Disruptive Technology and the Total Defence Concept

The document examines the intersection of disruptive technologies and the 'total defence' concept, focusing on Norway. It argues that the rise of dual-use technologies and hybrid warfare necessitates a re-evaluation of civil-military relations and societal resilience. The authors introduce a framework consisting of temporality, performativity, and imagination to guide policy and operational adaptation. The report highlights lessons from the war in Ukraine, such as the role of commercial tech giants and the vulnerability of critical energy infrastructure, and recommends increased civil-military R&D and improved digital literacy to enhance national security.

• The authors propose a new framework for understanding disruptive technology in security and defence based on three pillars: temporality (speed and evolution), performativity (the power of language and symbols to produce change), and imagination (the ideational conception of a desirable future).
• Norway's total defence strategy has evolved from a Cold War 'people's defence' focused on mass mobilization and territorial deterrence to a modern approach emphasizing reciprocity, where the military supports civilian domains in crisis management and hybrid threat response.
• The war in Ukraine demonstrates that critical energy infrastructure has become a primary target for military and hybrid warfare, which is particularly relevant for Norway as Europe's main natural gas supplier.
• The conflict in Ukraine highlights the significant role of commercial technology companies, such as Microsoft, Google, and SpaceX, in providing cybersecurity, counter-drone technology, and financial support to the war effort.
• The increasing use of dual-use technologies creates risks including the militarization of science, the use of invasive technologies by law enforcement, and the potential for unintended escalation due to technology performance errors.
• Hybrid warfare utilizing drones and cyber-attacks targets civilian infrastructure and psychological stability, making digital literacy a critical component of societal resilience.
• Civil-military technology transfer is often hindered by stark differences in business practices, a lack of social ties between the two sectors, and resistance from civilian engineers to cooperate with the military.
• The report recommends that governments promote needs-based R&D in disruptive technologies while balancing this against the risk of skewing research toward purely martial or geopolitical ends.

APA

Martins, B. O., Stai, N. K., & Csernatoni, R. (2023). Disruptive Technology and the Total Defence Concept. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/90b7e6b9-d7ff-4f47-aec4-b9d1b98df0e9/Martins Stai and Csernatoni - Disruptive Technology and the Total Defence Concept PRIO Paper 2023.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Martins, Bruno Oliveira, Nora Kristine Stai, and Raluca Csernatoni. Disruptive Technology and the Total Defence Concept. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2023. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/90b7e6b9-d7ff-4f47-aec4-b9d1b98df0e9/Martins Stai and Csernatoni - Disruptive Technology and the Total Defence Concept PRIO Paper 2023.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Martins |first1=Bruno Oliveira |last2=Stai |first2=Nora Kristine |last3=Csernatoni |first3=Raluca |title=Disruptive Technology and the Total Defence Concept |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2023 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/90b7e6b9-d7ff-4f47-aec4-b9d1b98df0e9/Martins Stai and Csernatoni - Disruptive Technology and the Total Defence Concept PRIO Paper 2023.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{martins2023disruptive, author = {Martins, Bruno Oliveira and Stai, Nora Kristine and Csernatoni, Raluca}, title = {{Disruptive Technology and the Total Defence Concept}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2023}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/90b7e6b9-d7ff-4f47-aec4-b9d1b98df0e9/Martins Stai and Csernatoni - Disruptive Technology and the Total Defence Concept PRIO Paper 2023.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }