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INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR
Denis Čaleta
Contemporary security environment is becoming increasingly complex and 
demanding. The threats, introduced to the national security system by changed 
security conditions in the world, should not be ignored. Politically, socially, eco-
nomically and ecologically destabilized areas, terrorist organizations, international 
organized crime, mass migrations and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction 
will represent basic sources of security threats in the future. Due to the emergence of 
new forms of asymmetric threats to the national, and indirectly also to the internati-
onal security, national security systems are faced with a demanding task; they must 
find appropriate methods to effectively respond to new challenges. 
 
Capabilities of the Republic of Slovenia are limited by personnel, financial and other 
factors. Coordinated measures among all factors of the system are crucial for efficient 
performance in the defence area; therefore, the armed forces play an extremely 
important role in this context. Limited resources require from us to overcome narrow 
interests of specific individuals and groups, and ensure more rational operation of 
certain subjects. Only in this way can we improve the efficiency of bodies that will be 
able to adjust to and counter the threats posed to national security of the country. The 
solutions which proved appropriate and efficient in the near past are now outlived 
and inefficient.  
Due to their specific mission and operational environment, the armed forces must in-
tensively seek to find new methods of operation to respond to the emerging forms of 
threats. The latest findings and various views of scientists and practitioners represent 
an added value which, as a response to changing security environment, is needed 
by each organized system for its successful transition to new operational forms. 
Therefore, the following thought, expressed by Charles De Gaulle, is very much ap-
plicable to the Slovenian Armed Forces: ‘We should not retain the armed forces we 
are used to. We must create the armed forces we need’.
Introduction
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INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITORDenis Čaleta
Under the influence of all these challenges the Editorial Committee of the Bulletin of 
the Slovenian Armed Forces has decided to dedicate this issue to new findings in the 
area of the armed forces operation. The second issue of the Year 11 of the Bulletin 
has the following theme title: Views on the armed forces operation – reflection of 
the present for the future. After a long time this issue is not thematically limited and 
offers a wide range of articles addressing various topics from the areas which are 
directly or indirectly related to the armed forces, their operation and development. 
In this issue of the Bulletin, articles are thematically divided into: articles, related to 
the wider international security environment and the operation of political-defence 
alliances; articles, related to the operation of the Slovenian Armed Forces in inter-
national operations and missions1; two articles which include abstracts of resear-
ches carried out within the Target Research Programme 'Knowledge for Security and 
Peace; and articles, directly related to the operational environment of the Slovenian 
Armed Forces. In this context personnel issues are also highlighted and addressed by 
authors from various points of view.   
Brigadier David Humar describes NATO Alliance as a political alliance with a strong 
military component, characterized by a diverse and multi-level structure organized 
on several levels. He points out that within the alliance of democratic nations, based 
on consensus decision-making, the armed forces do not define the policy of NATO 
Alliance, but represent one of the structures whose policy implementation is most 
obvious in the area of crisis response operations. 
Commander Boris Geršak analyses threats within the international environment 
which are related to safe navigation on sea routes. He correctly realizes that pre-
vention of threats to free navigation demands efficient international interoperability 
which, through the joint synergy, will ensure appropriate global security at the sea. 
He points out that in the future Slovenia should remain loyal to effective multilate-
ralism, based on the conviction that contemporary challenges for, and threats to the 
international security can be solved only through close cooperation of all partners. 
Major Anže Rode, Captain Drago Ćevriz and Colonel Žarko Henigman in their 
articles express the observation that the changed strategic and security enviro-
nment, Slovenian membership in NATO and the EU, as well as different tasks of 
the Slovenian Armed Forces demand adjustments (organizational changes) to 
the military intelligence activity. This is justified by the fact that commanders of 
Slovenian contingents, involved in operations, must take certain decisions. In doing 
so they are decisively supported by the military intelligence activity. The authors 
give special attention to the role of military intelligence during the force protection 
process, since commanders on various command levels, when facing threats, rely on 
timely and quality intelligence information. 
1 This term was introduced by Defence Minister, Dr. Ljubica Jelušič, at the expert talks on participation of the 
Republic of Slovenia in international operations and missions, held at Brdo pri Kranju on 21 January 2009. 
 13 Bilten Slovenske vojske 
INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITORDenis Čaleta
First Lieutenant Anica Flajnik points out that investigations of criminal offences in 
international operations and missions represent one of the challenges for the Ministry 
of Defence and its services with police powers during pre-trial criminal proceedings. 
One of the reasons which hinder investigations of criminal offences is geographical 
remoteness of Slovenian contingents involved in operations abroad, due to which 
specific provisions of the Criminal Procedure Act are difficult to implement. Factors 
with negative impact on the effective investigation of criminal offences result also 
from the lack of harmonization of the national legislation with the adopted NATO 
standards and international obligations within the Alliance. 
Denis Čaleta, PhD, points out that new terrorist threats influence also the develo-
pment of those educational approaches within national-security systems which could 
ensure more effective conduct of activities in counter-terrorism processes. He gives 
special attention to the significance of organizational learning and its impact on the 
increased awareness of counter-terrorism and its importance, and to the provision of 
more efficient activities. In this context national-security structures are particularly 
standing out, since their operational principles are based on closed and less receptive 
systems, rather than on dynamic, open environment, prepared for rapid changes.    
As part of the Target Research Programmes, Maks Tušak, PhD, and Matej Tušak, 
PhD, did research on the assessment of information truthfulness, based on the 
human physiological response to questions, and conducted through the applicati-
on of instruments, such as polygraph, peak achievement research, bio-feedback and 
spectral voice (system truster), and analysis of data, achieved with these assessments 
(MATHLAB). These procedures are already being used by laboratories for various 
purposes (as lie and fraud detection system), and for the assessment of the psycho-
logical condition of athletes during their psychological preparations. The goal of 
research is to develop a system which would enable a relatively reliable assessment 
of the information received, and of the speaker's identity. Its usage for military and 
security purposes would be of extreme importance. 
Manica Jakič, PhD, presents a part of the complex research addressing social re-
presentations and organizational culture within the Slovenian Armed Forces. She 
addresses the issue whether perception of factors creating social atmosphere signi-
ficantly differ with regard to individual categories of the Slovenian Armed Forces’ 
members, which are connected with other four socio-demographic characteristics 
(education, regional origin, sex and employment status), and with regard to satisfac-
tion with the organization and superior staff. The results of the research confirm the 
differences in the evaluation and perception of factors which create the atmosphere 
among various target groups of the Slovenian Armed Forces. 
Major Božo Majcen addresses current pressing problems related to workplace 
violence. Although the official data on the prevalence of workplace violence in 
Slovenia is rather scarce, we are aware that this type of violence is becoming inc-
reasingly widespread, and that the armed forces are not excluded from this social 
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processes. The author tries to present basic information on the reasons for the 
emergence of workplace violence, its forms, and various methods for its resolution.
Natalija Plemenitaš Fuchs presents her views on transition to an independent scholar-
ship system within the Slovenian Armed Forces, suggests improvements and makes 
a comparative analysis of the scholarship system established within the Croatian 
Armed Forces. The need for a change in the scholarship system is justified by the 
fact that every year labour market shows less interest in the military profession, 
while the target population of the Slovenian Armed Forces is interesting also for 
other employers. Since negative demographic trends have an unfavorable impact 
on manning the active component of the Slovenian Armed Forces, in the future the 
Slovenian Armed Forces will probably recruit new personnel mainly through its 
scholarship system.
Lieutenant Colonel Zoran Vobič addresses the possibility of retaining the military 
duty, as well as the conceptual formation of the military strategic reserve. This is 
justified by the need for a conceptual solution which would allow for an increase 
of the Slovenian Armed Forces capabilities. He points out the need for long-term 
solutions, mainly due to negative demographic trends and a significant decrease in 
number of military-trained people.  
In the last article Zvonko Krunić presents the results of a random sample question-
naire on the services offered by the Library and Information Centre of the Ministry of 
Defence, carried out at the end of 2008. The analysis shows that the most important 
source of information remains books and serial publications. 
Only a brave man can follow a path of innovations, overcome his narrow personal 
interests and benefits and create, in close cooperation with his friends and colleagu-
es, a new quality which gives hope for the future. If we are brave enough to follow 
this path together, we can also hope to constantly live the dream of the armed forces, 
created in line with the wishes of the Slovenian public.
Ljubljana, 21 April 2009
Denis Čaleta