[Short course] Countering hybrid threats: Enhancing (inter)national security and resilience

Hybrid threats are becoming a persistent reality of today’s security environment. From cyberattacks and disinformation to infrastructure sabotage and economic coercion, recent incidents across Europe reveal the challenges of operating in the grey zone between peace and war.

For security, counterterrorism, and P/CVE practitioners, understanding how to recognise and respond to these evolving threats is becoming increasingly important. Hybrid operations can draw on familiar tactics, but those threats are now designed to be ambiguous, making legal attribution difficult even when responsibility appears clear.

This two-day course, co-organised by ICCT and the Asser Institute, focuses on the practical questions that arise when hybrid threats cross the boundaries between law, security, technology and policy. You will learn how to identify and assess different types of hybrid threats, evaluate possible responses, and strengthen resilience and preparedness within your organisation effectively.

Registration is now open. 

→ Enrol now

What the course covers

• Day one focuses on understanding, preventing, and countering hybrid threats - from malicious cyber activities to non-military threats - and explores the legal and policy tools available to respond to them.
• Day two zooms in on building resilience: how to assess, evaluate and mitigate risks to critical infrastructure, and how to anticipate the role of emerging and disruptive technologies in future hybrid operations.

Across both days, the programme combines expert input with case studies and group work directly relevant to participants' own professional contexts.

View the preliminary programme.

Confirmed speakers

• Dr Kacper Rekawek — International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT)
• Prof. Machiko Kanetake — University of Amsterdam
• Dr Rumyana van Ark — Asser Institute
• Dr Taylor Woodcock — Asser Institute

Who should attend

We designed this programme for people who need practical rather than theoretical answers. The training welcomes security officials, policymakers, academics, tech experts, police officers, and professionals working at the intersection of law, security, technology, human rights, and international affairs to explore practical and lawful solutions to malicious hybrid attacks. No legal background is required.

No legal background is required.

Practical details

• Dates: 2–3 December 2026
• Venue: Asser Institute, The Hague
• Language: English
• Fee: €995
• Co-organised by: ICCT and the Asser Institut

→ Register now 

For questions about the course, contact educationtraining@asser.nl. Responses within two business days.

This course is part of a two-part series. Part two, focusing on military threats, is planned for 2027 and will be offered to Part one participants at a discounted rate.

Interested? 

If you are interested but cannot join this year, please fill out this form to stay informed about future editions and upcoming enrolment dates. 

Please read the terms and conditions carefully before registering.

Photo Credit: Andrei Antipov on Shutterstock