Contemporary conflict between State actors is increasingly unfolding in the grey-zone arena, an ambiguous space that lies below the threshold of declared war yet delivers strategic effects traditionally associated with kinetic campaigns. The epicentre of this alteration lies in the cyber domain, which has emerged not merely as an adjunct to military power but as a decisive battlespace in its own right. The pattern of growth is distinctive, cyber operations are used to weaken, confuse, or paralyse an adversary’s critical infrastructure even before conventional forces and tactics are employed. Power grids, telecommunications networks, transport systems, and command-and-control architectures have become the first targets in what can be described as non-kinetic opening salvos of modern war. One such recent case is the January 2026 power grid failure in Venezuela, which was followed by the capture of its President, Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas by the US, an example of the use of the Grey-zone tactic in conflicts between State actors. US officials described the raid as the conclusion of months of covert surveillance, operational planning, and the use of cyber and electronic capabilities, which played a role in deactivating Venezuelan air defences and critical infrastructure before the kinetic attack. This shift showcases a deeper strategic logic. Disabling electricity or communications does not incite the instant political costs of missile strikes, but it holds the power to cripple a state’s capability to govern, mobilise, or defend itself. In grey-zone rivalry, the aim is not sudden battlefield victory but strategic confusion, forcing the adversary into paralysis while sustaining plausible deniability. Cyber operations, therefore, serve as both a coercive instrument and a force multiplier for conventional military power.
Grey-Zone Warfare and Cyber Precursor To Conventional Conflict
