11 Bilten Slovenske vojske 
EDITORIAL
Branimir Furlan
Twenty years ago, foundation was laid for an independent and democratic Slovenia. 
This was a time of differing views and opinions regarding the national security 
concept of the future state, a time of defence capability building and a time of 
peace movements. On 16 May 1990, a new democratic government was formed. 
In autumn, constitutional amendments were put into force and Slovenia took on the 
care of arranging defence matters. The presiding entities of the Republic of Slovenia 
assumed jurisdiction over the Territorial Defence. This established the basis for the 
formation of new civil-military relations and implementation of democratic civilian 
control over the armed forces.
Today, twenty years later, Slovenia has rich experience in the implementation of de-
mocratic standards in civil-military relations in practice. But how effective is civilian 
control? How is it realised in practice? What is the legitimacy and legality of the use 
of the Slovenian Armed Forces? The editorial board devoted the third issue of the 
Slovenian Armed Forces Bulletin to the aforementioned and other questions relating 
to civil-military relations after twenty years. With the findings and knowledge of the 
authors of the articles we wished to contribute to the professional and scientific di-
scussion of current civil-military relations in the Republic of Slovenia.
In the first group of articles, authors determine the way that legislative branch of 
authority functions and the way that control of the defence sector in the Republic 
of Slovenia is implemented. In the first article, I establish that Slovenia has a legal 
framework and all the conditions for an effective exercise of institutional civilian 
control. Nevertheless, the normative regulation could be better and designates that 
the first generation of civil-military relations problem is not over. In my estimation, 
the National Assembly fulfils its role and mission; however, control could be more 
effective.
 12 Bilten Slovenske vojske 
Branimir Furlan
In the second article, Klemen Grošelj and Vladimir Prebilič underline the deve-
lopment and new challenges experienced by the Republic of Slovenia in the field of 
parliamentary control. They highlight the question of whether quick reforms and de-
velopment of the defence sector which enables the formation of a modern, rational, 
flexible and, what is more, highly competent work of Slovenian national security 
system, are also followed by civilian control.
The second group of articles provides findings regarding the way in which civilian 
control in the area of executive branch of authority and the use of the Slovenian Armed 
Forces is realised in practice. Pavel Vuk et al. present legal views of participation 
of the Republic of Slovenia in the international operation in Afghanistan. They also 
open a question of legality of the operation of the Slovenian Armed Forces in peace 
forces with regard to the international law of armed conflict, as well as a question of 
conformity of the operation with the obligations of the Republic of Slovenia arising 
from international treaties and membership in international organisations.
Alenka Petek underlines the legality of the use of the Slovenian Armed Forces by 
discussing the question of whether in the legal order of the Republic of Slovenia 
there is an adequate ground for the Slovenian Armed Forces to perform certain tasks 
in Afghanistan. The author supports the necessity of consistently insisting on the 
legality of armed forces operation as the basis for civilian control.
Denis Čaleta discusses the legality and legitimacy of the use of the Slovenian Armed 
Forces in the counter-terrorism system. The author establishes that in the process 
of implementing legal regulations and establishing an adequate counter-terrorism 
system, there has been some indeterminacy regarding the jurisdiction of key entities 
in this area, and an insufficiently defined role of the Slovenian Armed Forces.
Vojko Obrulj analyses one of the mechanisms for the execution of civilian control. 
The author underscores the importance of inspection control in order to provide 
control over the implementation of legal order, and information which enables the 
executive branch to familiarise itself with the effects of the adopted regulations and 
design suitable changes and measures. The aim of the article is to present the starting 
points for the organisation of inspection control in the defence sector and to stimulate 
reflections about the development of inspection control within the national security 
system of the Republic of Slovenia.
The third group of articles relates to the implementation of civilian control over 
security and intelligence activities. In the first article Andrej Anžič discusses past 
and current forms of intertwining, differentiation and gap between declarative 
political goals and interests of parliamentary control as well as between security 
reality and practice. The author establishes that up to the year 2000, parliamentary 
control did not reach the level of political control of intelligence services and police 
forces in western democracies and that the adoption of the Parliamentary Control 
 13 Bilten Slovenske vojske 
of Intelligence and Security Services Act represented a new milestone or the third 
phase of civilian security relations theory and practice in the Republic of Slovenia.
Damir Črnčec underscores the importance and the need for an appropriate normative 
regulation of the control of intelligence services in order to ensure quality of control 
and, consequently, better legal safety of citizens. According to the author, the system 
of control undeniably works; however it allows for a discussion of how to upgrade 
and improve it.
In her article, Nataša Globočnik presents control mechanisms of police force security 
and intelligence services in the Republic of Austria. She devotes her attention to 
external control. More specifically, she makes a detailed presentation of parliamen-
tary control and the Human Rights Advisory Council.
The last article acquaints us with the view of Tomaž Kladnik about the special area 
of civil-military relations, namely the military care for cultural heritage. The author 
explains the established systematic protection of cultural heritage supervised and 
directed by competent institutions.
It is our wish that this issue would enlighten certain views of civil-military relations 
and democratic civilian control over the armed forces and enable you to critical-
ly understand the discussions and questions arising as a topical issue not only in 
Slovenian, but also in wider national security environment.
You, the readers of the Slovenian Armed Forces Bulletin, represent an important 
group of Slovenian readers, which will be able to estimate whether or not we have 
managed to achieve our purpose.
INTRODUCTION