In The Dark: Underground Warfare: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities

Dr. Daphné Richemond-Barak is a co-founder of the International Working Group on Subterranean Warfare. Her book, UNDERGROUND WARFARE (OUP, 2018) is the first of its kind to examine tunnel warfare in a systematic and comprehensive way, addressing historical, operational, strategic, and legal ramifications of this age-old tactic.

She has a keen interest for novel or otherwise noteworthy developments on the contemporary battlefield – from the deployment of intelligent defense systems to the rise and return of foreign fighters and artificial intelligence. Her approach is deeply grounded in multi-disciplinary research, at the intersection of international relations, international law, policy, and security studies.

Daphné's talk discusses current and future trends in underground warfare, argues that tunnels remain popular in spite of improving technology, and concludes with some insights for states and decision-makers.

Agenda

* Current trends: Diffusion of underground warfare tactics since 2001 across Asia, Middle East, use by violent non-state actors, rise of cross-border tunnels

* Future trends: Why are tunnels so popular and will this change in near future, as technology improves?

* Challenges: Detection (IDF Operation Northern Shield against Hezbollah tunnels), adaptation, and innovation in underground warfare

* Opportunities: DARPA's efforts, states re-owning the subterranean, cross-fertilization

Presenter

Dr. Daphné Richemond-Barak

Dr. Daphné Richemond-Barak is Assistant Professor at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at Reichman University (IDC Herzliya), where she serves as Academic Director of the International Program in Government.

She also serves as Senior Researcher and Head of the International Law Desk at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), as an Adjunct Scholar at the Modern War Institute at West Point, and a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Law and Land Warfare.

She is the author of Underground Warfare (OUP, 2018) and the co-founder of the International Working Group on Subterranean Warfare. She co-organised the first academic, multi-disciplinary conference on subterranean warfare at IDC Herzliya in December 2019.

She holds a Maîtrise from Université Panthéon-Assas (Paris II), a Diploma in Legal Studies from Oxford University, an LL.M. from Yale Law School, and a Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University.