NATO’s new normal: “We may not be at war, but we’re not at peace”

Hybrid warfare isn’t coming. It’s here.

At the 2026 Munich Security Conference, NATO Parliamentary Secretary General Benedetta Berti explains why hybrid threats, from undersea cable sabotage to disinformation, energy coercion, and cyberattacks, are no longer isolated incidents but a defining feature of today’s security environment.

“This is a feature, not a bug,” she says during GZERO's Global Stage discussion. “We may not be at war as NATO, but we’re not at peace.”

So how is the alliance adapting?

NATO is strengthening shared intelligence, building real-time situational awareness, hardening critical infrastructure, and focusing on resilience as a form of deterrence, like making 5G networks, electric grids, and transportation systems less vulnerable to attack.

The next step: imposing real costs on adversaries operating in the gray zone.

Can NATO move from reacting to deterring?

Watch the full Global Stage conversation from Munich.