The 21st century’s landscape of political conflict has little in common with that of prior centuries. Where armies and nations once took to physical locations to assert dominance, they now contend across multiple asynchronous battlefields, including psychological, economic, and digital fronts.

Such circumstances–known formally as gray zone warfare–present a virtually innumerable set of scenarios for which defense and military professionals must be prepared. Gray zone warfare also demands knowledge of threat minimization, information security, and how to respond should any threat arise.

QinetiQ’s comprehensive gray zone solutions are as effective for in-battlefield needs as they are in front of laptops and surveillance stations. Learn more about how QinetiQ’s dynamic technology is adapting to increasingly invisible conflicts.

What Is Gray Zone Warfare?

In order to understand the impact of QinetiQ’s technology on today’s soldiers and military staff, it’s essential to know what gray zone warfare is. Gray zone warfare is any single or series of activities that occur between peace and “hot conflict” circumstances among two or more parties and can be carried out by state actors, non-state actors, or both.

Examples of gray zone conflicts include everything from election interference and utility cyber attacks to sociocultural influences and proxy conflicts. The actors and motives involved in such diverse conflicts can change at any time and be amplified by unforeseen factors, like civilian support or involvement.

As one can imagine, such unpredictable circumstances can’t be mitigated by traditional means. Today’s modern forms of warfare require the awareness and ability to respond as threats materialize rather than after.

QinetiQ Stands In the Gap

The nature of gray zone warfare is so multifaceted that–even with the information provided in this article–it’s difficult to describe, notice, or respond to. That’s why QinetiQ is dedicated to observing, understanding, developing, and deploying solutions military service-people can use to perform optimally.

Product Highlights

QinetiQ is an international research, development, and defense technology company that provides a variety of autonomous, high-performance equipment and solutions for today’s soldiers. Here are a few highlights from their catalog: