Alojz Šteiner
(Major General, General Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces)
Copyright: www.rieas.gr
Abstract
The Alliance has entered the second decade of the third millennium with a New Strategic Concept, which is to respond to new-domain challenges. In this respect, the NATO’s Strategic Concept could also be called a »cyber concept«, owing to the age we are about to enter. It could also be considered transformational with regard to the second transformational decade. The need for reform and further transformation is clearly emphasized, with the economic crisis as a special factor. Transformational changes have, of course, not been conceived as the changes for the poor. The implementation of novelties requires resources and it is mainly the latter that enable the introduction of new technologies and solutions. We therefore claim that transformation represents a challenge for everybody, but is also attainable for everybody. All this also reflects at a national level, although very often in different forms. Both views are very much relevant with regard to the preparations for NATO Summit in Chicago this year. The article presents certain transformational challenges of the Alliance and their influence on national defence and military sphere. In this respect, the reflections about further development of Slovenian defence and military system focus on the answers to transformational challenges. The central message of the reflections contained in the paper intends to clarify the needs and opportunities for changes. This is also one of the prerequisites for a successful implementation of transformational challenges....... Read more