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By Other Means Part I: Campaigning in the Gray Zone

July 8, 2019

Download the Report

The United States is being confronted by the liabilities of its strength. Competitors are contesting the rules of the international system and U.S. leadership. With the significant costs of engaging the United States in combat, and the growing range of indirect and non-military tools at their disposal, rivals are finding avenues for threatening U.S. interests without triggering escalation. Their approaches lie in the contested arena between routine statecraft and open warfare--the "gray zone." The United States has yet to articulate a comprehensive approach to deterring competitors in the gray zone. A concrete and actionable campaign plan is needed to deal with the gray zone challenge; in order to do so, the United States must identify and employ a broad spectrum of tools and concepts to deter, and if needed, to compete and win contestations in the gray zone.

This report has been made possible by support from the Smith Richardson Foundation.

Learn More about the Gray Zone

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Written By
Joseph Federici
Associate Director and Associate Fellow, International Security Program
Lindsey R. Sheppard
Fellow, International Security Program
Alice Hunt Friend
Hijab Shah
Asya Akca
Kathleen H. Hicks
Media Queries

Contact H. Andrew Schwartz
Chief Communications Officer
Tel: 202.775.3242

Contact Caleb Diamond
Media Relations Manager and Editorial Associate
Tel: 202.775.3173

Related
Asia, China, Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, Defense Strategy and Capabilities, Defense and Security, Geopolitics and International Security, International Security Program, Korea, Russia

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