11 Contemporary Military Challenges, May 2022 – 24/No. 1
  Sodobni vojaški izzivi, maj 2022 – 24/št.1
EDITORIAL
THE MILITARY
Liliana Brožič DOI:10.33179/BSV.99.SVI.11.CMC.24.1.00
The first issue of the twenty-fourth volume of Contemporary Military Challenges 
is dedicated to the military. Due to the many changes in the international security 
environment, which significantly impact our primary environment in Slovenia 
and more broadly in the European Union, we have focused on topics that better 
explain our present and will have a significant impact on our future when it comes 
to defence and security. The armed forces and the military are an integral part of 
both. Some people, however, have a different perception of these topics because they 
are subconsciously reminiscent of violence, fear, death and everything associated 
with these concepts. Modern society strives for other values such as abundance, 
success, prosperity and the like. In times when the society is doing well and thriving 
in peace and abundance, few individuals stress the importance of national security, 
the functionality and effectiveness of the national security system, and the readiness 
of their armed forces. When the security situation deteriorates, the society usually 
intensively reacts only in the beginning. In the meantime, however, systems and 
institutions need to function and evolve continuously. In the recent years, we have 
witnessed some surprising changes in the security landscape, which have tested 
our readiness, responsiveness and resilience. Three of these changes include the 
European migrant crisis, the COVID-19 epidemic and the Russian military invasion 
of Ukraine.
Security mechanisms must respond appropriately to the changing security threats. 
Last year, the European Union and the Alliance have done so. The European Union 
has produced a Strategic Compass for Security and Defence to protect its citizens, 
values and interests, and contribute to international peace. In the Alliance, on 
the other hand, a new NATO’s Strategic Concept is being developed. In parallel 
with these documents, which govern the future security architecture in the broad 
international environment, new documents are being revised and produced in the 
Republic of Slovenia in 2022. In the first semester of this year, the Government of the 
Republic of Slovenia adopted the Resolution on General Long-Term Development 
and Equipping Programme of the Slovenian Armed Forces up to 2035, the  Medium-
Term Defence Programme of the Republic of Slovenia 2022-2026, and took note 
 12 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges
of the Military Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia. These documents will have a 
significant impact on Slovenia’s security and defence over the next few years, but 
especially on the Slovenian Armed Forces, which represents the military instrument 
of national power. The latter contributes not only to national defence, but with its 
troops, equipment and capabilities also represents Slovenia’s contribution to common 
security in the Alliance and the European Union. 
The documents adopted by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia are written 
to be implemented. A decade of promises about how much we will spend on defence 
in general and on the security, training and equipment of members of the Slovenian 
Armed Forces is, hopefully, over. The changed security environment in the immediate 
vicinity of the European Union and the Alliance suggests that security will have 
to be taken more seriously in both theoretical and practical terms. Fortunately, the 
military is the ultimate instrument of national power to counter a number of security 
threats. There are, however, also other instruments of national power that can play an 
important role in deterring threats, but even the most extreme of all measures must 
be effective and of good quality. The Military Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia 
will certainly contribute to this in the future. The document was drafted after a 
considerable reflection in all structures of the Slovenian Armed Forces and has made 
a significant contribution to the development of military strategic thought. Several 
articles relating to this document have been written throughout last year. This issue 
of Contemporary Military Challenges on the military brings some new ones, and, 
apparently, there will be many more in the future.
Centre of gravity: from theoretical baseline to the practical application of the concept 
is the title of the article by Miha Šlebir who argues that the concept of centre of 
gravity is one of the fundamental pillars of contemporary military science. The long-
standing practice in the field of planning and conduct of military operations, however, 
also brings certain dilemmas. The author presents the theories of this concept, its 
strengths and weaknesses, and tests them with the example of the first phase of the 
Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In the article Analysis of the process of drafting the military strategy of the Republic 
of Slovenia, Bensad Šiniković builds on Procházko’s twelve principles. There are 
several different models on military strategy formulation processes. In the Republic 
of Slovenia, we already have experience with the drafting of the National Security 
Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia of 2019. We know some of the models only 
from a theoretical point of view, while others we have already tested in practice, also 
in the case of the draft Military Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia. 
The actual role of the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, and the who and 
the how of commanding the Slovenian Armed Forces in the legal terms is examined 
by Uroš Krek in his article President of the republic of Slovenia as commander-in-
chief of the defence forces. His role is very clearly defined by the Constitution of 
the Republic of Slovenia, whereas its connection with the Defence Act is perhaps a 
Liliana Brožič
 13 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges
THE MILITARY
little less clear. The author provides an adequate explanation and interpretation of the 
legal acts and offers suggestions for possible amendments.
Consistency in normative documents is essential for the coherence and transparency 
of a particular area of government activity. Stanislav Šantelj writes about this in 
his article Relationship between ends, ways and means - a case study of the military 
strategy of the Republic of Slovenia.  Is everything that is agreed at the strategic level 
both nationally and internationally, viable, and what influence do the means have on 
this?  
Bernard Polanec discusses the Vision of mountain warfare development in the 
Slovenian Armed Forces. Theories, concepts and doctrines in various fields are 
constantly changing. Before anything changes, however, it is necessary to study 
several theories, compare lessons learned, formulate new proposals and organise 
quality discussions. The whole process can be repeated several times, thus contributing 
to the generation of new knowledge and literature. The author’s contribution draws 
on Slovenian geographical characteristics and years-long experience, which have 
resulted in a different perspective of the subject. 
Military knowledge is important. It is constantly evolving and advancing. Some of 
the topics should be kept confidential, but for those that are not, we invite future 
authors to share them with the readers of Contemporary Military Challenges.