A retired four-star general who led the U.S. European Command says Russian disinformation and election meddling are tools of Moscow's "hybrid warfare to break up Western unity" — and will continue if left unchecked.
In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, retired Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove said the 2016 election meddling was troubling — but unsurprising, Stars and Stripes reported.
"We need to treat this with the gravity it deserves," he told lawmakers. "We need to take a position, establish policy, and then execute it."
"The Russian hybrid threat is larger than the election and larger than the United States. It is a threat to the liberal order . . . and will continue to be until we develop an effective strategy and implement the necessary policies to combat it."
Breedlove bemoaned the lack of U.S. understanding of the threat, Stars and Stripes reported.
"Hybrid warfare is a form of warfare the United States has yet to fully understand, nevermind prepare for," he said. "Simply condemning the election is not going to solve the problem and it's not going to prevent future Russian hybrid operations."
"Russia sees the West and in particular a unified West as an adversary," Breedlove told lawmakers. "Waging a conventional war against the West would be unfavorable to Russia. As such, it has used hybrid warfare to break up Western unity."
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