Ep. 444: Grey Zone Warfare

Guest: Calvin Chrustie, Critical Risk Team

According to “On Track,'' the magazine published by the CDA (Conference of Defence Associations) Institute, “hybrid warfare,” also known as grey zone conflict or unrestricted warfare, is a real and present danger.

“On Track” states that “these are just three terms used to describe the same phenomenon – multi-faceted attacks against a country that have serious implications for its national security and defence institutions. They may include military elements, but may also be mounted using cyber tools, public and commercial corruption, weaponization of legal systems, transnational organized crime, and disinformation campaigns, along with a host of other methods. Effective responses will demand an unprecedented level of cooperation between military, intelligence, cyber and other security experts in partnership with experts in the management of conflict in business, legal and public settings.”

Critical risk expert Calvin Chrustie points out that FBI Director Christopher Wray stated, “The Chinese government is a serious threat to Western business. The Chinese government sees cyber as the pathway to cheat and steal. In addition to traditional and cyber enabled thievery, there are even more insidious tactics they use to essentially walk through your front door and rob you… by making investments and creating partnerships that position their proxies… They use elaborate shell games to disguise these efforts from foreign companies… including shutting off data that used to enable effective due diligence… A 2017 law allowed them to force Chinese employees in China to assist in Chinese intelligence operations.”

We invited Calvin Chrustie, a critical risk consultant with a depth of experience in anti-terrorism and complex international investigations and intelligence operations, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the nefarious activities of countries that do not have Canada’s best interests at heart.