13 Sodobni vojaški izzivi, junij 2014 – 16/št. 2 Contemporary Military Challenges, June 2014 – 16/No. 2 GLOBALNI USPEH EVROPE 2020 – PREOBLIKOVANJE SISTEMOV IZOBRAŽEVANJA, TUDI VOJAŠKEGA? Olivian Stănică GLOBAL SUCCESS OF »EUROPE 2020« – REMODELLING EDUCATION SYSTEMS, EVEN MILITARY ONES? »Moč vsake vojske se meri z vrednostjo njenega poveljnika in častnikov.« M. Kemal ATATÜRK »The power of an army is measured with the value of its commander and officers.« M. Kemal ATATÜRK Po napovedih naj bi se v letih 2020–2025 sistem izobraževanja razlikoval od današnjega, saj bo za mlado generacijo zaradi različnih vplivov novih tehnologij treba oblikovati nov nabor znanja, spretnosti in kompetenc, nove izobraževalne programe ali vrste izobraževalnih programov, nove poti in ustvarjalne načine učenja in ocenjevanja ter različne vloge učiteljev oziroma inštruktorjev in izobraževalnih ustanov. Spodbujanje evropske varnostne kulture z vojaškim izobraževanjem na vseh stopnjah vojaške poklicne poti zahteva skupen pristop. V nacionalnih izobraževalnih sistemih, kot so izobraževalni sistemi v Evropski uniji, obstaja jasna težnja k poučevanju in učenju, ki temelji na spretnostih, ter k ciljno naravnanemu pristopu k učenju, ki naj bi izrecno izražal resnične potrebe upravičencev. Pri vseh evropskih oboroženih silah že več let poteka transformacija. Njihova vojaška moč se je zaradi spreminjajočih se groženj in novih poslanstev zmanjšala. Pri strateškem načrtovanju, konvencijah in procesih oborožene sile upoštevajo izzive, s katerimi se spopada njihovo vojaško osebje (častniki, podčastniki, vojaški specialisti in poklicni vojaki), zato morajo biti v sodobni sistem vojaškega izobraževanja vedno nujno vključene tudi značilnosti vojne v smislu kompleksnosti in neizpodbitne negotovosti. Izobraževanje, usposabljanje, transformacija, izobraževalni program, znanje, spretnosti, kompetence. Povzetek Ključne besede DOI:10.33179/BSV.99.SVI.11.CMC.16.2.1 14 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges Abstract Key words Introduction For 2020-2025, according to forecasts, the education system will be different from today, because it will be necessary for a new set of skills and competencies to be developed among the young generation, new curricula or types of curricula, new paths and innovative ways of learning and assessment, different roles for teachers/ instructors and educational institutions as a result of the different impacts of the new technologies. Promoting a European security culture through military education at all levels of the military career will require a common approach. In national education systems, as in the education systems in the European Union, there is a clear trend in favour of teaching and learning based on skills and of a result-oriented approach to learning that should explicitly express the real needs of the beneficiaries. All European Armed Forces have been undergoing a transformation process for several years. They have reduced their military power as a result of the changing threats and the emergence of new missions. In strategic planning, conventions and processes, the Armed Forces have taken into account the challenges the military personnel (officer, non-commissioned officer, warrant officer, professional soldier) must face. Therefore, the modern military education system is inevitably required to permanently comprise the features of war, in terms of complexity and indisputable uncertainties. Education, training, transformation, educational curriculum, skills, competences. In the context of the European Strategy "Horizon 2020", the need to reform the education and training systems is more and more firmly stated, based on the concepts of quality and excellence, as a key tool not only for getting out of the crisis, but also for increasing competitiveness, providing success in the global knowledge economy. The three strategic goals for Europe "Horizon 2020"1, which will guide the development of the EU in the next decade and are relevant for education systems, are: – Smart growth: developing an economy based on knowledge and innovation (especially supported by strategic initiatives: "Innovation Union" – to improve framework-conditions and access to research and innovation funding, so that the possibility of transforming innovative ideas into products and services that generate economic growth and new jobs is ensured, "Youth on the move" – to enhance the performance of education systems and to facilitate the entry of young people into the labour market, and "A digital agenda for Europe" – to increase development of fast internet services and to capitalise on the benefits provided by a single digital market for households and firms); – Sustainable growth: promoting a more efficient economy in terms of using greener and more competitive resources (supported by strategic initiatives: "Resource efficient Europe" – to help decouple economic development from resource use, to 1 See http://www.tiaspe.ro/home/strategia–europa-2020 accessed on 5th March 2014. Olivian Stănică 15 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges support the transition to a low carbon economy, to increase the use of renewable energy sources, to modernise our transport sector and to promote energy efficiency, and "An integrated industrial policy for the globalisation era" – to improve the business environment, especially for small- and medium-sized enterprises, and to support the development of a strong and sustainable industrial base able to face competition at global level); – Inclusion favourable increase: fostering an economy with a high rate of employment, ensuring social and territorial cohesion (supported by strategic initiatives: "An agenda for new skills and jobs" – to modernise labour markets and provide people with more autonomy, by developing their skills throughout their life in order to increase labour market participation rate and to better harmonise demand and supply in terms of labour market, including through labour mobility, and the "European platform against poverty" – to ensure social and territorial cohesion so that the benefits of growth and jobs are distributed fairly, and the people experiencing poverty and social exclusion are given the opportunity to lead a dignified life and play an active role in society). In the European Union, the education and training of future officers is treated with utmost responsibility by all member states in order for them to develop a European security culture. The role and place of the military dimension of comprehensive approach (Bodescu, 2013, p. 22) in the context of this European security culture require soldiers’ understanding that a conflict cannot be solved only by military force and that its causes require other tools, in most situations. The question that arises is: Is it possible to exclude the military higher education system from the process of the changes occurred in the civil higher education system? All European Armed Forces have been undergoing a transformation process for several years. They have reduced their military power as a result of the changing threats and the emergence of new missions. In strategic planning, conventions and processes, the Armed Forces have taken into account the challenges the military personnel (officer, non-commissioned officer, warrant officer, professional soldier) must face individually. Therefore, the modern military education system is inevitably required to permanently comprise the features of war, in terms of complexity and indisputable uncertainties. The countries that have considered the concepts of the Lisbon Strategy to recognise the rights of the military personnel to have access to the best education and research, through the complete merger of the military and the national education system, have had the experience of achieving positive professional results in terms of value compared with the civilian system. Quality assurance standards (assessment/accreditation) have become mandatory for officers/WOs/NCOs training programmes and for the organisation/functioning of military schools and higher military education institutions. GLOBAL SUCCESS OF »EUROPE 2020« – REMODELLING EDUCATION SYSTEMS, EVEN MILITARY ONES? 16 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges Quality education provided by the military education system is based on innovation and diversification, it is promoted by teachers, educational leaders, respects individual autonomy and is based on institutional autonomy, being oriented towards dialogue and partnerships in order to obtain good results, involves all internal and external educational stakeholders, provides valuation of the highly professionalised human resource, adapted to the future needs of defence, intelligence and national security structures. Professionalisation of the armed forces belonging to NATO/EU countries has required profound and lasting transformations in the organisation, procurement of modern military equipment and combat assets, training of military personnel, reform of military education institutions according to national and European legislation (see the Bologna process), change in relations between the military and civil society (in the sense of involving all government and non-governmental actors in national security issues). Jeffrey D. McCausland and Gregg F. Martin (McCausland, Martin, 2001, pp. 17-33) summed up this trend (about armed forces transformation) stating that "[ ... ] in addition to the well-trained officer we needed during the Cold War, our jurisdiction during the era of globalisation requires a well-educated officer as well". Consequently, many states have progressively chosen the professionalisation of their Armed Forces. The reform of NATO member states has led to the restructuring and downsizing of armed forces, structural reorganisations, the change of the legislative framework and its adaptation to the new risks and threats, the change of military doctrines in keeping with the new missions (as national armed forces or part of a political- military alliance), the change of training systems and training methods/procedures to achieve compatibility and interoperability within the new command structures and forces of the Alliance. 1 TRENDS IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE EUROPEAN MILITARY EDUCATION AND TRAINING SYSTEMS For 2020-2025, according to forecasts, the education system will be different from today, because it will be necessary for a new set of skills and competencies to be developed among the young generation, new curricula or types of curricula, new paths and innovative ways of learning and assessment, different roles for teachers/instructors and educational institutions as a result of the different impacts of the new technologies. "[...] Meetings between teachers-students-pupils will increasingly take place in cyberspace to debate ideas, practical applications and projects. Communication will take place more and more horizontally and vertically, so that students will be able to choose the best universities and, in turn, universities will be able to select the most motivated, interested students. In 2025, the role of higher education institutions will be extended, organisations will look different. Society will urge citizens to learn more, to be better prepared, more adapted to an Olivian Stănică 17 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges ever-changing world. People will learn more dynamically and mobile-like, but at their own pace"2. In national education systems, as in the education systems in the European Union, there is a clear trend in favour of teaching and learning based on skills, and of a result-oriented approach to the learning process that should explicitly express the real needs of the beneficiaries. In this new context, of transformations, we will notice two career paths in order to become officer in the EU: the first path – short career – by recruiting those youngsters who have already graduated from academic institutions and will attend only general and specialised military training modules and, at the end of their contract, will be able to adapt to the civilian labour market thanks to the qualifications acquired: the second path – long career – with training requirements according with progression in their career. Vesa Nissinen (Nissinen, 2001, p. 16) hypothetically established that, in the first stage of an officer’s career, the practical skills are more important than academic knowledge, because the work of young officers is not primarily about analysis, decision-making and strategy-making. However, the more we progress in the career, the more academic knowledge is needed and the less the practical skills are to be focused on because the officers are operating much less on the field. According to Vesta Nissinen, only leadership stimulation has to be equally spread along the career. The following figure (Figure 1) points out this statement: 2 See http://www.carteaverde.edu2025.ro/docs/viziunea_înv_superior_din_Romania_2025.pdf accessed on 12th February 2014. Figure 1: Education requirements in officer career progression Source: Nissinen (2001) Progression of the officer career Practical skills Leadership skills Academic knowledge GLOBAL SUCCESS OF »EUROPE 2020« – REMODELLING EDUCATION SYSTEMS, EVEN MILITARY ONES? 18 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges Various authors have stated the idea that the future is full of uncertainties and unpredictable factors, very difficult to predict, among them being Richard Riley3 who said in an interview on 13th March 2013: "[...] The most sought-after professions in October 2010 did not exist in 2004. We are preparing students for jobs that do not yet exist [...] that will use technologies that have not yet been invented [...] in order to solve problems we do not know". We can say about the future that it seems to be full of opportunities, decisions and risks. We cannot fully predict them, but we can anticipate a number of trends and decisions, and decisions should be taken timely in order for us not to be overwhelmed by events. These trends (Stoyanov, Hogveldand Kirschner, 2010, p. 10) may have a number of consequences for the education systems in the long term: learning will not be limited by traditional educational institutions; teachers will become mediators between students, knowledge and technology; learning-teaching will be oriented/ will take place by means of social internet networks; lifelong learning will become the norm; the size of classrooms/lecture halls will not matter anymore; teaching- learning methods will consider cognitive processes and structures; the contents of modern education will generate the fading of boundaries between sciences, narrowing the bridges between different disciplines and promoting interdisciplinary and transdisciplinarity in particular. From this perspective, the Allied Command Transformation (ACT) developed a study called Strategic Foresight Analysis – 2013 Report (SFA) in September 2013. It identifies the trends that will shape the future strategic context and from which the Alliance defence and security implications concerning 2030 derive. The SFA is based on recent international and national studies covering the 2030 and beyond time horizon, previous ACT analyses regarding the future and the results of four separate ACT-led workshops. The report states that the future is neither completely predictable nor predetermined and, most importantly, that there is always the possibility that a strategic shock should occur. However, the SFA assumes that the present transition period will become even more complex and uncertain, presenting threats and opportunities fuelled by an accelerated pace of social and technological change, combined with the extensive effects of globalisation. It is important that the Alliance continues to respect the global security environment, in order to build a common understanding of the trends and to keep one informed regarding its efforts to continuously change. The SFA identifies trends in some broad themes, such as: politics, humanity, technology, and others. A summary of key findings related to each theme is provided in the following paragraphs. 3 Former Secretary of State for Education in the United States under Bill Clinton's term (1993-2001). Olivian Stănică 19 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges a. At the political level, global power shifts will continue to have significant effects: – emerging powers will exert increasing global influence. This shift in power may cause instability; – the increased relevance of certain regions may support the pursuit of new types of partnerships and associations for NATO; – NATO could be affected by crises further from Alliance territory, where non-state actors may play a larger role and Nations’ interests might not always align; b. The future is likely to be characterised by changing demographics, urbanisation, human networks and fractured identities: – most NATO nations will experience overall ageing, leading to a shrinking military-able population. In developing nations, youth bulges could lead to potential challenges; – urbanisation will increase the likelihood that the Alliance may need to conduct combat or security operations in condensed urban environments; – human networks and demands for transparency will bring new challenges and opportunities for NATO countries; – changes in the relationship of individuals to the state could present governance challenges and create the potential for social and political disruption; c. Accelerating technological change will contribute to how the future is shaped: – technological innovation has the potential to provide significant global benefits, but it also creates a greater likelihood of adverse consequences; – potential adversaries will have greater access to innovative science and technology, and will continue to attempt to obtain Weapons of Mass Destruction/ Effect (WMD/E) information or material; – the Alliance must continue to anticipate technological advances in order to maintain its technological edge; – there will be increased potential for cyber-attacks against Alliance networks or military systems; – the ubiquity of information and social media will present both challenges and opportunities for NATO’s strategic communications. 2 COOPERATION AT EUROPEAN LEVEL IN THE FIELD OF TRAINING – EFFECTIVE MEANS OF ACHIEVING INTEROPERABILITY There is a regional trend to capitalise on training capabilities, including for training officers or NCOs in NATO/EU countries through the initiatives launched in 2000 and then after 2010, such as: Smart Defence, Pooling and Sharing and Connected Forces Initiative. GLOBAL SUCCESS OF »EUROPE 2020« – REMODELLING EDUCATION SYSTEMS, EVEN MILITARY ONES? 20 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges European cooperation initiatives between military educational institutions: Germany has initiated a project called European NCO Academy4 (ENCOA). So far, the project, launched in 2003, was designed only for training NCOs from Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The project was resumed in 2006 for establishing multinational cooperation in the field of training based on certain courses, on ADL support, for non-commissioned officers of the three countries in German for now, but it can be extended to other countries if they set up courses in English too. In 2012, there was an international symposium organised by the Multinational ENCOA and the debates continue on the academy’s website. Beyond the bilateral exchange projects, other efforts consisted in organising Cadets or military institutions networks. There is a French initiative to create a network of cadets at the Conference of European Military Schools and Academies (CEEAM, under French acronym)5. This experimental conference was organised 2002 at the Military School of Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan, later in Brussels, in 2003, and then in Italy, in 2004. It was meant to bring together cadets and students from military educational institutions of the EU, Canada, USA, Russia and Norway in order to explore the possibility of shaping a "European Academy" (as a forum for discussion and debate). Given certain organisational and financial reasons related to participants’ travel requirements, the experience was not repeated at such a large scale. Moreover, in the European educational institutions, in the late ’90s, integration through networks was implemented. Naval academies, acting in the field of the initial training of naval forces officers, created a forum called Superintendent Conference, which gathered together rectors of the 16 member states together with Norway and the US. Its aim is to improve cooperation between the participating institutions, for example, to make training available to others or to organise sporting or cultural events (such as the Maritime Regatta). In terms of air force officers’ education, a forum was created called European Union Air Force Academies (EUAFA6). It gathered together the rectors of educational institutions in 15 member states, plus Switzerland, Norway and Turkey. Its purpose is similar to its naval counterpart, and its achievements have been remarkable, especially because it gives its cadets the opportunity to meet for brief sporting events (e.g. athletics). A question may arise at this point: if a European initiative was needed, given that these institutions have already found ways of cooperation before going to the details 4 See http://www.encoa.de, accessed on 14th October 2014. 5 CEEAM – Conference of European Military Schools and Academies. 6 EUAFA – European Union Air Force Academies. Olivian Stănică 21 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges of the exchange of cadets, however, it can be seen that none of these forums does not take place in a configuration at "European level", namely within the CSDP7. A similar initiative exists for land forces in the 27 EU member states, which have agreed to organise a forum for debate for higher education institutions as well, known as the European Military Academies Seminar Chiefs – EMACS. Since its creation, in 2008, EMACS discussions have seemed to focus mainly on students/ cadets exchange activities, as the counterparts from air and naval forces. In my point of view, the evolution of military education will be determined, according to the specified threats, by the adaptation and transformation in keeping with the following trends: a) resizing future force structures will run concurrently with reductions in defence budgets, which will lead to a recalibration of training systems, including the educational supply and demand; b) focusing towards a centralised training of the military in EU member states and/ or on functional areas or packages of capabilities provided by countries and institutions technologically advanced, while reviewing the position and prestige of local/national or regional institutions8; c) upgrading local/national initial and continuing training level must be completed with making it entirely compatible (both in terms of curricular content and in terms of the quality of the end product/learning outcomes) with similar military education from NATO and EU countries; d) successively and gradually professionalising the teaching staff of the military education system, in the sense of employing and capitalising on the human resource that gained experience in theatres of operations, international missions, activities of representation etc.; e) rethinking, reviewing and reviving the marketing image, both the institutional one and at the level of the packages of educational offers of future educational institutions in order to increase their performance and reliability; f) the need for increased participation in international missions, under multinational forces commands and structures from NATO member states, has led to a acute increase in interoperability. From this point of view, the basic "joint"-type educational systems will be the first link in the chain of interoperability of future armed forces; g) fully professionalising the military in most NATO/EU countries will bring about the essential change in the role and place of the officer/NCOs/professional soldier. Complete professionalisation of the armed forces will also require fundamental changes in the design of planning and conducting training, teaching-learning 7 CSDP – Common Security and Defence Policy. 8 At regional level, there are various forms of cooperation/collaboration: West European countries (Germany, France, Spain) and the Benelux countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg) or (Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic) or (Poland, Hungary) and Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden) and Baltic countries (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania) and Mediterranean countries (Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, etc.) or Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey) and the former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro etc.). GLOBAL SUCCESS OF »EUROPE 2020« – REMODELLING EDUCATION SYSTEMS, EVEN MILITARY ONES? 22 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges methods, typology and mentality of the formation of the future trainer/mentor/ educator, curriculum, education logistics etc. The mental part of military training should include three elements: willingness to fight, toughness and team member (Figure 2). All elements of mental preparation were established by the FINABEL9 working group in 2009. More than ever, in determining the issue of training and education, the military education institutions should consider the previous level of training, level of motivation, skills, abilities, attitudes of future candidates to the military profession. Learning English and the military operations language by the entire military personnel – by teaching certain modules/courses in English, will almost spread in all NATO countries/partners; h) technologising and computerising military equipment will determine and adapt training systems by upgrading or acquiring new simulators, reconfiguring classrooms, designing new techniques and procedures to use the new technique, supplementing active training methods with e-Learning elements etc. In order to cope with the actions under the circumstances of the integrated battlespace, the forces are being provided with modern weapons and combat equipment that are more mobile and multifunctional, which will provide them with high flexibility 9 Finabel is an organisation that maintains tight cooperation relations and exchange of information with the North-Atlantic Alliance and military structures from the EU. Set up in 1953, by France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, the Finabel Committee’s first objective was to develop common armament’s programmes, but the institution quickly shifted to the harmonisation of land doctrines and the realisation of inter-operation among the Land Forces of the European states. Finabel Committee consists currently of the Chiefs of the Army of France, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg – 1953, Germany – 1956, United Kingdom – 1973, Spain – 1990, Greece, Portugal – 1996, Poland, Slovakia – 2006, Finland, Romania, Cyprus – 2008, Malta – 2010 Czech Republic – 2012. See: http://www.financiarul.ro/2009/05/09/govt-approves-participation-of-romania-to-finabel/ accessed on 9th March 2014. Figure 2: Main elements of mental preparation of military personnel Source: analyze Finabel issue/June - 2009 Main elements of mental preparation and training WILLINGNESS TO FIGHT Discipline Performance oriented Active Courageous TOUGHNESS Stress resistant Resilient Perseverant TEAM MEMBER Ethically aware Camaraderie Independence Pride Olivian Stănică 23 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges and reversibility. The need for knowing them and using them effectively will result in a new approach to training, especially the specialised one. i) in most EU countries, we will find that the main pillars of officers training (Figure 3) are: academic education, vocational education (general military training and specialised military training including physical training) and military leadership. Their share in the university curricula is specific to each country and varies depending on a number of factors, such as: traditions, length of school period, fields and specialisations set according to the requirements of beneficiaries (for example: graduates from academies/universities, confirmed in branches such as: infantry, CBRN defence, financial service or logistics, obtain a bachelor’s degree in specialisations such as: organisational management, economics, administrative law, finance and accounting, while the graduates confirmed in branches such as: tanks, engineer, artillery, missiles, aviation, radiolocation, navy obtain a bachelor’s degree in technical and engineering specialties). Promoting a European security culture through military education at all levels of the military career will require a common approach. Currently, in Europe10, there is a wide variety of institutions responsible for the officers’ initial education/training: academies, colleges, schools or military universities. The common characteristic of all these institutions of officers’ initial training is that they all provide high-level skills 10 In 2011, seven European military institutions that operate in the training and basic education officers have taken the name "university". The name has more than a symbolic significance, in fact, not just these seven institutions provide a level of training similar to the civil one, the military "schools", "academies" and "colleges" have also followed their trend, even though they preserved their traditions and military purposes. Figure 3: The main pillars of initial training of officers in EU Member States UNIVERSITY/ACADEMY/SCHOOL Conclusion BASIC TRAINING AND EDUCATION OF OFFICERS (ACADEMIC + VOCATIONAL TRAINING) A C A D EM IC T RA IN IN G M IL IT A RY T RA IN IN G M IL IT A RY T RA IN IN G O F SP EC IA LI TY LE A D ER SH IP T RA IN IN G GLOBAL SUCCESS OF »EUROPE 2020« – REMODELLING EDUCATION SYSTEMS, EVEN MILITARY ONES? 24 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges (skills and qualifications specific to branches military and specialisations, according to the EQF 611 level, at the end of the bachelor’s degree courses and EQF 7 level skills in military actions and operations command, to improve officers’ planning and staff training for the following areas: operations, training and exercises, logistics, human resources, at the end of their master’s degree courses. It seems that the new aviation technologies have to adapt very quickly to the requirements of the new risks and threats, therefore, the military experts addressed this issue at the annual conference of the NATO Joint Air Power Competence Centre COE, in October 2013, where it was pointed out that [... ] the direction for the new generation of jets is moving towards multi-role and even omni-role platforms with a maximum number of capabilities concentrated within the same fleet to reduce costs related to logistics and other additional expenses. We will not address the aircraft other than as a multi-role aerial platform that will remain relevant in the future, and pilots training for future air platforms should focus more on developing systems manager qualities rather than on piloting skills12. The organisation, nature and evolution of the Armed Forces, in general, will be determined by a complex of factors, such as: the political system, economic development level, scientific and technical potential, demographics (birth rate, migration, aging etc.), geographical position, size and characteristics of the national territory, the country membership in a political-military alliance, national traditions and customs of each people (Duţu et al, 2003, p. 3). In most NATO/EU countries, the specialised and military education and professional training of officers is integrated into the national higher education system. In accordance with the national legislation on education (including the condition of graduating from courses in the native language), the recommendations of the Bologna process and the mobility requirements (see the European Credit Transfer System – ECTS13) have all made it possible for the military education to remain closely linked to the national education system, as military education is a component of the general education specific to each nation. In the future, there will not be only a national interest of comparing military education systems, but also an international one. If we have transparency and recognised study programmes as well as common qualification frameworks, it will be much easier to exchange officers, NCOs and civilians for studying or working in different countries. 11 European Qualification Framework – EQF. EQF is a meta-framework that facilitates networking and communication between qualifications frameworks and national and sectoral systems. The EQF will facilitate the transfer, transparency and recognition of qualifications – understood as learning outcomes assessed and certified by a competent body at national or sectoral level. 12 See Final report at Annual Conference of NATO CoE for Joint Air Power, Tichelpark, Kleve – GERMANY, October 2013. 13 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) – Credits are numerical values assigned to units of courses and other educational activities. By transferable study credits, it is estimated, on average, the amount of work performed by a student in order to gain knowledge and skills specific to one discipline. Olivian Stănică 25 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges This will result in reduced costs and increased interoperability. This system requires implementation of quality assurance standards, which may possibly support cooperation within communities or working in international environment. Due to the specifics of the missions and operations of the past armed conflicts, where the use of civilian "forces" is made in a combined manner with the military ones, it is more and more required that modern threats are addressed with modern tools, which means that each member state should instruct/train its military personnel (soldiers/ NCOs/officers) in keeping with interoperability principles. Therefore, it is essential that future "elite military" should become acquainted with, be educated and trained to meet these realities of their profession. More by the prospect of the future, mobility may also lie at the basis of a potential European structural force (A European Army). Increased mobility for military students, teachers, and researchers has been determined by several instruments: the European Higher Education Area, transfer credits allocated to disciplines within Bachelor’s, Master’s degree or postgraduate programmes, English language and military Erasmus programme. This mobility will be maintained and further developed by learning the English language and the military operations language by all military personnel with the support of new technologies and tools in the field of e-Learning. In most NATO/EU military education systems, officers are required to possess academic education and, therefore, a civilian diploma (e.g. electronics engineer, statistician, economist, physician etc.) (Bodescu, 2013, p. 25). Moreover, the need for academic studies is required from all young officers by the prerequisites of their participation in international missions, in joint military operations or as command or staff personnel in multinational headquarters. All these activities demand a high degree of interoperability in using common command and control systems, applying procedures, specific military concepts and doctrines and using a military and cultural operational language tailored to the situations specific to a combat/crisis/ humanitarian/post-conflict reconstruction mission. NATO membership further requires that member/partner countries participate in common defence (under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty), which means that military education systems must be fully integrated (an officially undeclared purpose, but a target of military education at European level). However, the political issues, the gaps in terms of technology, military culture, mentality, customs and traditions or language barriers are the reason why this major objective is very difficult to achieve in the near future. Standardisation of training procedures will ensure the full success of ensuring interoperability among the Alliance armed forces. For young officers (Paile, 2011), being interoperable means to be able to rapidly act together in any context, namely to work in different configurations of language, nationality, culture, values etc. This means that young officers should renounce their membership in a group – engineer, GLOBAL SUCCESS OF »EUROPE 2020« – REMODELLING EDUCATION SYSTEMS, EVEN MILITARY ONES? 26 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges naval officer or Italian officer – for a group that is wider than nationality, language, culture etc. This will be the objective assigned to military education systems for initial (basic) formation and cadets/military-students training in order to meet these challenges. In this regard, both components – academic and vocational – of officers’ education play equivalent roles. The academic learning (Paile, 2010) process will provide theoretical tools to understand a given hostile conflict environment and the vocational learning process will provide the skills and competences needed in order to cope with new challenges. In this way, the exchange of knowledge, skills and competences is the key to training European Armed Forces for the modern warfare in the information age. 1. Allied Command Transformation, 2013. Strategic Foresight Analysis – 2013 Report (SFA). September 2013. 2. Bodescu, A., 2013. Educaţia militară – mijloc de promovare a culturii europene de securitate, Revista Impact Strategic nr. 2 [47]/2013. 3. Cummings, W. K., 2007. Instituţii de învăţământ. Bucureşti: Ed. Comunicare.ro. 4. Duţu, P. et al, 2003. Profesionalizarea Armatei României în contextul integrării în NATO, Bucureşti: The Centre for Defence and Security Strategic Studies. 5. McCousland, J. D.; Martin, G. F., 2001. Transforming Strategic Leader Education for 21st Century Army, Parameters, Fall 2001. 6. Nissinen, V., 2001. Military Leadership Training, Development of Leadership Behaviour in the Finnish Defence Forces. Publication Series I, Research reports no. 18/2001. 7. Paile, S., 2011. Europe for the Future Officer, Officers for the Future Europe, Warsaw: Dep. of Science and Military education of MoD; 8. Paile, S., 2010. The European Military Higher Education, Stocktaking Report, May 2010. 9. Stoyanov, S.; Hogveld, B.; Kirschner, P., 2010. Mapping Major Changes to Education and Training in 2025. JRC-ITPS (Joint Research Centre-Institute for Prospective Technological Studies). 10. www.tiaspe.ro/home/strategia-europa-2020 accessed on 05.03.2014 11. http://carteaverde.edu2025.ro/docs/Viziunea_Invatamantul_superior_din_Romania_ in_2025.pdf. 12. www.encoa.de. 13. http://cssas.unap.ro/ro/pdf_studii/profesionalizarea_armatei.pdf 14. www.financiarul.ro/2009/05/09/govt-approves-participation-of-romania-to-finabel Bibliography Olivian Stănică Povzetek Ključne besede Abstract