On 9 December 2025, the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, hosted a roundtable discussion entitled “Between War and Peace: Defence Studies in a Time of Changing Security Conditions”, held as part of the 50th anniversary of Defence Studies and the Slovenian Political Science Day. The discussion featured representatives of the Euro-Atlantic Council of Slovenia:
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- Prof. Dr. Iztok Prezelj, President of the Council and Head of the Defence Research Centre (ORC),
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jelena Juvan, Vice-President of the Council and Head of the Chair of Defence Studies,
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Uroš Svete and Prof. Dr. Janja Vuga Beršnak, members of the Euro-Atlantic Council of Slovenia, lecturers, and researchers at the Chair of Defence Studies.
The roundtable was moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Miha Šlebir. The discussion focused on contemporary challenges in the strategic and security environment, strengthening the resilience of both society and the state, defence resources and investment cycles, technological development in defence, human resources challenges, education, and the importance of research for national security.
The panellists emphasised that Defence Studies today operates in a fundamentally different security environment than at the time of its establishment in 1975. The current context is marked by a growing number of armed conflicts, hybrid threats, cyberattacks, accelerated automation and digitalisation, and the increasing role of artificial intelligence in defence systems. Special attention was devoted to challenges related to recruitment and retention in defence and security structures, the role of the individual, and the need to adapt educational systems accordingly. The importance of science and research in shaping high-quality, long-term, and evidence-based national security policies was also strongly highlighted.
The participation of the leadership and members of the Euro-Atlantic Council of Slovenia in such expert events confirms the Council’s active and responsible role in Slovenia in fostering dialogue between the academic community, the professional public, and decision-makers in the field of security and defence. At the same time, it contributes to a deeper and more substantive discussion on the future of Slovenian and Euro-Atlantic security in an era of increasingly complex and unpredictable security challenges.
