstantial factors. Understanding the psychology of hybrid threats is crucial to better deter campaigns and to mitigate their impact. In this discussion paper, we outline some key psychological concepts and mechanisms of action under the umbrella term cognitive intrusion. This working paper refers to the conceptual model of Hybrid threats developed by Hybrid Coe and the EC’s JRC (The Landscape of Hybrid Threats: A conceptual model). 

The aim of this working paper is to better understand the extent to which cognitive intru-sion mechanisms can increase the effectiveness of hybrid activity and to illustrate how and why they can affect individuals and societies. The purpose of the discussion paper is also to stimulate discussion on how hybrid influence could be combated more effectively by understanding psychological background motives. The aim of the publication is not to provide an exhaustive description of the significance of psychological models and event chains behind hybrid influencing. Here we specifically focus on the underlying psychological mechanisms by which the decision-making capability of individuals and communities can get hampered.