scholarly journals Defence of the Republic of Slovenia 1991–2004: from Individual to Collective Defence

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 86-100
Author(s):  
Damijan Guštin
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Single Type ◽  
National Service ◽  
Territorial Defence ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Regular Army ◽  
Arms Embargo ◽  
The Republic ◽  
National Defence

Following the successful defence of the country in June and July 1991, the Republic of Slovenia developed its partly unestablished defence system in the light of the instability of the country’s southern neighbourhood that continued to be ravaged by war for the next five years. As an independent country, Slovenia developed its system of national defence in the context of armed neutrality, but with a desire to join Nato and thus transition to a system of collective defence. The Territorial Defence was developed into a regular army and renamed as the Slovenian Armed Forces in 1994. In the circumstances dictated both by restrictions imposed by the UN (arms embargo) as well as the country’s own capacities and available material resources, Slovenia developed a single-type army based on national service and initial large numbers that were gradually reduced. In 1993, the country decided to pursue collective defence as a strategic goal and initiated efforts to join Nato. As Slovenia moved closer to Nato and as the security of its immediate environment changed, numerous reforms of the Army and of the defence sector loomed. During Slovenia's preparations to join Nato from 2000 to 2004, the country abandoned its national service system in 2003 and reformed the Slovenian Armed Forces into a professional army numbering about 7600 professional soldiers, NCOs and officers, as well as an additional limited voluntary reserve force.   

The Role and Tasks of the Territorial Defence Force in the National Security System

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (27) ◽  
pp. 61-72
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Świderski
Keyword(s):  
National Security ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Security System ◽  
Territorial Defence ◽  
Legal Documents ◽  
New Type ◽  
The Republic

The detachments of Territorial Defence Force (TDF, Polish: Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej) are an important element in the new structure of the Polish Army. The article presents the challenges the Territorial Defence Force, a new branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, are currently facing. The author discusses the origin of TDF as well as the basic normative and legal documents that specify the role and tasks of TDF in the national security system. The principles of recruitment to TDF, the basic criteria laid down for candidates for service and a timeline of TDF development in 2016–2019 are described. Particular attention is paid to the cooperation between TDF and operational forces in case of an armed conflict, which poses a serious challenge to the new type of armed forces. Additionally, research suggests that the range of tasks assigned to TDF indicates their significant role within the crisis management system. This requires the TDF command to work closely with public administration and to gain trust and esteem in local communities in the regions of their operation.

scholarly journals THE REFORM AND EVOLUTION OF THE SLOVENIAN ARMED FORCES – A VIEW FROM ABROAD

2019 ◽  
pp. 161-174
Author(s):  
NEIL GRAYSTON
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Positive Trend ◽  
Territorial Defence ◽  
Force Structure ◽  
Defence Spending ◽  
Democratic Control ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Government ◽  
Defence Expenditure

Abstract The Republic of Slovenia has been a member of NATO for 15 years. In preparing for NATO membership the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) were required to prepare for radical change, from a territorial defence force to one that could contribute to NATO missions. The need for change became even more significant after the government decision in 2002 to end conscription and move to a fully professional SAF. A revised force structure for the SAF was agreed in 2003, prior to Slovenia joining NATO in 2004. Progress in developing the SAF in the first five years of NATO membership, while encountering a number of challenges, showed a positive trend, with a commensurate increase in defence expenditure. In the following five years the economic crisis which affected most NATO countries had a particularly damaging effect on the continued development of the SAF, with very severe reductions in defence expenditure. Today, after 15 years of NATO membership, the SAF has still not recovered from the cuts made in defence spending. Spending remains close to 1.0% of GDP and is inadequate to support the force plans of the SAF. The SAF is unable to make an effective contribution to NATO and a decision needs to be made on the future size and shape of the SAF which matches plans for future defence expenditure. Key words NATO, Slovenia, Professionalization, Defence Planning, Defence Expenditure, Missions, Force Structure, Democratic Control.

Developing Competences and Attitudes among Territorial Defence Personnel

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (27) ◽  
pp. 45-60
Author(s):  
Wojciech Horyń ◽  
Lesław Wełyczko ◽  
Kazimierz Nagody-Mrozowicz
Keyword(s):  
Subject Matter ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Territorial Defence ◽  
The Subject ◽  
National Defence

This article presents aspects of developing the competences of the soldiers of Territorial Defence Forces (TDF) – albeit, due to the vastness of the subject matter, it only partially explores this topic. Particular attention has been paid to the wide spectrum of the competences of a Territorial Defence officer who performs the roles of a commander-educator and instructor, but the competences of the subordinate – a private soldier of this service of the Armed Forces have also been discussed. Additionally, this article indicates rather important aspects of forming soldiers’ personalities and, in consequence, also their attitudes (civic, patriotic, national defence-oriented etc.) which combine to form their professional-personal characteristics.

scholarly journals Major Conditions of Shooting Range Operation in Poland

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 89-104
Author(s):  
Józef GACEK ◽  
Bronisław MARCINIAK ◽  
Ryszard WOŹNIAK
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Field Training ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
Expert Team ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Military ◽  
And Training ◽  
National Defence ◽  
Shooting Ranges

Under the "Authorisations of the Minister of National Defence" (latest - No. 57/MON dated 22 December 2014), a Permanent Expert Team operates at the Institute of Armament Technology of the Faculty of Mechatronics and Aerospace of the Military University of Technology (Warsaw, Poland), performing test shootings for the purpose of verifying the fulfilment of technical requirements to be met by garrison shooting ranges and their locations. During almost 20 years of its activity, the Team has conducted research studies under more than 325 civil law contracts concluded with operators of shooting ranges, numerous expert analyses and prepared specialist opinions for courts and prosecutor's offices, and participated in the creation of normative acts and documents, concerning - among others - provision of safety of the operated field training facilities, mainly garrison and training ground shooting ranges. The results of the Team's work have been used, among others, by the Ministry of National Defence (with the active participation of the Team) to prepare regulations of the Minister of National Defence concerning the technical conditions to be met by garrison shooting ranges and their locations. The first of these regulations was issued on 4 October 2001 (Polish Journal of Laws of 2001, no. 132, item 1479), and its latest revision on 15 December 2017 (Polish Journal of Laws of 2018, item 113). The paper presents selected results of studies of the Permanent Expert Team related to, among others, ensuring the safety of users of garrison and training ground shooting ranges, which form a part of the field training facilities of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, the Police, the Border Guard, the Customs Service, security companies, hunting and sports organisations. Of particular value are the conclusions and propositions of the Expert Team related to, for example: improvement of quality of the law created in Poland, concerning in particular training facilities; ensuring safety at shooting ranges during training with firearms of various types and calibres, utilising various types of ammunition; expert supervision over construction, acceptance and operation of shooting ranges; principles of safe operation of shooting ranges, ensuring longevity of the facilities, etc.

scholarly journals Lithuania’s Balancing Act

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deividas Šlekys
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Military Operations ◽  
Territorial Defence ◽  
Defence Budget ◽  
The Future ◽  
Military Structure ◽  
And Training ◽  
National Defence

AbstractSince regaining independence in 1990 and creating its regular armed forces, Lithuania has had to do a balancing act. It has had to balance between different approaches of state defence, military structure, collective and national defence. Due to events in Ukraine Lithuania had to reconfigure this balance. The Russian threat forced to emphasize strategy of territorial defence, which altogether required tying up forces and enlarging its numbers by bringing back conscription, substantially increased defence budget, followed by higher tempo and scale in procurement and training. However, Lithuania has managed to maintain its activity and participation in international military operations and political initiatives. Its recent contributions have led to an assumption that its participation in various military missions in the future will not diminish, quite the opposite. Increasing the framework of cooperation in terms of defence and security initiatives will involve Lithuania more deeply and will require further contributions.

scholarly journals REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA IN NATO – SLOVENIAN ARMED FORCES TEN YEARS LATER

2014 ◽  
pp. 45-61
Author(s):  
ANDREJ OSTERMAN
Keyword(s):  
International Security ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
Defence Budget ◽  
Military Exercises ◽  
Security Challenges ◽  
Smart Defence ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Budget Reductions ◽  
Transformation Processes

The Republic of Slovenia has now been a member of NATO for ten years, and the membership has significantly contributed to the development of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) which has gained international recognition. By participating in international operations and missions, the SAF also contributes to international security. Since the time of its formation, it has been transforming and adapting to new realities and contemporary security challenges, effectively utilizing the available human and material resources in order to provide the necessary military capabilities. It participates in international military exercises and operates in NATO and EU bodies and commands. Both in NATO and the Slovenian Armed Forces, interconnected transformation processes are currently under way. Some solutions that aim to deliver and develop the necessary military capabilities are being provided through participation in Smart Defence projects, the Connected Forces Initiative and the Framework Nations Concept. In recent years, the SAF has been faced with the continuous reduction of financial resources, which hinders the development of military capabilities. In the future, due to the defence budget reductions, it will be necessary to think about the scope and structure of the SAF and provide stable funding.

scholarly journals O RAZVOJU SLOVENSKE VOJSKE

2013 ◽  
pp. 83-100
Author(s):  
LADISLAV LIPIČ
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Territorial Defence ◽  
National Defence ◽  
The Eu

Avtor v članku pregledno obravnava nastanek in razvoj Slovenske vojske, njeno vlogo v slovenski osamosvojitvi in ob izzivih, ki nas čakajo ob vključitvi v Nato in EU. V prvem delu besedila obravnava vzroke, ki so povzročili razpad JLA in oblikovanje slovenskih oboroženih sil, njihov razvoj iz TO in MSNZ v Slovensko vojsko, v drugem pa razmišlja o reorganizaciji in profesionalizaciji Slovenske vojske ter njeni vlogi v spremenjenih varnostnih okoliščinah prihodnosti. The author discusses in his article the foundation and development of the Slovenian Armed Forces, its role in the War for Slovenia and various challenges that our country has to cope with upon joining NATO and the EU. The first part of the article deals with the reasons for the disintegration of the Yugoslav People’s Army and the formation of the Slovenian Armed Forces, their development from the Territorial Defence and National Defence Manoeuvre Structure to the Slovenian Armed Forces. In the second part, the author provides some reflections about the reorganization and professionalization of the Slovenian Armed Forces and its role in the altered future security situation.

scholarly journals Evaluation of selected elements of the potential of the Polish Armed Forces

2021 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-24
Author(s):  
Jarosław Kurek
Keyword(s):  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Gross Motor Skills ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
Fitness Assessment ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Military

The article contains a presentation of the Polish Armed Forces and in-depth characteristics of selected areas, which, in the author's opinion, determine the level of its military potential. The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland were characterized, focusing on the main defense tasks that are set for soldiers of the Polish Army in the context of fighting and securing the interests of the Polish state, as well as tasks resulting from international agreements. A definition of the Armed Forces potential was showing the approach to this issue by various authors. The number of soldiers was assessed and compared with the strength of the world's most powerful armies as well as the armies of neighboring countries. An analysis of material resources was made, presenting not only their current state, but also the prospects for development. In this context, the current state of armament of the Land Forces of the Polish Armed Forces as well as the main armament and equipment of the Polish Armed Forces are presented in detail. Additionally, it was emphasized that apart from personal and material resources, an extremely important element influencing the military potential is the psychophysical condition of Polish soldiers. Therefore, the elements of the psychophysical condition were characterized, including mental health, personality traits and physical fitness. It was emphasized that a particularly important feature that should characterize a soldier is high level of physical fitness. In order to understand this problem well, physical fitness has been defined according to the approach of various authors, gross motor skills have been described, broken down into fitness and non-fitness skills, and the method of assessing the physical fitness of soldiers of the Polish Army has been presented. In the last stage, reference was made to the results of the physical fitness assessment presented in the available national literature. In this approach, the basic results of research carried out, among others, are presented. on soldiers of Special Forces and air cavalry.

scholarly journals Odrodzenie Wojska Polskiego 1918–1921

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 199-212
Author(s):  
Janusz Tomaszewski
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
The State ◽  
Decisive Factor ◽  
The Real ◽  
Dynamic Development ◽  
Regular Army ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Intensive Development ◽  
Independent Existence

The revival of the Polish Army 1918–1921The Polish Army began to form before the resurrection of the Polish state. After Józef Piłsudski took over the highest positions in the state and army, the pace of organization in the Polish Army quickened. The Chief of State treated this issue as a priority. He believed the strength of the army to be a decisive factor in the real possibilities of the state, and in Polish conditions necessary to win the righteous and safe borders and defend the independent existence of the Republic of Poland. The inflow of new volunteers meant that at the end of 1918 the number was already around 100,000 soldiers. Until then, 39 infantry regiments, 17 regiments and 3 artillery regiments were successfully formed. In 1919, the intensive development of the Polish Army continued. It was a time of dynamic development of its strength, creation of great units — brigades and divisions, unification of organizational structures of sub-units, units and tactical units. There was also a consolidation of all Polish military formations within the armed forces, and the Polish Army was transformed into a regular army. The highest strength of the Polish Army was reached just after the end of the battle in the outskirts of Warsaw, on 1 September 1920, as it numbered 943,976 soldiers. At that time, its composition included, among others: 22 infantry divisions, 3 independent infantry brigades, 9 motorized brigades, 20 field artillery brigades, a mountain artillery brigade, 20 air squadrons.

Territorial Defence Forces – Determinants and Challenges

2019 ◽  
Vol 696 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-91
Author(s):  
Zbigniew Ścibiorek
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Territorial Defence ◽  
Military Conflict ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
The Republic

The article highlights the fact since 2017 the Territorial Defence Forces (TDF) have been a new branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland. It demonstrates that this formation has to be ready to achieve its tasks both during a military conflict (war) and in coping with non-military contingencies. The ‘Territorials’ are soldiers prepared to perform varied tasks utilizing their knowledge of the local terrain, with aid of the local authorities and communities. In giving the TDF their final form, a number of analyses as well as scientifically- based forecasting must be made. Conclusive decisions can only be taken bearing in mind that conditions and potential working environments will be undergoing constant changes.

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