The Policy of National Security

ARMY AND THE MILITARY PROFESSION IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY: CONTRIBUTION TO DEFINING AN ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK

2025-08-01T12:28:24+02:00

The social transformations defining contemporary, postmodern, or post-Cold War society have inevitably shaped the military – its organization, functions, role, and societal position. Global shifts from a bipolar to a unipolar and now multipolar geopolitical order demand the continuous evolution of national armed forces. This paper provides an overview of the broader context in which the modern military and military profession operate. It seeks to establish an analytical framework for examining their role and position as a research subject in contemporary society. The objective of this paper is to contribute not only in a hermeneutic (cognitive) sense, but also in a methodological sense by developing an analytical framework based on six key factors: (1) the political system and legislative framework, (2) national culture and social values, (3) historical experience, (4) the economy and the level of technical and technological development (5) the quality of military education and training, and (6) international military cooperation. Each factor is briefly explained, emphasizing its significance and specific characteristics. Through the appropriate selection and application of scientific methods, the proposed analytical framework aims to enable future research on the role and position of the military and the military profession in contemporary society to achieve the most comprehensive scientific understanding of the research subject.

THEORETICAL DETERMINATION OF TACTICS AS A MILITARY SCIENCE

2025-08-01T12:28:24+02:00

The development of civilization led to the emergence and growth of countries and armies, whose primary purpose was the country's defense. This resulted in the development of knowledge related to the methods of conducting armed combat. This knowledge has been systematized over time, and thus, knowledge related to this area, called the art of war, has been created. Since the 19th century, military sciences (tactics, operations, and strategy) have increasingly been considered, replacing the phrase art of war. Since the 19th century, there has been increasing talk of military sciences (tactics, operations, and strategy), which replace the phrase art of war. However, both Eastern and Western directions recognize tactics as a basic military science. However, even today, the theoretical definition of tactics has not been fully completed. Therefore, this paper aims to describe the theoretical determination of tactics as a military science. The first chapter of the paper provides a notional determination of tactics as a military science. The second chapter describes the fundamental constituents of tactics. In the third chapter, a classification of tactics was carried out according to several criteria. The understanding of key terms and the description of the paper's results were carried out using the following methods: content analysis, definition and classification, historical-comparative methods, analytical-synthetic methods, and deductive methods. The notional determination, description of the constituents, and classification of tactics as a military science represent the result of the paper.

UNMANNED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES: CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPMENT AND MILITARY APPLICATIONS AND THE NEED FOR NEW COMPETENCIES OF MILITARY PERSONNEL

2025-08-01T12:28:24+02:00

The development of unmanned autonomous vehicles represents one of the most dynamic directions of contemporary technological evolution, with increasingly widespread applications in the civilian and primarily the military domain. Although unmanned and autonomous vehicles are often used interchangeably, this paper highlights their essential distinction and the importance of integrated decision-making capabilities for achieving full autonomy. Modern trends in the production of sensors, communication, and power components have enabled the development of complex systems for environmental perception, path planning, and motion control, significantly influencing the transformation of concepts in military operations. The paper analyzes the historical development of unmanned autonomous vehicles, the levels of their autonomy, and their impact on the execution of modern military operations. Considering the pace of technological advancement and achievements, an even more intensive use of autonomous systems can be expected in future armed conflicts, which imposes the need to define the required knowledge and competencies for military personnel involved in their development and operational use. These competencies include mechatronics, automatic control, guidance, artificial intelligence, deployment tactics, logistical support, and others. The paper recognizes the need to enhance military education by integrating technological innovations and developing new academic programs to train personnel capable of creating, maintaining, and efficiently operating unmanned autonomous systems in a dynamic security environment.

EDUCATIONAL PROCESS IN THE MILITARY ACADEMY AS A FACTOR IN FORMING THE VALUE SYSTEM OF FUTURE OFFICERS

2025-08-01T12:28:25+02:00

The subject of this paper is the role of the educational process in the Military Academy as one of the factors in the formation of the value system of future officers from the standpoint of military andragogy and military psychology. This paper aims to determine the value system of the cadets – future officers through the times of the development of the Military Academy as a higher education institution (175 years of the Military Academy) by following the educational processes, methods, and demands, but also the demands of the military organization and profession. In the empirical segment of this paper, a psychological instrument was used – a modified scale for measuring value, which was applied in repeated research. The results of the presented research show that the value systems of cadets throughout time have never been and are not currently isolated from other factors of influence on their formation, such as the social context and primary families in which the cadets live and originate, as well as the peer groups to which they belong, but that the educational process indeed contributes to its construction in the function of the military profession.

QUALITATIVE INSIGHT INTO FACTORS OF ENROLLMENT IN MILITARY HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

2025-08-01T12:28:25+02:00

This paper explores the factors that influenced the decisions of cadets at the Military Academy (MA) and the Faculty of Medicine at the Medical Military Academy (MF MMA) to enroll in military higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Republic of Serbia. The research aimed to identify, through qualitative analysis of focus group responses, the reasons and motives behind cadets’ enrollment decisions and their reflections on those decisions. The theoretical framework of this paper is based on empirical research findings and theoretical considerations regarding the factors and models of HEI selection applicable to both civilian and military contexts. The research was conducted on a sample of 32 cadets, and the data were sorted and analyzed through ten thematic categories. The results reveal that the decision of cadets to enroll in military HEIs in the Republic of Serbia was shaped by a complex mix of social, institutional, and economic factors, many of which have already been identified in relevant scientific literature. The insights gained from this study can provide a foundation for developing an instrument for future quantitative research and refining higher education institutions’ communication strategies.

SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF CADETS OF THE MILITARY ACADEMY

2025-08-01T12:28:26+02:00

The subject of this paper is the study of the socioeconomic characteristics of cadets at the Military Academy, attempting to define these characteristics at the individual, family, and regional levels. The aim was to gain insight into cadets' fundamental socioeconomic characteristics, descriptions, and connections to the broader socioeconomic context. Both primary and secondary data were collected for this analysis. Correlation, factor analysis, and clustering were employed. The findings indicate that regional affiliation is a crucial characteristic that can classify respondents into two groups: those from developed regions in northern Serbia and those from less developed southern regions. Additionally, the participation of female cadets is comparable to levels seen in developed European countries. Almost 70 percent of cadets come from urban and semi-urban areas, while two-fifths originate from a single region, specifically Sumadija and Western Serbia. More than half of the cadets come from working-class backgrounds, and slightly more than one-fifth have a military background. Furthermore, nearly three-quarters of cadets have completed their secondary education at a Military Grammar School or a civilian gymnasium, and the academic success achieved by over half of the cadets can be characterized as very good.

CONSUMER ETHNOCENTRISM AND LIFESTYLES OF MEMBERS OF THE DEFENSE SYSTEM

2025-08-01T12:28:27+02:00

Consumer ethnocentrism is a form of economic patriotism and awareness of the significance of buying local products to develop the domestic economy. Since consumer habits are closely linked with consumers’ lifestyles, and that lifestyles, besides socio-demographic aspects, represent an important determinant of consumer market behaviour, this paper aims to determine whether there are differences in consumer ethnocentrism and lifestyles of members of the defence system compared to the civilian population. The research included 180 respondents in total, members of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces, and civilians employed in other fields of the economy. Independent variables defined in the research were gender, education, generational affiliation, and belonging to the defense system, while dependent variables were the scores on the consumer ethnocentrism and lifestyle preferences subscales. The data was processed with the help of descriptive statistics, t-tests for independent samples, and linear regressions. The results show differences in preferences of specific lifestyles between members of the defense sector and civilians, but not in consumer ethnocentrism. There are also statistically significant differences regarding consumer ethnocentrism and lifestyle preferences regarding socio-demographic variables. Moreover, even the preferences of specific lifestyles, as a form of consumer behavior, have been shown as statistically significant predictors of consumer ethnocentrism. Therefore, it is only justified to dedicate more attention to future research to examine the lifestyles and consumer habits of specific groups of inhabitants to raise their awareness of the importance of purchasing domestic products to strengthen the domestic economy.

THE BATTLE OF CAJAMARCA: THE CIVILIZATIONAL COST OF MILITARY (MIS)EDUCATION

2025-08-01T12:28:28+02:00

This paper analyses the Battle of Cajamarca as a paradigmatic example of the civilizational cost of military miseducation. Exploring the context, course, and consequences of the battle between the Spanish conquistadors led by Pizarro and the Inca, commanded by the divine ruler Atahualpa, the author argues that the victory of the drastically outnumbered Spanish force over the Inca army was not merely the result of technological and tactical superiority, but primarily a consequence of the Spanish commanders’ superior educational tradition, including military education in the broader sense. Through the analysis of advantages in weaponry, tactics, and the foundations for strategic decision-making on both sides, the author demonstrates that the Spanish conquistadors derived their advantage from a wide array of knowledge – military engineering, tactics, the social sciences, and a deep understanding of enemy culture – while the Inca, deprived of literacy and an institutionalized educational system, relied on superstition and improvisation. The author concludes that this battle must not remain a mere historical curiosity but should serve as a warning about the necessity of systematic, high-level intellectual military education in modern armed forces to prevent potential strategic catastrophes in future conflicts – catastrophes that could mark the end of a culture or even an entire civilization.

175 YEARS OF MILITARY EDUCATION

2025-08-01T12:28:28+02:00