HYBRID THREAT ASSESSMENT THROUGH SECURITY ANALYTICS: A CLARK–HEUER INTEGRATIVE MODEL

Miroslav Mitrović

Miroslav Mitrović Faculty of Business and Law, MB UNIVERSITY

Keywords: Hybrid threats, intelligence analysis, Clark–Heuer model, PMESII, ACH.

Abstract

Review paper

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37458/ssj.6.2.9

This paper develops an integrative analytical framework for assessing hybrid threats by combining Robert M. Clark’s target-centric (PMESII) approach and Richard J. Heuer Jr.’s cognitive-analytical (ACH) model. The study argues that merging systemic mapping and cognitive safeguards enhances both the external validity and internal reliability of intelligence analysis. Employing a qualitative, theory-driven design, the research contrasts the added value and operational limitations of the Clark–Heuer dual framework across Euro-Atlantic security contexts. Three illustrative cases, the Baltic States, Moldova, and the Israel–Hamas conflict, demonstrate how the model improves attribution confidence, analytical timeliness, and proportionality in hybrid threat assessment. The integration of PMESII and ACH enables real-time validation checkpoints within crisis-monitoring processes, reducing analytical error and reinforcing institutional resilience. Findings confirm that the Clark–Heuer model bridges the gap between academic theory and operational practice, offering a replicable meta-framework that strengthens analytical accountability, adaptability, and democratic legitimacy in security governance.

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