The geopolitical and security environment in Europe has changed dramatically. With global interconnectedness, more players from states, organizations, and even individuals seek to reshape international rules and norms to their benefit. These changes have implications for Europe’s shared democratic values, stability and prosperity. Doing nothing is choosing to lose. Countries have moved out of their comfort zone into a new reality that dictates a strong pace of (re)shaping their security and defence policies. Gone are the days when many countries did not focus too much on national defence issues and there was no need to spend more on the development of defence systems. Gone are the days when countries delayed implementing their defence policy commitments to NATO and the EU, when they rode the »waves« of liberal democratic dominance. In this paper, we analyse Slovenia’s response to the changed security context with a critical eye, focusing on the development of the defence system. The analysis focuses on three complex strategic issues (the concept of defence, resources and inter-institutional interoperability) and paradigms of a changing security culture. The discussion on these issues offers, on the one hand, perspectives on the need to strengthen national power, where the defence system plays a significant role and, on the other hand, encourages reflection on a new approach to accelerate the speed and scale of effective changes in the defence area. At the same time, we wonder whether, after eight years, the time has come for a Strategic Defence Review.
Vol. 5 No. 6, 2024: Slovenia’s Defence System in Front of the New Strategic Defence Review (Vuk) [ENG]
Author:
- Dr Pavel Vuk holds a PhD in Defence Studies from the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana. He is an employee of the Military Schools Centre, the National Military College, where he researches and teaches topics related to strategic, defence and military studies, theory and practice of strategy, defence planning, sociology of the military.
* Views and opinions of the authors of this paper do not necessarily correspond to views of the Euro-Atlantic Council of Slovenia.